Republicans worry they'll lose the House to Dems if they botch fiscal 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.

GOP pollster: Stop talking about rape  —  WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — It's way past time: House Republicans need to stop talking about rape.  —  That's the message GOP lawmakers got here Wednesday evening from Kellyanne Conway, a top GOP pollster.  —  Conway dispensed the stern advice as part …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Exclusive: Fox renews Karl Rove contract through 2016  —  Fox News Channel is expected to announce shortly that Karl Rove has signed a multi-year deal to remain a Fox contributor through the 2016 election.  —  The contract assures the ratings-leader cable news network that it will retain …

Glenn Beck And The Price Of Independence  —  It's kinda hard to knock Glenn Beck's hustle.  Since leaving Fox News in June of 2011, Beck has kept himself busy with projects like starting a jeans label and relaunching The Blaze as a libertarian online network.

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 …

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...

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 …

Journal News map-listed guns, permits stolen from New City home, cops say  —  Two handguns and two pistol permits were stolen from the New City home of a man whose name and address are listed on the website of a local newspaper as possessing gun permits, police said.

BILLION-DOLLAR DEMOCRACY: THE UNPRECEDENTED ROLE OF MONEY IN THE 2012 ELECTIONS  —  The first presidential election since Citizens United lived up to its hype, with unprecedented outside spending from new sources making headlines.  —  Demos and U.S. PIRG Education Fund analysis of reports from campaigns …

Idaho lawmaker compares abortion and prostitution  —  BOISE — A lawmaker from northern Idaho drew audible gasps Wednesday morning when he asked representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union-Idaho if their pro-abortion rights stance also means that they support prostitution.

58% Plan to Watch At Least Some of Obama Inauguration Live  —  Nearly six-out-of-10 voters plan to watch at least some of President Obama's second inauguration live on Monday, but that's a smaller crowd than planned to tune in four years ago.  —  The 58% of Likely U.S. Voters who plan …

Marco Rubio: Obama lacks ‘courage’ on guns  —  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said Thursday that President Barack Obama doesn't have the “political courage” to “admit” his true feelings about the Second Amendment, the latest in Rubio's recent criticisms of Obama's gun proposals.

Pakistan's envoy to US faces potentially deadly blasphemy accusation  —  Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S., seen in November last year, is facing accusations of blasphemy.  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A petition accusing Pakistan's ambassador to the United States of committing blasphemy has been filed with the country's

As manufacturing bounces back from recession, unions are left behind  —  Last July was a good month for factory workers in Anderson, Ind., where a Honda parts supplier announced plans to build a new plant and create up to 325 jobs.  But it was a grim month in the Cleveland suburbs …

The Criminal Charges Against Aaron Swartz (Part 2: Prosecutorial Discretion)  —  This is the second in a series of posts on the Aaron Swartz prosecution.  In my first post, I analyzed whether the charges that were brought against Swartz were justified as a matter of law.