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.

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 …

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 …

Two shot at Lone Star College in north Houston  —  HOUSTON (KTRK) — A campus spokesperson has confirmed shots have been fired on the campus of Lone Star College in north Houston.  Two victims have suffered gunshot wounds, according to the Harris County Emergency Corp.

No joke: Biden makes 2016 moves  —  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.

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 …

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.

House Republican Leader Blames Gun Violence On ‘Welfare Moms’  —  Rep. James Lankford (R-OK), the fifth-ranking House Republican, laid the blame for gun violence at the feet of an unusual suspect: the children of “welfare moms” who commit fraud.  —  In a meeting with constituents earlier …

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.

Sting operations reveal Mafia involvement in renewable energy  —  PALERMO, Italy — Inside a midnight-blue BMW, a Sicilian entrepreneur delivered his pitch to the accused mafia boss.  A new business was blowing into Italy that could spin wind and sunlight into gold, ensuring the future …

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 …

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.

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 …

Clinton 2008 now debt-free  —  More than four years after Hillary Clinton lost the Democratic nomination for president, Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign is finally debt-free, new reports filed by the campaign show.  —  Clinton's campaign committee paid off about $25 million in debt and now has a surplus of $204,832.

Missouri Sheriffs Pledge To Not Enforce Obama's Gun Control Laws  —  JOHNSON COUNTY, Mo (KMOX) - As President Barack Obama continues to push gun control proposals in Washington D.C., Sheriff Charles M. Heiss, R-Johnson County is asking fellow law enforcers to sign and send this letter to the president.

Suspected Islamists kill 23 in two Nigeria attacks  —  (Reuters) - Gunmen killed 23 people in northern Nigeria in attacks that appeared to target gamblers and people selling ‘forbidden’ meat that Islamist militants disapprove of, officials and locals said on Tuesday.

Gen. John Allen cleared in misconduct inquiry  —  View Photo Gallery — The David Petraeus scandal: Cast of characters: A scandal that began with the relationship between retired Gen. David Petraeus, the director of the CIA, and his biographer, Paula Broadwell, had mushroomed.

Donald Trump Exploring Improbable Ways He Might Buy the New York Times  —  Donald Trump has spent a lot of time in the last year trying to make news, first with his birther obsession, and more recently demanding comedian Bill Maher pay him $5 million.  (Maher offered the sum for proof Trump wasn't the …

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.

Production Begins on DreamWorks' WikiLeaks Project “The Fifth Estate”  —  Drama Will Open in Theaters November 15, 2013 Participant Media Joins Project  —  LOS ANGELES—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Principal photography has begun on the WikiLeaks drama “The Fifth Estate,” it was announced today by DreamWorks Studios.