Obama press conference: Refusing to raise debt ceiling ‘absurd’  —  President Barack Obama used the last press conference of his first term to try to grab hold of the debate over fiscal responsibility which will define the beginning of his second.  —  Obama repeated his call …

In Gun Control Debate, Several Options Draw Majority Support  —  Gun Rights Proponents More Politically Active  —  OVERVIEW  —  While the issue of gun control remains divisive, there are clear areas of agreement when it comes to a number of gun policy proposals.

Rep. Stockman threatens Obama impeachment over guns  —  Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) is threatening to file articles of impeachment against President Barack Obama if he moves to change gun regulations through executive order.  —  “I will seek to thwart this action by any means necessary …

Civil War's A-Brewin'  —  A pretty, young, auburn-haired woman - mid-20s - drove down a lonely country road somewhere in Oklahoma.  Appearing in her rearview mirror, at the back windshield, were two menacing orbs of light floating amid ashen dusk.  The guttural roar of a souped-up big block shook …

Clarence Thomas breaks long silence during Supreme Court oral arguments  —  Justice Clarence Thomas broke his nearly seven-year silence at Supreme Court oral arguments Monday.  But no one is sure exactly what he said.  —  Thomas seemed to be making a light-hearted joke about lawyers trained …

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 …

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 …

Dell Said to Be in Buyout Talks With Private-Equity Firms  —  Dell Inc. (DELL), the personal-computer maker that lost almost a third of its value last year, is in buyout talks with private-equity firms, two people with knowledge of the matter said.  —  Round Rock, Texas-based Dell is discussing …

EXCLUSIVE: ANDY WE HARDLY KNEW YE: SULLIVAN UNCEREMONIOUSLY DUMPED BY DAILY BEAST  —  According to a credible source with inside knowledge of the matter, the actual reason Andrew Sullivan and the Daily Beast are parting ways at the end of this month has nothing to do with some high-falutin' …

White House tells Paul Ryan it won't meet budget deadline  —  The White House has informed House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that it will miss the legal deadline for sending a budget to Congress.  —  Acting Budget Director Jeff Zients told Ryan (R-Wis.) …

Jenny Sanford to skip race for Congress … Former South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford said Monday she will not run for Congress.  —  Sanford, who has four sons with ex-governor Mark Sanford, said her family comes first.  She also took a swipe at the Republican-controlled House.

THE PRESIDENT'S PRIORITIES ARE NOT IN ORDER  —  The president gave the White House press corps a chance to ask him questions today in what was purported to be the wrap-up press conference of his first term.  —  The president gave the White House press corps its 37th chance to ask …

Americans Buy Enough Guns in Last Two Months to Outfit the Entire Chinese and Indian Armies  —  Honest Americans Bought Enough Guns in November and December to Outfit the Entire Chinese and Indian Armies  —  The Obama Administration is the number one threat to the nation's gun rights advocates.

Malian Town Falls to Islamist Rebels, France Says  —  PARIS — The French defense ministry said on Monday that a town in central Mali had fallen to Islamist insurgents from the north, hours after Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said his country's dramatic intervention there had succeeded …

SCOTUS won't disturb GOP voter fraud decree  —  The Supreme Court on Monday declined the Republican National Committee's request to lift a three-decade-old court order that limits the national GOP's ability to challenge voters' eligibility at the polls.  —  The case, Republican National …