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 …

Man who helped Sandy Hook kids is harassed by conspiracy theorists  —  A man who found six children in his driveway in Newtown, Conn., after their teacher had been shot and killed in last month's school massacre has become the target of conspiracy theorists who believe the shootings were staged.

Utah Smoothie Shop Charges Liberals More, Donates Surcharge To Conservative Causes  —  A smoothie shop in Vernal, Utah is sparking outrage over an unorthodox pricing structure that charges liberals an extra dollar.  The shop, tellingly named the I Love Drilling Juice and Smoothie Bar …

Introducing Graph Search Beta  —  Facebook's mission is to make the world more open and connected.  The main way we do this is by giving people the tools to map out their relationships with the people and things they care about.  We call this map the graph.  It's big and constantly expanding with new people, content and connections.

Former Aide: Michele Bachmann Had “Unnatural Relationship” With Debate Coach  —  Peter Waldron alleges “Rasputin-like” control over the candidate.  “The story is completely false,” says O'Donnell.  —  O'Donnell looking at Bachmann.  —  Image by AP / AP  —  Michele Bachmann's high-profile …

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 …

Bernanke: Debt limit should be scrapped  —  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Monday said the debt ceiling has no value to the United States and should be scrapped.  —  “It would be a good thing if we didn't have it,” the Fed chairman said at the University of Michigan.

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 …

Mark Sanford: I'm Running for Congress  —  A conversation with the former South Carolina governor  —  Mark Sanford, the three-term congressman and two-term South Carolina governor, is preparing his political comeback, running for the House in the district recently represented by Tim Scott.

Fitch may downgrade U.S. credit rating … LONDON (AP) — The United States could lose its top credit rating for the second time from a leading credit agency if there's a delay in raising the country's debt ceiling, Fitch Ratings warned Tuesday.  —  Congress has to increase the country's debt limit …

Gov. Cuomo signs gun control bill making New York first state to do so since Newtown school massacre  —  NY Safe Gun Control Bill restricts gun sales and requires reporting of threats by mentally ill.  —  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signs the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act …

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.

Planet Earth Abandons Death Star Project In Face Of Superior Galactic Imperial Power  —  IMPERIAL CENTER, CORUSCANT - The overwhelming military superiority of the Galactic Empire has been confirmed once again by the recent announcement by the President of the United States that his nation …

This Metamorphosis Will Require a Permit  —  Sandy wrecked our house, but bureaucrats are keeping it broken.  —  “What sort of people were these?  What were they talking about?  What office did they belong to?  K. was living in a free country, after all, everywhere was at peace …

Texas Proposal: JAIL Any Federal Officials Trying to Enforce New Gun Restrictions in the State  —  measure would make any federal firearms legislation passed by Congress or approved by Presidential order unenforceable in Texas

Ann Coulter: ‘If You Compare White Populations,’ U.S. Has Same Murder Rate As Belgium (VIDEO)  —  Right-wing firebrand Ann Coulter on Monday said that the United States has a demographic problem rather than a gun problem, arguing that the country has a comparable murder rate to Belgium “if you compare white populations.”

House panel blocks most GOP attempts to trim Sandy disaster-relief bill  —  The Republican-led House Rules Committee late Monday approved a rule for a massive Hurricane Sandy relief package that shuts out most GOP proposals to pare back the size of the bill.

Field to replace Kerry narrows, again  —  (CNN) - You can strike another Massachusetts Democratic lawmaker from the list of candidates trying to replace Sen. John Kerry in the Senate.  —  Rep. Michael Capuano announced Tuesday that he won't make a bid for the Senate in a special election expected to be held later this year.

As inauguration approaches, Obama's most virulent foes want the celebration stopped  —  Eldon Bell, a retired Air Force officer and physician, is making no plans to see Barack Obama's second inauguration, in part because Bell considers the president arrogant and dishonest …

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 …

New Video Game Allows Players to Murder NRA President  —  A new online video game is taking political discourse to a whole new level.  We already reported the death threats being received by NRA executives and now, a video game which allows users to shoot NRA President David Keene in the head, has been released.

DOMA: House Republicans Poised To Spend $3 Million On Legal Defense … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  House Republicans, Elections 2012, LGBT, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, Video, Defense Of Marriage Act, Boehner DOMA, Boehner Defense Of Marriage Act, Doma, House Republicans DOMA …

The Seventh Circuit Needs to Rein in Richard Posner  —  The conservative jurist made a joke out of a deadly serious case.  —  John Gress/Reuters  —  Being a judge is a pretty good job, the comedian and philosopher Peter Cook once mused.  “You're not troubled by falling coal, for one thing.”

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 …

PS: A Little NRA Mystery  —  This morning I blogged about a new target-shooting app - NRA: Target Practice - that has gotten a ton of media attention because it is advertised as being for ages 4 and up.  I suggested that this was, even by NRA standards, so tasteless that it must be a hoax.