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.

Wayne LaPierre of N.R.A. Has Angry Response to Obama  —  WASHINGTON — Wayne LaPierre, the executive director of the National Rifle Association, angrily accused President Obama on Tuesday of demonizing law-abiding gun owners and of wanting to put “every private personal firearms transaction right under …

Release Detail  —  January 23, 2013 - New Jersey Voters Back Christie's Rap On GOP 5-1, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Tell Lautenberg To Step Aside  —  Gov. Christopher Christie was right to criticize Congressional Republicans for delaying a vote on Hurricane Sandy relief …

Clinton More Popular than Biden; Let the 2016 Handicapping Begin  —  Of two potential Democratic successors to Barack Obama, one has a clear advantage in personal popularity: Hillary Clinton, whose favorability rating exceeds Joe Biden's by a hefty 19 percentage points in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll.

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 …

Netanyahu emerges weakened from Israeli elections  —  JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged weakened and facing a redrawn political map Tuesday after Israeli television projections showed a surge for a new centrist party, Yesh Atid, in Israel's elections, making it a key element of a future coalition.

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.

How Israel's Iron Dome Is Also Saving Palestinian Lives  —  There's been a lot written recently about Iron Dome — Israel's high-tech missile defense system that hit the world stage during Israel's eight-day conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.  Its unprecedented success rate …

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 …

Lone Star College Shooting: 2 People Shot At Texas College Campus, 2 Suspects Detained (UPDATE)  —  FOLLOW:  —  Video, College Campus Shooting, Lone Star College, Lone Star College Multiple People Shot, Lone Star College Shooting, Lone Star Shooting, Multiple People Shot Texas College …

Some Algeria Attackers Are Placed at Benghazi  —  ALGIERS — Several Egyptian members of the squad of militants that lay bloody siege to an Algerian gas complex last week also took part in the deadly attack on the United States Mission in Libya in September, a senior Algerian official said Tuesday.

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.

Break All the Rules  —  First, my congratulations and condolences to John Kerry for being nominated to be our next secretary of state.  There is no one better for the job today and no worse job to have today.  It is no accident that we've started measuring our secretaries of state more by miles traveled than milestones achieved.

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.

Americans Downbeat on State of U.S., Prospects for Future  —  Republicans say best days are behind nation, Democrats see best days ahead  —  PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. President Barack Obama begins his second term at a time when Americans are as negative about the state of the country and its prospects …