Republicans worry they'll lose House if they botch debt talks  —  There's growing angst among Republicans that the party's House majority could be at risk in 2014 if the deep GOP divisions that emerged during the recent “fiscal cliff” negotiations persist in looming negotiations over a slew of budgetary issues.

President Barack Obama: Now is the time  —  As a society, our first task must be to care for our children — to shield them from harm and give them the tools they need not only to pursue their dreams, but to help build this country.  That is how we will be judged.

Six hostages, 8 kidnappers killed in Algeria siege; 7 still held  —  (Reuters) - Six foreign hostages and eight of their captors were killed when Algerian forces fired on a vehicle being used by besieged gunmen at a gas plant in the remote Algerian desert on Thursday, a local source told Reuters.

Franken undecided on assault weapons ban  —  On the day that President Obama proposed a sweeping package of gun-control measures, U.S. Sen. Al Franken signaled his support for several components of Obama's plan.  —  Franken, speaking during a press event in Rochester, said he supports limits …

How Gun Culture Won Over Liberals  —  The new “gun nuts”: media elites, locavores, and hipster hunters.  —  On a Sunday morning a couple years ago, Brooklyn journalist Foster Kamer and a few of his “particularly liberal” blogger friends decided to skip brunch and hit the shooting range instead.

Republicans Brag They Won House Majority Because Of Gerrymandering  —  In a classic Kinsley gaffe, the Republican State Leadership Committee released a report boasting that the only reason the GOP controls the House of Representatives is because they gerrymandered congressional districts in blue states.

I Went After Guns.  Obama Can, Too.  —  IT is for Americans and their elected representatives to determine the right response to President Obama's proposals on gun control.  I wouldn't presume to lecture Americans on the subject.  I can, however, describe what I, as prime minister of Australia …

Rand Paul Plans To Nullify Obama's Gun Executive Actions  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has a plan to undo President Obama's executive actions on guns.  —  Paul plans to debut the proposal on Wednesday's edition of Hannity on Fox.  Details of the plan shared with TPM Wednesday show Paul plans …

Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax  —  Notre Dame's Manti Te'o, the stories said, played this season under a terrible burden.  A Mormon linebacker who led his Catholic school's football program back to glory …

White House Takes Down Petition Calling For Beyoncé To Be “Disinvited” From Inauguration Due To PepsiCo Deal  —  White House spokesman says removal of petition from ‘We the People’ site has nothing to do with controversy...But East Wing doesn't want to discuss the optics problem for Let's Move! campaign...

Other Tyrants Who Have Used Children As Props  —  Infowars.com  —  Obama's shameless exploitation of children as set pieces is hardly new or original.  In fact, tyrants and dictators have used kids as props down through the ages.  —  Here are a few more recent examples:  —  The Soviet Union's Joseph Stalin

An Update on Political Polarization through the 112th Congress  —  The 112th Congress closed unceremoniously this month with a series of votes (by the House and Senate) to avert the “fiscal cliff”.  With this data, we can now analyze roll call voting in the 112th Congress in its entirety …

What Is Driving Growth in Government Spending?  —  It's one of the most fundamental political questions of our time: What's driving the growth in government spending?  And it has a relatively straightforward answer: first and foremost, spending on health care through Medicare and Medicaid …

Recreational assault weapons fire riddles Ohio home, narrowly misses officer  —  Two men were arrested in Ohio on Wednesday after their target practice with an AK-47 assault rifle accidentally shot up a woman's home and nearly hit a officer who was responding to reports of gunfire.

Denis McDonough to Become White House Chief of Staff  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama is planning to elevate a key national security deputy, Denis R. McDonough, to White House chief of staff, administration officials said on Wednesday, making perhaps his closest foreign policy adviser the gatekeeper to the Oval Office.