Double trouble: House GOP eyes default, shutdown  —  House Republicans are seriously entertaining dramatic steps, including default or shutting down the government, to force President Barack Obama to finally cut spending by the end of March.  —  The idea of allowing the country to default …

Legal Case Strained Troubled Web Activist  —  Just days before he hanged himself, Internet activist Aaron Swartz's hopes for a deal with federal prosecutors fell apart.  —  Two years ago, the advocate for free information online, who was known to have suffered from depression …

Americans' Dissatisfaction With Gun Laws Spikes to 38%  —  Close to four in 10 say gun laws should be stricter, up from 25% in 2012  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., school shootings, and as Vice President Joe Biden leads a federal task force that will recommend ways …

Bloomberg wants to change the GOP  —  Matt McClain/For The Washington Post - Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, poses for a portrait at New York City Hall on Friday January 11, 2013.  He has been outspoken on the issue of gun control.  —  NEW YORK — Michael Bloomberg …

SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT  —  The New Year's Day vote in Congress that brought a temporary truce to the fiscal wars showed the Republicans to be far more divided than the Democrats, and the division broke along regional lines.  House Republicans from the Far West and from the Northeast favored …

In California, It's U.S. vs. State Over Marijuana  —  STOCKTON, Calif. — Matthew R. Davies graduated from college with a master's degree in business and a taste for enterprise, working in real estate, restaurants and mobile home parks before seizing on what he saw as uncharted territory …

Militants in Mali Advance Despite Airstrikes  —  By DREW HINSHAW in Bamako, Mali, and DAVID GAUTHIER-VILLARS in Paris  —  Militants allied with al Qaeda on Monday pushed into territory controlled by the Malian army despite French airstrikes over the weekend on rebel strongholds in the country's north …

Obama half brother Malik seeks Kenya governor's office  —  President Barack Obama's half brother is following his younger sibling into politics.  —  Malik Obama, 54, is running for the governorship of Siaya, a county in western Kenya, as an independent candidate.

Apple Cuts Orders for iPhone Parts  —  Apple Inc. has cut its orders for components for the iPhone 5 due to weaker-than-expected demand, people familiar with the situation said Monday.  —  Apple's orders for iPhone 5 screens for the January-March quarter, for example, have dropped to roughly half …

Meet the softball: David Gregory and Colin Powell  —  “Meet the Press” isn't what it used to be.  After a remarkably softball interview with President Obama on New Year's Day, moderator David Gregory on Sunday let former secretary of state Colin Powell filibuster through one question after another …

EXCLUSIVE: Teacher claims discrimination over fear of kids  —  MARIEMONT — A longtime French and Spanish high school teacher is suing the Mariemont school district, alleging it discriminated against her because she has a disability - she has a phobia of young children.

Exclusive: CBS forced CNET staff to recast vote after Hopper won ‘Best in Show’ at CES  —  The Dish Network's Hopper wasn't simply in the running: it had actually taken the top prize  —  On Friday, news broke that CNET had been forced by its parent company CBS to remove the Dish Network's Hopper set-top box …

Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period.  —  Exactly two years ago, Farhad Manjoo ranted against people who still type two spaces after a period.  To this day, people are still talking about the article.  And some of them make a point to leave two spaces after all of their periods.

Journal News gun permit map used by burglars to target White Plains home?  —  A White Plains residence pinpointed on a controversial handgun permit database was burglarized Saturday, and the burglars' target was the homeowner's gun safe.  —  At least two burglars broke into a home on Davis Avenue …