Why President Obama is picking fights with Congress  —  Barack Obama is looking for a few good fights.  —  Obama, the same president who campaigned twice on breaking the cycle of conflict in Washington, sees the utility — even the necessity — of rattling Republican cages as he plunges …

In U.S., Democrats Re-Establish Lead in Party Affiliation  —  In 2012, 47% identified or leaned Democratic, 42% Republican  —  PRINCETON, NJ — An average of 47% of Americans identified as Democrats or said they were independents who leaned Democratic in 2012, compared with 42% who identified as or leaned Republican.

Why can't Republicans enforce law against Harry Reid?  —  WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) arrrives for a weekly policy luncheon with Democratic members of the U.S. Senate December 11, 2012 in Washington, DC.  The U.S. Congress is still negotiating pending …

Transcript of Nate Silver's ‘Ask Me Anything’ on Reddit  —  Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight took questions Tuesday on the popular social news site Reddit's “Ask Me Anything” section.  What follows is an edited transcript, with the questions and answers sorted into several subject areas.

Wal-Mart Misses a Meeting With Biden on Gun Violence  —  The White House extended an invitation to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to participate in a meeting Thursday focused on curbing gun violence, but the retailer declined due to a scheduling conflict, a company spokesman said.

ANALYSIS: Everywhere You Look, Chris Christie  —  Gov. Chris Christie delivers his State Of The State address at the Statehouse, Jan. 8, 2013, in Trenton, N.J. (Mel Evans/AP Photo)  —  In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos this morning, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie …

At 100, still little love for Nixon  —  Richard Nixon would have turned 100 Wednesday, but about the only people marking the occasion are historians, family members and loyalists from the disgraced 37th president's administration.  —  And even they're slowly dying off.

Rage Against the Coin  —  (From Talking Points Memo).  —  Well, the trillion-dollar-coin thing — deal with the debt ceiling by exploiting a legal loophole to have the Treasury mint one or more large-denomination coins, deposit them at the Fed, and use the cash in the new account to pay bills — has really taken off.

Chuck Hagel Expanded On ‘Aggressively Gay’ Slur In 1998  —  Then-Sen. Chuck Hagel's remark to the Omaha World-Herald in 1998 that Clinton ambassadorial nominee James Hormel was “openly aggressively gay” was only a part of what Hagel told the paper about his opposition to Hormel's nomination.

Ferry Crashes in Lower Manhattan, Dozens Injured  —  A rush hour commuter ferry with more than 300 passengers aboard crashed Wednesday as it approached a Wall Street pier, injuring more than 50 people, police said.  —  Officials had initially said the injuries were minor …

Not Even Close: 2012 Was Hottest Ever in U.S.  —  The numbers are in: 2012, the year of a surreal March heat wave, a severe drought in the Corn Belt and a huge storm that caused broad devastation in the Middle Atlantic States, turns out to have been the hottest year ever recorded in the contiguous United States.

Hagel pick: Final snub of George W. Bush  —  The final insult to George W. Bush's foreign policy may have come in the form of a Republican ex-senator from Nebraska.  —  Chuck Hagel's nomination for secretary of defense has stirred opposition on both the left and the right …

U.S. Is Open to Withdraw Afghan Force After 2014  —  WASHINGTON — On the eve of a visit by President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, the Obama administration said Tuesday that it was open to a so-called zero option that would involve leaving no American troops in Afghanistan after 2014, when the NATO combat mission there comes to an end.

Employers, educators search for answers to technical jobs issue  —  RACINE COUNTY — The challenge of finding good employees is so long-standing and pervasive that Racine Metal-Fab has revised its hiring approach.  —  “If we see behaviors we don't like, we fire faster and hire slower,” …

The Deficit Reduction We Have Achieved So Far  —  Since the start of fiscal year 2011, President Barack Obama has signed into law approximately $2.4 trillion of deficit reduction for the years 2013 through 2022.  Nearly three-quarters of that deficit reduction is in the form of spending cuts …

Now Gossip site Gawker publishes names of ALL licensed gun owners in New York City  —  A gossip site has taken the controversial decision to post the name of every licensed gun owner in New York City online as the debate over gun control rages on.  —  Gawker posted the list of names, which is already publicly available, today.

Barney Frank: Why I want to be senator  —  Former Rep. Barney Frank says it was the year-end standoff over the fiscal cliff that prompted him to seek an appointment to John Kerry's Senate seat and then to go public with hopes for his next career move.  —  Asked why he changed his mind …

Call Time For Congress Shows How Fundraising Dominates Bleak Work Life … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Barney Frank, Congress, Video, Alcee Hastings, Congress Fundraising, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Call Time Congress, Campaign Fundraising, Congress Fundraising Calls …

Iowa lawmaker calls for retroactive gun ban, confiscation of semi-automatic weapons  —  In an interview with the Daily Times Herald in Caroll, Iowa, state Rep. Dan Muhlbauer said governments should start confiscating semi-automatic rifles and other firearms.

Richard Blanco, 2013 Inaugural Poet  —  WASHINGTON — From the moment Barack Obama burst onto the political scene, the poet Richard Blanco, a son of Cuban exiles, says he felt “a spiritual connection” with the man who would become the nation's 44th president.

Glenn Beck Relaunching The Blaze As Global Libertarian News Network  —  Beck takes a shot at Fox as he expands his news network with foreign bureaus and a new show.  “I consider myself a libertarian... I'm a lot closer to Penn Jillette than I am to Chuck Hagel.”

Cost Of A Broken System: U.S. Spent More On Immigration Than All Other Federal Enforcement Agencies Combined  —  During the 2012 fiscal year, the federal government spent more on immigration enforcement — $18 billion — than on every other federal law enforcement agencies combined …

Cuomo to Propose Broader Ban on Assault Weapons  —  ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, pushing New York to become the first state to enact major new gun laws in the wake of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., plans on Wednesday to propose one of the country's most restrictive bans on assault weapons.

Apple Working on a Less-Expensive iPhone  —  Apple Inc. is working on a lower-end iPhone, according to people briefed on the matter, a big shift in corporate strategy as its supremacy in smartphones has slipped.  —  While Apple has explored such a device for years, the plan is progressing …