A Pen, a Phone, and a Flailing President  —  The White House's problem might not be strategies and tactics.  It might be Obama himself.  —  For months, the White House and its allies mocked critics of Barack Obama's leadership, arguing that no president has “Green Lantern” superhero powers.

Trey Radel to resign House seat  —  Rep. Trey Radel (R-Fla.) will resign from Congress on Monday, according to multiple sources.  —  Radel, 37, was caught buying cocaine in November from an undercover federal agent in Washington and spent nearly a month in a rehabilitation facility.

NSA and GCHQ target ‘leaky’ phone apps like Angry Birds to scoop user data  —  GCHQ documents use Angry Birds - reportedly downloaded more than 1.7bn times - as a case study for app data collection.  —  The National Security Agency and its UK counterpart GCHQ have been developing capabilities …

Hillary Clinton Admits She Hasn't Driven A Car Since 1996 (VIDEO)  —  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that she hasn't driven a car since 1996, the year her husband Bill Clinton was elected to a second term as president.  —  “I have to confess that one of the regrets …

Deficit Reduction Declines as Policy Priority  —  Just Half of Democrats Rate Deficit as ‘Top Priority’  —  For the first time since Barack Obama took office in 2009, deficit reduction has slipped as a policy priority among the public.  Overall, 63% say reducing the budget deficit …

Sochi 2014: No gay people in city, says mayor  —  The mayor of Sochi, host of the Winter Olympics, has said there are no gay people in the city.  —  Anatoly Pakhomov said homosexuals were welcome at the Games - as long as they “respect Russian law” and “don't impose their habits on others”.

Timothy P. Carney on Chuck Schumer: Voice of the little man, courtier of plutocrats  —  TEA PARTY CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS LOBBYING CHUCK SCHUMER REVOLVING DOOR  —  The favorite senator of Wall Street and K Street explained to a liberal D.C. audience last week how to defang the Tea Party …

Dear GOP, Stop Talking About Women's Bodies  —  Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul think women have out-of-control “libidos” and like playing the victim.  Did they not learn anything from Todd Akin?  —  Perhaps it's time for Republican men to stop talking about women's bodies and choices.

D'Souza Producer: ‘I Never Feared My Govt Until Now’  —  More ways to share...  Stumbled  —  LinkedIn  —  Vine  —  Newstrust  —  Tell my politician  —  Technocrati  —  Get Short Link  —  Gerald Molen, the producer of Dinesh D'Souza's documentary film “2016: Obama's America,” …

Gary woman admits selling baby for sex  —  HAMMOND, Ind. (Sun-Times Media Wire) -  —  A Gary, Ind. woman admitted this week that she sold a baby eight times to a Gary man for sex and was in the room for all the meetings except for the last one.  —  Natisha Hillard, 25 …

Ezra Klein Is Joining Vox Media as Web Journalism Asserts Itself  —  After a week of speculation, it turns out that Ezra Klein, the prolific creator of The Washington Post's Wonkblog, will be going to Vox Media, the online home of SB Nation, a sports site, and The Verge, a fast-growing technology site.

Sheriffs cheer pot shot, say DEA chief ripped Obama remarks  —  Photo by:  —  WE'RE ‘FRUSTRATED’: Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson, above, lauded DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart after she criticized President Obama for comparing smoking marijuana to drinking alcohol.  —  By:

Don't Do It  —  The House Republican leadership has been confronted by devilishly difficult tactical choices over the years.  But what to do on the issue of immigration right now isn't one of them.  The correct course is easy and eminently achievable: Do nothing.

Paranoia of the Plutocrats  —  Rising inequality has obvious economic costs: stagnant wages despite rising productivity, rising debt that makes us more vulnerable to financial crisis.  It also has big social and human costs.  There is, for example, strong evidence that high inequality leads to worse health and higher mortality.