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 …

Why Obama's gun plan may be DOA in the House  —  Before President Barack Obama can even launch his campaign-style blitz for new gun control measures, there are strong indications that any comprehensive legislation restricting weapons and ammunition won't even see a vote on the House floor.

Obama Gun Proposal to Look Beyond Mass Shootings  —  A new federal assault weapons ban and background checks of all gun buyers, which President Obama is expected to propose on Wednesday, might have done little to prevent the massacre in Newtown, Conn., last month.

Bush Speechwriter Michael Gerson Exposes Obama's Sinister Being-Reasonable Ploy  —  It's a trick.  A very complicated one.  —  The Obama presidency has been an agonizing time for those few remaining moderate Republicans.  They fully oppose their party's extremism, but the gravitational loyalty …

Public Option Resurfaced By House Democrats As Deficit Reduction Measure  —  FOLLOW:  —  Debt Ceiling, Deficit, Health Care, Health Care Reform, Public Option, Video, Business News, Debt Limit, Health Care Public Option, Politics News, Obamacare, Obamacare Public Option, Politics News

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.

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.

Kerry's investments scrutinized  —  Panel considers steps to prevent conflicts for secretary of state  —  You are reading this article for FREE courtesy of BostonGlobe.com.  Get unlimited access.  —  WASHINGTON — Senator John F. Kerry and his wife hold an array of international investments …

Obama runs afoul of Dem base  —  The nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to head the Pentagon disappointed liberals and women's groups hoping for the first female Defense secretary.  —  It was also a double blow, of sorts, as Obama picked a fight with Republicans over Hagel …

Lawmakers slam DOJ prosecution of Swartz as ‘ridiculous, absurd’  —  House lawmakers blasted federal prosecutors on Tuesday for pushing aggressive hacking charges against Internet activist Aaron Swartz, who killed himself on Friday.  —  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) says his Oversight panel …

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 to announce run for Congress Wednesday  —  Updated 3:10 pm ET: Ex-South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will announce tomorrow that he is running for Congress, First Read confirms with an aide close to Sanford.  —  Sanford will announce via press release tomorrow …

Better Job Rating, Advantage on Debt Limit Mark the Start of Obama's Second Term  —  Barack Obama approaches his second term with his highest job approval rating since his first year in office (save for a brief bin Laden bounce) and a clear upper hand over the deeply unpopular Congress …

WB redrafting Reddit-borne time-travel pic  —  Brian Miller hired to write fresh take on ‘Rome, Sweet Rome’  —  Warner Bros. has tapped “Apollo 18” scribe Brian Miller to take a crack at “Rome, Sweet Rome,” a high-concept time travel story that originated from the website Reddit.com.

Why debt limit must be used to force a balanced budget  —  This Monday, President Obama again asserted that the country would “default” if Congress did not raise the debt limit.  “The full and faith and credit of the United States is not a bargaining chip,” he said at a press conference.

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:

Republicans push alternative to default in debt-ceiling battle  —  (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers are preparing to introduce legislation to direct the U.S. Treasury to make interest payments on U.S. bonds first and then prioritize other government outlays in case Congress does not raise the debt ceiling.

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 …

New Math: President Obama Exaggerates Deficit Savings  —  At his press conference this week, President Obama made it seem as though the job of getting the government's deficits under control is nearly done.  —  “The consensus is we need about $4 trillion to stabilize our debt and our deficit …