What did Republicans win in the immigration deal?  —  It's has been widely assumed this morning by some immigration advocates (and by yours truly, too) that the new immigration reform plan's process of citizenship for the country's 11 million undocumented immigrants is contingent on a commission …

Exclusive: Boy Scouts close to ending ban on gay members, leaders  —  The Boy Scouts of America, one of the nation's largest private youth organizations, is actively considering an end to its decades-long policy of banning gay scouts or scout leaders, according to scouting officials and outsiders familiar with internal discussions.

Obama's Parting Gift to Hillary Clinton  —  Last week campaign disclosure reports revealed that Hillary Clinton had finally retired the debt from her 2008 presidential campaign—with a little help from the guy who beat her, Barack Obama.  Clinton's debt once totaled more than $20 million …

The Price of Palin: $15 per Word Spoken During FOX Contract  —  Sarah Palin uttered more than 189,000 words over 150 appearances on various FOX broadcasts during her three years as an analyst at the network, or $15.85 per word  —  With the three-year contract now expired between FOX News and Sarah Palin …

Carney ‘not sure how often’ Obama goes skeet shooting  —  White House press secretary Jay Carney says he's not “sure how often” President Obama goes skeet shooting.  —  In an interview with The New Republic, the president was asked if he had ever fired a gun.

Makers, Takers, Fakers  —  Republicans have a problem.  For years they could shout down any attempt to point out the extent to which their policies favored the elite over the poor and the middle class; all they had to do was yell “Class warfare!” and Democrats scurried away.

The Truth About Little Women Carrying Big Wounded Men in Combat  —  One of the recurring arguments against women serving in combat appears on its face to be just good common horse sense: women just don't have the upper body strength to carry a heavy male soldier out of combat.

The New Republic Reimagines Its Future  —  WASHINGTON — There are not many firsts for a politically savvy, 98-year-old publication like The New Republic.  But Franklin Foer, its 38-year-old editor, experienced one recently when he passed a Hudson News store at Union Station here and saw …

Timbuktu library is treasure house of centuries of Malian history  —  Fate of thousands of priceless manuscripts housed in £5m Ahmed Baba institute is unknown  —  Timbuktu's main library, officially called the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Islamic Studies and Research …

Israel gave birth control to Ethiopian Jews without their consent  —  NOTE: WE DO NOT STORE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS(ES) BUT YOUR IP ADDRESS WILL BE LOGGED TO PREVENT ABUSE OF THIS FEATURE.  PLEASE READ OUR LEGAL TERMS & POLICIES  —  Israel has admitted for the first time that it has been giving …

JonBenet Ramsey grand jury voted to indict parents in 1999, but DA refused to prosecute  —  Legal expert: Alex Hunter may have been legally obligated to sign indictment  —  John Ramsey looks on as his wife, Patsy, holds an advertisement promising a reward for information leading to the arrest …

Study: Nearly half are overqualified for their jobs … Nearly half of working Americans with college degrees are in jobs for which they're overqualified, a new study out Monday suggests.  —  The study, released by the non-profit Center for College Affordability and Productivity …

Prominent House Dem: “Madness” To Pass Immigration Reform Without LGBT Protections  —  “I feel certain that Democrats would not move forward with a bill that was not fully inclusive,” Nadler says.  Pressure mounts on Democrats.  —  Nadler  —  WASHINGTON — The leading House advocate …

Democrats, tea party unite vs. Mitch McConnell  —  Tea party activists looking to oust Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in a GOP primary may get some help from an unlikely source: Democrats.  —  Big Democratic donors, local liberal activists and a left-leaning super PAC in Kentucky …

Madam Would-Be Mayor  —  Hanging out with the crude, playful, openhearted front-runner, Christine Quinn.  —  Christine Quinn, Irish to the core, is possessed of the booming voice of a concrete-truck operator, the bada-bing timing of an outer-borough wiseguy, and the laugh of a pirate.

The Insiders: Republicans Come Out  —  Dave Kochel, a veteran Iowa Republican strategist and 2012 Romney Iowa Campaign Senior Adviser, is now behind a new effort that could prove controversial with some Republican activists.  —  Kochel helped to organize an event for the Iowa Republicans for Freedom.

Beyonce has yet to apologize to Chuck Schumer for lip-syncing at inauguration  —  Her phony warbling made Chuck Schumer look like a fool — but she hasn't apologized to him for it.  —  The New York senator angrily admitted yesterday that the pop queen has not called him to say sorry …