Topsy-turvy Hagel politics  —  President Obama wants to get credit for bipartisanship, so he picks a Republican defense secretary who will garner few if any Republican votes.  He walks away from a politically loyal African American woman for secretary of state (whose nomination would open …

The Education of John Boehner  —  Leverage for the next clash: GOP willingness to let the spending sequester take effect.  —  What stunned House Speaker John Boehner more than anything else during his prolonged closed-door budget negotiations with Barack Obama was this revelation …

Man ID'd as Rand Paul's son arrested at airport  —  A teenager identified in several media outlets as the son of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and the grandson of former presidential candidate Ron Paul was arrested Saturday morning at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Counterterror Adviser to be Named Chief of C.I.A.  —  President Obama will announce on Monday that John O. Brennan, his counterterrorism adviser and a career Central Intelligence Agency officer, is his choice to head the agency, two months after David H. Petraeus stepped down after admitting …

The Big Fail  —  It's that time again: the annual meeting of the American Economic Association and affiliates, a sort of medieval fair that serves as a marketplace for bodies (newly minted Ph.D.'s in search of jobs), books and ideas.  And this year, as in past meetings …

Democrat Says Obama's Gun Control Proposals Are Extreme  —  On ABC's This Week yesterday, Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp described President Obama's gun control proposals as “extreme.” … Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.  —  Heitkamp's comments come …

The conservative movement is still an elaborate moneymaking venture  —  The story of FreedomWorks' big Glenn Beck payout encapsulates the right-wing media  —  The conservative media movement exists primarily as a moneymaking venture.  As Rick Perlstein explained in the Baffler …

The Outside Man  —  Yes, I've heard about the notion that I should be nominated as Treasury Secretary.  I'm flattered, but it really is a bad idea.  —  Part of the reason is that I am indeed the World's Worst Administrator — and that does matter.  Someone else can do the paperwork …

GOP Rep: 'It's About Time' We Had Another Government Shut Down  —  Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation this morning, Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) enthusiastically called for a government shut down: … Watch it:  —  Salmon's theory, that the government shutdown somehow led to balanced budgets …

Boehner Coup Attempt Larger Than First Thought  —  A concerted effort to unseat Speaker John A. Boehner was under way the day of his re-election to the position, but participants called it off 30 minutes before the House floor vote, CQ Roll Call has learned.

Drunk man celebrating his birthday busted after fatally shooting 34-year-old man inside Brooklyn diner  —  The inebriated customer grabbed a woman who had been standing next to patron Jason Lewis at the counter of the Country House Diner in Clinton Hill.  —  Police responded to a shooting at the Country House Diner.

Be Ready To Mint That Coin  —  Should President Obama be willing to print a $1 trillion platinum coin if Republicans try to force America into default?  Yes, absolutely.  He will, after all, be faced with a choice between two alternatives: one that's silly but benign, the other that's equally silly but both vile and disastrous.