Obama Poised to Back Comprehensive Plan to Curb Gun Violence  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama this week will embrace a comprehensive plan to reduce gun violence that will call for major legislation to expand background checks for gun purchases and lay out 19 separate actions the president …

Schumer to back Hagel as defense secretary  —  Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced his support Tuesday for the nomination of former senator Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, delivering a key vote for the Nebraska Republican's confirmation after weeks of voicing doubt about his positions …

Liberal tax leaves bitter taste in some smoothie drinkers' mouths  —  VERNAL — When George Burnett first set up shop in Vernal, he knew he had to find away to connect with his adopted community if his custom seat cover business was going to survive.  —  So, armed with a sandwich board emblazoned …

President Congeniality talks tough  —  “I'm a pretty friendly guy,” President Obama said near the end of his White House news conference Monday afternoon.  —  The claim might have been a touch more plausible if he hadn't spent the bulk of the previous hour demonstrating just how adversarial he could be.

Harry Reid: The Assault Weapons Ban Is Probably Doomed  —  The Democratically-controlled U.S. Senate will not be a free-for-all of new gun regulations following the shooting at Sandy Hook, according to Majority Leader Harry Reid.  Instead, Senators will focus on passing legislation …

Averting Default, Achieving Restraint  —  The federal government will hit the statutory limit on its debt within the next two months, and further borrowing would require congressional action.  Almost everybody recognizes that such action will need to take place, since no one has proposed a way to end all deficit spending immediately.

Armstrong Admits Doping, and Says He Will Testify Against Cycling Officials  —  In an interview with Oprah Winfrey that is scheduled to air on her network on Thursday, Lance Armstrong confessed that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his cycling career, according to two people briefed …

On humanity, a big failure in Aaron Swartz case  —  If it was beyond scandalous that Aaron Swartz was facing 35 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines for downloading a bunch of obscure academic treatises without a subscription, it is beyond tragic that he is now dead.

More city co-eds turning to sugar daddies for school support  —  More New York City co-eds are turning to a new source of income — sugar daddies — to cope with the rising cost of their college tuition, surprising statistics released yesterday reveal.  —  And the majority is enrolled …

After 2010 campaign, Gov. Rick Scott gave back dog Reagan  —  What happened to Reagan, the Scotts' rescued Labrador?  —  TALLAHASSEE — Shortly after winning the GOP nomination in 2010, Rick Scott announced to the world through Facebook that his family had rescued a Labrador Retriever.

Jon Huntsman Can't Stop Talking About The Republican Party  —  The Republican gadfly and No Labels crusader says he's only trying to help.  “I'd say we take about 2 percent of the media requests that come in.  Really.”  —  Jon Huntsman speaks to BuzzFeed staff Monday.  —  Image by Macey Foronda for BuzzFeed

The Age of Administrative Excess  —  by Richard A. Epstein (Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow and member of the Property Rights, Freedom, and Prosperity Task Force)  —  Why is the federal government locking unwilling citizens into Medicare?  —  Earlier this month …

Why the D.C. Attorney General Should Have Recused Himself From The Gregory Case  —  We have discussed the District of Columbia's decision not to prosecute David Gregory for violating its gun law.  In doing so, we mentioned that the decision was made by District of Columbia Attorney General Irvin Nathan …

401(k) breaches undermining retirement security for millions  —  A large and growing share of American workers are tapping their retirement savings accounts for non-retirement needs, raising broad questions about the effectiveness of one of the most important savings vehicles for old age.

Former Obama Staff Complain Of Cold Inaugural Shoulder  —  The no-drama Obama campaign is over.  “The people that worked so hard, for so long, to raise a billion dollars and turn out millions of voters deserve better.”  —  Stewards stand amid rows of empty seats during a dress rehearsal …