Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell Reach Filibuster Reform Deal  —  FOLLOW:  —  Video, Filibuster, Filibuster Reform, Filibuster Reform 2013, Harry Reid Filibuster, Harry Reid Mitch Mcconnell, Harry Reid Mitch Mcconnell Filibuster, Harry Reid Mitch Mcconnell Filibuster Reform, Jeff Merkley Filibuster Reform …

Bobby Jindal speaking truth to GOP power  —  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will deliver a forceful denunciation of his party's Washington-centric focus in a speech to the Republican National Committee on Thursday evening, arguing that the GOP is fighting the wrong fight as it seeks to rebuild from losses at the ballot box last November.

Feinstein revives assault-weapons ban  —  Bill faces tough going in the Republican-controlled House. … WASHINGTON — California Democrat Dianne Feinstein will begin her fourth full term as a U.S. senator much as she started her Senate career: fighting for a ban on assault weapons.

New Mexico Bill Would Criminalize Abortions After Rape As ‘Tampering With Evidence’  —  FOLLOW:  —  Video, Abortion Tampering With Evidence, Cathrynn Brown Abortion Bill, New Mexico Abortion Bill, New Mexico Abortion Evidence, New Mexico Abortion Law, New Mexico Rape Abortion, Politics News

UPDATED: Virginia Republican State Senator Declines To Back GOP Electoral College Rigging Scheme … In a subcommittee vote Wednesday, Virginia State Sen. and former Republican National Committee Chief Counsel Jill Holtzman Vogel (R) abstained on a key vote on a bill to rig the state's electoral college vote.

Mark Zuckerberg Will Hold Fundraiser For Chris Christie  —  The tech mogul and his wife “admire [Christie's] leadership on education reform and other issues and look forward to continuing their important work together on behalf of Newark's schoolchildren,” a spokesperson tells BuzzFeed.

Democrats launch plan to turn Texas blue  —  National Democrats are taking steps to create a large-scale independent group aimed at turning traditionally conservative Texas into a prime electoral battleground, crafting a new initiative to identify and mobilize progressive voters in the rapidly-changing state …

In malpractice case, Catholic hospital argues fetuses aren't people  —  Lori Stodghill was 31-years old, seven-months pregnant with twin boys and feeling sick when she arrived at St. Thomas More hospital in Cañon City on New Year's Day 2006.  She was vomiting and short of breath …

Vine: A new way to share video  —  Today, we're introducing Vine: a mobile service that lets you capture and share short looping videos.  Like Tweets, the brevity of videos on Vine (6 seconds or less) inspires creativity.  Now that you can easily capture motion and sound, we look forward to seeing what you create.

Democratic Senators Face Gun Owners Roused by Talk of New Laws  —  BECKLEY, W.Va. — Talk of stricter gun control has stirred up a lot of unease here, a place where hunters vie for top prize (a 26-inch LED television) in the Big Buck Photo Contest, and ads for a gun-simulator game ask, “Feel like shooting something today?”

Gov. Sam Brownback Seeks to End Kansas' Income Tax  —  TOPEKA, Kan. — President Obama stood on the steps of the Capitol in Washington on Monday afternoon and laid out an expansive liberal agenda for the nation.  Inside the Kansas State Capitol here this week, Gov. Sam Brownback …

Boehner, Ryan gamble on pledge to balance the budget in 10 years  —  Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) pledge to back a Republican budget that balances within 10 years raises the political stakes for his party and sets up another major test of his leadership.  —  Democrats eyeing a takeover …

Lego accused of racism with Star Wars set  —  Lego has been accused of racism by the Turkish community over a Star Wars model that supposedly resembles one of Istanbul's most revered mosques.  —  Austria's Turkish community said the model was based on Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul …

The Reality That Awaits Women in Combat  —  A Pentagon push to mix the sexes ignores how awful cheek-by-jowl life is on the battlefield.  —  America has been creeping closer and closer to allowing women in combat, so Wednesday's news that the decision has now been made is not a surprise.

Learning to love grains, potatoes was key to the evolution of dogs  —  You know that dog biscuit shaped like a bone but made mostly of wheat?  Your dog's willingness to eat that treat, instead of going for a bone in your thigh, helps explain how its ancestors evolved from wolves into house pets.

Donald Boudreaux and Mark Perry: The Myth of a Stagnant Middle Class  —  Household spending on food, housing, utilities, etc. has fallen from 53% of disposable income in 1950 to 32% today.  —  A favorite “progressive” trope is that America's middle class has stagnated economically since the 1970s.

The Silly Conservative Freak-Out Over Women in Combat  —  Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced Wednesday that the Pentagon plans to lift a 1994 prohibition on women serving in combat roles.  The announcement prompted an ill-informed outcry from conservatives, who were perhaps unaware …

The “acting alone” fallacy  —  President Obama said this in his 2nd inaugural address: … I object to this move, which seems to have become popular with Democrats in the past couple years, of equating “doing things together” with government.  To suggest that anyone who'd like to see less …