NRA airs new TV ad criticizing Obama on eve of White House gun announcement  —  Washington (CNN) - The National Rifle Association released a new television commercial Tuesday night charging President Barack Obama of hypocrisy for being “skeptical” about placing armed guards at schools …

Another GOP Senator recognizes the inevitable  —  Reality seems to be enjoying a sudden burst of momentum this afternoon, as more Republicans and conservatives are coming out and acknowledging the debt ceiling will have to be raised.  The latest: GOP Senator Susan Collins.  —  Collins spokesman Kevin Kelley emails me:

This man helped save six children, is now getting harassed for it  —  Gene Rosen sheltered six kids during the Sandy Hook massacre.  Now he's become a target of conspiracy theorists  —  “I don't know what to do,” sighed Gene Rosen.  “I'm getting hang-up calls, I'm getting some calls …

Impeachmentum: Reagan AG Says Obama Can Be Impeached Over Guns  —  Former Reagan Attorney General Edwin Meese, now a prominent emeritus official at the Heritage Foundation, became the latest conservative to warn that President Obama could risk impeachment if he takes executive action …

New York Assembly Passes Gun Legislation  —  ALBANY — The State Assembly, which opened its legislative session this year with a moment of silence for the victims of the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., on Tuesday approved a package of gun measures that would significantly expand the state's ban on assault weapons.

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.

House passes $50 billion-plus Sandy aid package  —  Washington (CNN) - Lawmakers in the House of Representatives approved measures Tuesday to send more than $50 billion in aid to the Northeastern states ravaged by Superstorm Sandy last fall, though some conservatives in the House were pushing …

House Republicans Can't Find Any Co-Sponsors For Their Latest Obamacare Repeal Bills  —  Earlier this month, Tea Party darling Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) admitted that his plan to introduce yet another Obamacare repeal bill would be unlikely to pass in the wake of President Obama's decisive re-election.

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 …

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to leave cabinet position in March  —  WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will step down from his cabinet position in the Obama administration and return to Colorado to spend time with his family, his office has confirmed to The Denver Post.

Politics as usual  —  Here is my nomination for the lowest moment of the “fiscal cliff” debate.  Right before Christmas, President Obama met with House Speaker John Boehner in the Oval Office.  “He told Mr. Boehner,” according to the Wall Street Journal, “that if the sides didn't reach agreement …

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 …

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 …

18 human heads found at O'Hare on last leg of final journey  —  The 18 human heads that arrived at O'Hare International Airport just before Christmas — and remained there until this week — now appear to be on the last leg of their final journey.  —  The medical specimens had been in limbo since …

Wednesday: CPI, Industrial Production, Homebuilder Confidence, Beige Book  —  Former Republican Senator Alan Simpson was on CNBC today.  Here was the Q&A on the debt ceiling:  —  Maria Bartiromo: “Do you believe the GOP should be using the debt ceiling as leverage point to get the President to agree to the cuts?”

Louisiana Governor's New Plan Would Raise Taxes On Bottom 80 Percent Of Residents  —  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) recently rolled out a plan to replace his state's personal income and corporate taxes with an increased sales tax.  Such a move would shift taxes from the rich to the poor …

Obama agrees to ‘taxation without representation’ plates on presidential limo  —  President Obama, after a push by the D.C. Council, has agreed to affix license plates to his limo with the phrase “taxation without representation.”  —  The new plates will be in place beginning this weekend …

Why We're Raising the Signature Threshold for We the People  —  When we launched We the People, none of us knew how popular it would be, but it's exceeded our wildest expectations.  Through the past year, interest in We the People exploded and we're closing in on 10 million signatures.