Anti-Gay Pastor Removed From Inaugural Program … Louis Giglio, the anti-LGBT pastor who had been announced to perform the benediction at President Obama's second inauguration, has been removed from the program, ABC News's Jonathan Karl reported Thursday.  —  The move came after ThinkProgress …

Giffords gun control group wants $20 million for 2014 elections  —  (Reuters) - A new gun control group led by Gabrielle Giffords, the former U.S. congresswoman wounded in a Tucson shooting rampage, wants to raise $20 million for the 2014 congressional elections, matching …

Report: At least two people shot at Taft High School  —  TAFT, Calif. - Officials have said that at least two people were shot at Taft High School.  —  The shooting happened at about 9 a.m., and reports indicate that at least two people were shot.  —  The shooter was taken into custody at about 9:20 a.m. officials said.

Replacing David: Plouffe-by-committee?  —  Obama's right hand man in the West Wing and campaign consigliere, David Plouffe, has basically left the building, according to several White House sources who say they haven't seen him around much since the fiscal cliff deal.

Cory Booker: “Pointing the finger at gays”  —  Cory Booker's column in the April 8, 1992 Stanford Daily. … I was in my tolerance stage or the “I don't give a damn if someone is gay, just as long as they don't bother me” stage.  I was well trained in my tolerance.  I stopped telling my gay jokes.

Democrats Dread 2014 Drop-Off  —  At first blush, Saxby Chambliss and the Michigan right-to-work episode seem completely unrelated.  Most Republicans approve of both, of course, but there is a deeper connection.  The Georgia senator and Michigan's effort to restrict organized labor's power …

Joe Scarborough Goes Off On Mika Brzezinski After She Asserts He's ‘Being Chauvinistic’  —  The Morning Joe family got heated and a bit awkward this morning during a discussion about the lack of diversity in President Obama's inner circle.  As Joe Scarborough pointed to the lack of outrage …

Biden Hints at Outlawing Unregulated ‘Private’ Gun Sales  —  Vice President Joe Biden, in remarks today before a meeting on guns, suggested the Obama administration is seriously considering outlawing unregulated “private” gun sales:  —  /p>  —  “And so the kinds of things that there's …

The Debt Ceiling's Escape Hatch  —  THE fiscal cliff may have been avoided, but an even higher-stakes political standoff — this time, over the federal debt ceiling — is just around the bend.  —  Congressional Republicans have said they will demand immense cuts to popular government programs …

A GOP Strategy for the Debt-Ceiling Fight  —  The House should pass a bill pairing spending cuts with a dollar-for-dollar debt-ceiling increase.  —  President Obama says he won't negotiate with Republicans over his proposed more than $1 trillion increase in the debt ceiling as a matter …

The Mostly Solved Deficit Problem  —  The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has a graph:  —  The vertical axis measures the projected ratio of federal debt to GDP.  The blue line at the top represents the projected path of that ratio as of early 2011 — that is, before recent agreements on spending cuts and tax increases.

Joe Walsh Suggests Breaking Law to Fight Affordable Care Act in Chicago  —  CHICAGO — Tea Party favorite Joe Walsh says conservatives are losing the “war” for U.S. voters and encouraged his backers at a South Loop rally to engage in civil disobedience to defy the Affordable Care Act or new gun regulations.

For Americans Under 50, Stark Findings on Health  —  Younger Americans die earlier and live in poorer health than their counterparts in other developed countries, with far higher rates of death from guns, car accidents and drug addiction, according to a new analysis of health and longevity in the United States.

Frank endorses Markey for Senate  —  Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) endorsed Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in the special election to replace Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) if Kerry is confirmed as secretary of State, as is expected.  —  “Frankly, Ed and I have worked together in Congress …

Wyden criticizes DOE natural-gas export study, calls for do-over  —  Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wants the Energy Department (DOE) to redo a natural-gas export study to address “shortcomings,” setting the stage for a likely hearing on the matter.  —  Wyden, who chairs the Senate Committee …