NRA stumbles in fight with Obama over gun-control proposals  —  Facing its toughest fight over gun reform in decades, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has stumbled out of the gate.  —  The powerful gun-lobby group responded to last month's Newtown, Conn., massacre with a defiant press conference calling …

A minority posture for House GOP  —  WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - House Republicans appeared to be coming to grips with a stark realization as they returned to Washington from a three-day retreat here — they have a majority in name only.  —  The party begins the 113th Congress with reduced numbers …

Not how the news was supposed to go for Carmen Ortiz  —  Yesterday and today were supposed to be spectacular news days for US Attorney Carmen Ortiz: yesterday morning, hundreds of state and federal police successfully executed a massive raid on violent gangs in Boston, arresting 27 …

Alabama's Clinic Escorts Protect Women From Anti-Abortion Protesters Singing ‘Happy Birthday Dead Baby’  —  As the 40th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision approaches, anti-abortion fervor is reaching a fever pitch in some conservative areas.  At Alabama's Women Center …

Obama's No. 1 Second-Term Goal—Win Back The House  —  President Obama takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, as his wife Michelle, holds the Lincoln Bible and daughters Sasha and Malia watch at the... View Enlarged Image  —  On the night President Obama won re-election …

Not With A Bang But With A Whimper  —  When you're wrong, you're wrong.  I thought that by ruling out any way to bypass the debt limit, the White House was setting itself up, at least potentially, for an ignominious cave-in.  But it appears that the strategy has worked, and it's the Republicans giving up.

Well-Trod Path: Political Donor to Ambassador  —  When President Obama hosted dozens of his top donors at the White House in late November for a celebratory post-election dinner of chicken and pumpkin pie, few in the room could claim to have done more to elect him than Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue magazine.

ALGERIAN ASSAULT ENDS CRISIS, 19 HOSTAGES DEAD  —  AIN AMENAS, Algeria (AP) — Algerian special forces stormed a natural gas complex in the middle of the Sahara desert on Saturday in a “final assault” that ended a four-day-old hostage crisis, according to the state news agency and two foreign governments.

Clinton Urges Participation in Service Projects  —  Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton urged people to participate in service projects, saying there's a chain of service that links generations of Americans from all across the country.  —  Clinton is the daughter of former President Bill Clinton …

The Cynicism of Dick Morris  —  One of the architects of the anti-militia panic is now borrowing the militias' rhetoric. … The longtime political consultant Dick Morris has a new book out, and—no, wait, don't go away.  Morris may not be a thoughtful pundit or an admirable man, but he sure makes an interesting case study.

Money in Bad Faith  —  The depredations of the Fed.  —  The Federal Reserve is not your friend.  Whether you reside on Wall Street or Main Street, whether you are a borrower or a saver, whether you lean toward the Tea Party or the Occupy Wall Street movement—or whether you simply believe …

Algerian stance spoils U.S. strategy for region  —  LONDON — The hostage crisis in Algeria has upended the Obama administration's strategy for coordinating an international military campaign against al-Qaeda fighters in North Africa, leaving U.S., European and African leaders even more at odds over how to tackle the problem.

Campaign Finance Reform Advocate Defeats Right Wing Millionaire In NY Senate Race … Progressive Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk has been elected to the New York State Senate over former Assemblyman George Amedore (R), after a successful court challenge led to the counting of 99 previously uncounted ballots from the November elections.

Law School Enrollments are Plummeting.  What Happens Next?  —  A whole lot of changes ahead  —  “I couldn't do this if I didn't have tenure.”  —  That's what law professor Paul Campos told me, sitting at a table in Brasserie Beck after a Cato panel on law schools.

GOP takes off the suicide bomb vest  —  Big news.  Eric Cantor has just made it official: The GOP leadership is prepared to agree to a three month debt ceiling hike.  This is a major de-escalation of the crazy and effectively means Republicans have all but taken the threat of default off the table completely.

Ray Nagin, former New Orleans mayor, indicted on 21 corruption charges  —  (AP) NEW ORLEANS - Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was indicted Friday on charges that he used his office for personal gain, accepting payoffs, free trips and gratuities from contractors while the city was struggling …