Barney Frank: I want to be senator  —  Barney Frank, one day out of Congress, said on Friday that he has asked Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to send him back as an interim senator when Sen. John Kerry becomes secretary of state.  —  “A month ago, or a few weeks ago, I said I wasn't interested,” Frank said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.”

Gingrich warns Boehner could have ‘disaster on his hands’  —  Newt Gingrich warned Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) that he risks losing control of his conference without a more coherant strategy.  —  “He can't keep thinking the way he's thought the last few months without having a disaster on his hands …

No, a $1 Trillion Platinum Coin is Not Legal  —  For some reason, the possibility of evading the debt ceiling by minting a $1 trillion platinum coin is getting some blogospheric love again.  This is based on a 2000 revision to the U.S. statute on money and finance that reads:

Workers making $30,000 will take a bigger hit on their pay than those earning $500,000 under new fiscal deal  —  Middle-class workers will take a bigger hit to their income proportionately than those earning between $200,000 and $500,000 under the new fiscal cliff deal, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

US economy adds 155K jobs, rate stays at 7.8 pct.  —  US economy adds 155,000 jobs in December, unemployment rate stays at 7.8 percent  —  Associated PressBy Christopher s.  Rugaber, AP Economics Writer |  Associated Press - 2013-01-04T14:27:06Z  —  WASHINGTON (AP) …

Angry at the NRA?  That Won't Reduce Gun Violence  —  Support for stricter U.S. gun laws hasn't jumped as fast or as far in recent weeks as many liberals had hoped and expected.  If you're wondering why, maybe the reason is the shakiness of the public's trust in government itself.

New Jersey's Cory Booker Problem  —  The Newark Mayor's decision to run for Senate has offended Lautenberg, and frustrated the state's Democratic party.  “I'm not angry, I'm disappointed.”  —  Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker  —  Image by Max Morse / Getty Images

Final Tally Shows Obama First Since '56 to Win 51% Twice  —  Eight weeks after the Nov. 6 presidential election, a revised vote count in New York shows that Barack Obama is the first president in more than five decades to win at least 51 percent of the vote twice.

Eighty-Six Minutes of Joe Biden Being Incredible  —  I only spent a little time today watching Vice President Biden conduct ceremonial (read: photo-op) swearings-in for the 34 senators taking office today.  My mistake: As the viral video wizards quickly proved, it was a movie-length event …

Sen. Michael Crapo sentenced on DWI charge, apologizes  —  Sen. Michael Crapo (R-Idaho) pleaded guilty Friday to drunk driving following a December arrest in Alexandria, and issued a sweeping apology after a judge accepted his plea.  —  Crapo, who appeared in Alexandria District Court …

House rules aim to block controversial healthcare board's Medicare cuts  —  House Republicans signaled Thursday they will not follow rules in President Obama's healthcare law that were designed to speed Medicare cuts through Congress.  —  The House is set to vote Thursday afternoon on rules for the 113th Congress.

Return of the real Obama  —  The rout was complete, the retreat disorderly.  President Obama got his tax hikes — naked of spending cuts — passed by the ostensibly Republican House of Representatives.  After which, you might expect him to pivot to his self-proclaimed “principle” of fiscal …

Gore Went to Bat for Al Jazeera, and Himself  —  Al Gore at the Current TV studios in San Francisco in 2005.  He said Al Jazeera's coverage was “thorough, fair and informative.”  —  Al Gore's Current TV was never popular with viewers, but it was a hit where it counted: with cable and satellite providers.

First Day of 113th Congress Brings More Women to Capitol  —  WASHINGTON — As the 113th Congress opens, the Senate and the House are starting to look a little bit more like the people they represent.  —  The new Congress includes a record number of women (101 across both chambers …

Chief Justice Roberts to Preside at Obama Swearing-In  —  WASHINGTON - President Obama's inaugural planning committee will announce this morning that - surprise!  - Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will deliver the oath of office to Mr. Obama when he is sworn in for a second term later this month.

Battles of the Budget  —  The centrist fantasy of a Grand Bargain on the budget never had a chance.  Even if some kind of bargain had supposedly been reached, key players would soon have reneged on the deal — probably the next time a Republican occupied the White House.