Joe Biden ‘intoxicated’ by 2016 run  —  Joe Biden summoned more than 200 Democratic insiders to the vice presidential residence Sunday night to chat about the 2012 triumph — but many walked away convinced his rising 2016 ambitions were the real intent of the long, intimate night.

Lautenberg: Booker ‘entitled’ to run, but no decision yet  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who might face a 2014 primary challenge from Newark Mayor Cory Booker, said his fellow Democrat is “entitled” to run if he chooses to but suggested that he had to give a “spanking” to his potential rival for so openly coveting his seat.

Reid to Senate Republicans: Filibuster deal in 36 hours or face nuclear option  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is giving Republican colleagues 36 hours to agree to a deal on filibuster reform or he will move forward with the nuclear option.  —  “I hope in the next 24, 36 hours we can get something we agree on.

Obama Speech Leaves G.O.P. Stark Choices  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's aggressive Inaugural Address on Monday presented Congressional Republicans with a stark choice over the next two years: accommodate the president's agenda on immigration, guns, energy and social programs and hope …

Barack Obama Is Boring  —  I was not going to comment on President Obama's second inaugural address until I saw a headline quoting a line from the speech: “We are made for this moment.”  —  Really?  “This moment”—again?  —  “This moment” was in Obama's big speech in Berlin as a candidate …

Shooter identified in Lone Star College campus shooting  —  HARRIS COUNTY — Officials have identified the shooter in Tuesday's shooting on the Lone Star College campus.  —  Dozens of law enforcement officers rushed to the campus while panicked students ran away from the campus when three people were shot near the library.

Hillary Clinton pays off 2008 campaign debt  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has finally paid off the debt from her 2008 presidential campaign.  —  According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, Clinton paid the remainder of her debt in the last days of 2012.

GOP critics get opportunity to grill Secretary Clinton on Benghazi  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify Wednesday that her agency is moving full speed ahead with recommendations to avoid a repeat of the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.

Exit polls: Netanyahu, Right suffer blow, Lapid big winner  —  Israel goes Leftward as Right bloc's majority razor-thin; voter turnout 66.6%; Likud Beytenu plummets; Labor polled to get 17 seats, Bayit Yehudi 12, Shas 11, Livni and Meretz 7 each, UTJ 6.  —  Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's …

Sting operations reveal Mafia involvement in renewable energy  —  Marcello Paternostro/AFP/Getty Images - Wind turbines are pictured in the village of Patirnico.  The seizure of a record 1.5 billion euros from a Sicilian businessman known as “Lord of the Wind” on the same day has put …

Exclusive: Beyoncé lip-synched Star Spangled Banner at inauguration  —  Beyoncé did not sing the national anthem live at President Obama's inauguration.  —  Millions of viewers around the world were stunned by the singer's spectacular rendition of the anthem but The Times …

Phil Mickelson warns of ‘drastic changes’ because of state, federal tax situation [UPDATED]  —  Phil Mickelson loves throwing boulders into the placid pond that is golf, and watching the ripples spill over the sides.  Whether it's rules changes or course design, Mickelson isn't shy about speaking his mind.

Report: Boehner's inauguration smoke joke had first lady's eyes rolling  —  Having a smoke is no joke to Michelle Obama.  —  A lip-reader claims Speaker John Boehner's question about cigarettes at the inaugural luncheon is what triggered an eye roll from the first lady.

McCain: Waterboard Kerry (just kidding)  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) joked that he's going to get the truth out of Sen. John Kerry during confirmation hearings this week, even if he has to resort to enhanced interrogation methods.  Kerry has been nominated to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

As Obama heads back to office, a battle rages over the tech that got him reelected  —  Programmers and politicians spar over sharing the campaign-winning code with the public  —  The tech team behind the 2012 Obama campaign has probably received more attention than any political programmers in history.

U.S. Budget Discord Is Top Threat to Global Economy in Poll  —  Global investors say the state of the U.S. government's finances is the greatest risk to the world economy and almost half are curbing their investments in response to continuing budget battles, a Bloomberg poll shows.

Dr. King's Dream for the Global Strike Team  —  Air Force Global Strike Command Programming Division  —  BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 83rd birthday was Jan. 15. . . His courageous crusade for equality was first nationally recognized on Jan. 20, 1986 …