Senators Offer a New Blueprint for Immigration  —  A bipartisan group of senators has agreed on a set of principles for a sweeping overhaul of the immigration system, including a pathway to American citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants that would hinge on progress in securing the borders …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

White House takes credit on immigration deal  —  White House press secretary Jay Carney on Monday welcomed an immigration deal reached by a bipartisan group of senators and gave credit to President Obama for pressing the issue.  —  “I think it's important before we let the moment pass …

Reading the new New Republic  —  Last week, I attended a panel in New York City on “the unexpected future of media” hosted by The New Republic.  Chris Hughes, the 29-year-old owner, publisher, and editor-in-chief of the magazine, said a few introductory words.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Iran ‘successfully sends monkey into space’  —  Images of the monkey being prepared for lift-off were shown on Iranian television  —  Iran says it has successfully sent a monkey into space.  —  The primate travelled in a Pishgam rocket, which reached an altitude of some 120km (75 miles) …

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 …

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 …