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 …

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.

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.

No Votes Disguise Yes Sympathies for Some in G.O.P.  —  WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — House Republicans have their Tea Party Caucus.  They have their G.O.P. Doctors Caucus.  And, joining the list of varied special interest caucuses, they recently picked up another influential but much more unofficial group — the Vote No/Hope Yes Caucus.

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 …

McDonough to be Obama's next chief of staff  —  President Obama is expected to name deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough, one of his closest confidants who served in his Senate and campaign offices, as his new chief of staff, associates said.  —  Administration officials cautioned that Obama has not made a final decision.

Additions to be made to gun laws for law enforcement  —  new york city, albany, gun control, new york news, jim hoffer  —  More: Bio, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Stories by Jim Hoffer, News Team  —  NEW YORK (WABC) — A troubling oversight has been found within New York State's sweeping new gun laws.

Biden Getting an Autobiography From The Onion (Whether He Wants It or Not)  —  “Hombre, you've just done Uncle Joe a real solid buying this book,” begins the foreword to a new autobiography attributed to Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. “I ain't the kind of guy who forgets his debts.

NBC/WSJ poll: Public lowers expectations heading into Obama's 2nd term  —  As President Barack Obama is set to begin his second term next week, he finds himself with a job-approval rating above 50 percent and with majorities supporting his general direction on gun control and immigration …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Christie calls NRA ad criticizing Obama daughters' security ‘reprehensible’  —  Governor Christie called the National Rifle Association's ad criticizing President Obama's daughters' security detail “reprehensible.”  —  “I think any of us who are public figures, you see that kind of ad and you cringe,” he said.

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.

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.

Rand Paul: Nullify ‘king’ Obama  —  Sen. Rand Paul is pledging to undo some of President Barack Obama's executive orders on guns that the Kentucky Republican believes overreach.  —  “In this bill we will nullify anything the president does that smacks of legislation,” Rand said Wednesday on Fox's …

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.

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

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 …