‘Vote No, Hope Yes’ Defines Dysfunction in Congress  —  WASHINGTON — After the shutdown, the filibusters and years of stalled bills, it was the actual passage of legislation this week that revealed the true depth of congressional dysfunction.  —  The House vote to raise the debt limit …

Chris Christie's Entire Career Reeks  —  It's not just the bridge  —  Has there ever been a political reversal of fortune as rapid and as absolute as the one just experienced by Chris Christie?  At warp speed, the governor of New Jersey has gone from the most popular politician in the country …

How Comcast Buying Time Warner Cable Could Impact You — And The Entire Entertainment Industry  —  Comcast Cable President and CEO Neil Smit.  —  CREDIT: AP Images/Evan Agostini  —  Today, Comcast, already the country's largest provider of cable television, announced that it would spend $45 billion …

Is opposing gay marriage the same as being a racist?  —  Conservative opposition to same sex marriage is deeply rooted in religious belief  —  W  —  riting at The New Republic, Isaac Chotiner doesn't much appreciate my argument about the growing cockiness of secular liberals.

Before O-Care debacle, Sebelius made many trips to White House  —  Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was in frequent contact with President Obama and senior White House aides before the disastrous launch of the federal ObamaCare exchange last year.

Maddow Defends Bridge Coverage Following ‘Morning Joe’ Criticism (VIDEO)  —  Rachel Maddow kicked off her show Wednesday evening with what seemed like a repudiation to what was said on her own network several hours earlier.  —  “It has been a big day today in the biggest political story …

Wednesday Was Full of Good News for Obamacare.  Here Are the Charts That Prove It.  —  More Americans enrolled in Obamacare plans in January than expected, according to data released Wednesday by the Obama administration.  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had expected to sign up 1,059,900 people last month.

Release Detail  —  February 13, 2014 - Cuomo Thumps Trump, Astorino In New York Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Clinton Runs Better Against Christie In 2016 Race  —  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a 63 - 28 percent job approval rating, higher than the current scores for any governor …

The Minority Maker  —  Ted Cruz hurts his party by forcing a meaningless debt-ceiling vote.

Gay Republican Candidate's Ad Poses Test for Party  —  Carl DeMaio is one of three openly gay Republicans running for Congress this year, and he would be at least the third to serve in the House if he wins.  But Mr. DeMaio on Thursday will take a step that none of them has …

Rand Paul and Ken Cuccinelli accused of stealing NSA lawsuit  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been caught using purloined passages in several of his speeches.  Now the aspiring presidential candidate stands accused of filing a lawsuit stolen from its author.  —  Since December …

How the Case of an Amish Farmer Could Doom Hobby Lobby in Court  —  It doesn't matter whether an employer is secular or religious, non-profit or for-profit.  The Supreme Court's precedents show that the government's interest in nationwide programs trumps all.  —  Edwin Lee was a Pennsylvania Amish farmer and carpenter.

When did faith start to fade?  —  In Tom Stoppard's 1970 play “Jumpers,” the philosopher hero broods unhappily on the inexorable rise of the atheist: “The tide is running his way, and it is a tide which has turned only once in human history. . . . There is presumably a calendar date—a moment …

Exclusive: Snowden Swiped Password From NSA Coworker - NBC News  —  A civilian NSA employee recently resigned after being stripped of his security clearance for allowing former agency contractor Edward Snowden to use his pers...

Why The Senate STILL Isn't Able To Get Anything Done Even After The ‘Nuclear Option’  —  It wasn't supposed to be this way.  —  In 2013, the Senate adopted two of the most significant changes to its rules in nearly 40 years.  The first significantly reduced the amount of time senators …

Vulnerable Dems want IRS to step up  —  Senate Democrats facing tough elections this year want the Internal Revenue Service to play a more aggressive role in regulating outside groups expected to spend millions of dollars on their races.  —  In the wake of the IRS targeting scandal …

Americans' Views of Russia, Putin Are Worst in Years  —  Clear majority view the Russian president and his nation unfavorably  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — As host nation Russia dominates the world stage at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Americans clearly do not think highly of the country or its president, Vladimir Putin.