Gabrielle Giffords' husband smacks down Wayne LaPierre  —  Perhaps the most important moment so far in today's Senate Judiciary hearing on guns came when astronaut Mark Kelly directly confronted NRA head Wayne LaPierre over the shooting of his wife, Gabrielle Giffords.

U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Contracts in Fourth Quarter  —  Private-Sector Hiring Rose by 192,000 in January, ADP Reports  —  WASHINGTON—U.S. economic momentum screeched to a halt in the final months of 2012, as businesses pared back inventories and government spending fell sharply …

I Don't Like Marco Rubio's Plan  —  There.  I said it.  —  You'd be surprised how long it has taken to say this.  I've let multiple friends vet the various drafts of posts I've written on this and they all wind up arguing with each other over the details.  Is it amnesty or isn't it?

Gabby Giffords's Handwritten Notes for Her Testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee  —  The former U.S. representative wrote her speech in pen, and on binder paper.  —  Americans for Responsible Solutions  —  This morning, Gabby Giffords made an unannounced appearance at the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on gun violence.

Tennessee 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Now Requires Teachers To Inform Parents If Their Child Is Gay  —  Tennessee's so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill died with the adjournment of the state assembly last year.  But now the measure is back — with new, harsher requirements.

White House Blames GDP Drop On Republicans  —  “It's not a game — it's the American economy,” Carney scolds.  —  Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs reporters at the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013.  —  Image by Charles Dharapak / AP  —  WASHINGTON — White House Press …

Gayle Trotter Testimony Captivates Senate Gun Control Hearing  —  Gun Control, Video, Second Amendment, Senate Gun Control, Senate Gun Hearing, Gayle Trotter, Gayle Trotter Gun Control, Gayle Trotter Gun Rights, Gayle Trotter Senate Hearing, Women And Guns, Women Gun Control, Politics News

SYRIA CONFIRMS ISRAELI JETS BOMBED MILITARY SITE  —  You are here  —  Home » Israel » Syria confirms Israeli jets bombed military site  —  BEIRUT (AP) — Israel conducted a rare airstrike on a military target inside Syria, foreign officials and Syrian state TV said Wednesday …

Teen Performer At Inaugural Events Fatally Shot In Chicago  —  Hadiyah Pendleton, 15, was shot in the back while hanging out with a group of teens on Tuesday  —  Hadiya Pendleton died after she was shot in the back while hanging out with a group of teens on Tuesday.  Police say she wasn't the intended target.

EXCLUSIVE: Actor Jim Nabors marries his longtime male partner  —  Jim Nabors, the Hawaii resident well known for his starring role in the 1960s television sitcom “Gomer Pyle, USMC,” married his longtime male partner early this month, he told Hawaii News Now Tuesday.

William ‘Mo’ Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's pick to serve as interim US senator  —  William “Mo” Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's choice to serve as the interim US senator until the successor to John F. Kerry is chosen by the voters June 25, according to a source in the governor's office.

Obama administration takes steps to implement individual mandate  —  The Obama administration took new steps Wednesday toward implementing the individual mandate in its signature healthcare law, downplaying the scope of the unpopular provision by stressing rules that allow exemptions from the requirement to purchase insurance.

President Obama's popularity surges to three-year high  —  President Obama is riding a wave of personal popularity into his second term, with his highest favorability ratings since his first year in office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.  —  Fully 60 percent of Americans …

CNN ‘Starting Point’ Staffers Brace Themselves  —  The announcement that CNN is totally revamping its morning show and scrapping Soledad O'Brien's “Starting Point” has sent shivers through her staff.  —  Insiders tell us Executive VP Ken Jautz and VP Bart Feder addressed the staff after the show went off the air today.

Reid Tips His Hand Over Dems' Sequester Strategy  —  In the House of Representatives, Republicans claim they've braced themselves to let the full force of the sequester hit government programs of all kinds on March 1, defense most directly, rather than compromise with Democrats to replace …

Making Voting Constitutional  —  In Fairfax County, Virginia, a voter holds their voting permit and ID card at the Washington Mill Elementary School near Mount Vernon, Tuesday, November 6, 2012.  Fairfax County is a Washington suburb with more than 1 million residents and is the biggest battleground …

Video Games Are ‘A Bigger Problem Than Guns,’ Says Actual U.S. Senator  —  On MSNBC today, U.S. senator Lamar Alexander (a Tennessee Republican) set a new benchmark for insanity by claiming that games are worse than guns.  —  “I think video games is a bigger problem than guns …

MSNBC ‘reviewing’ Newtown ‘heckled’ video  —  Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy  —  MSNBC is reviewing its portrayal of the testimony of Neil Heslin, the father of a Sandy Hook victim, at a legislative hearing in Hartford on Monday.

Police: Hostage Taker in Alabama Standoff Has ‘Anti-America’ Views  —  The man who ignited a hostage standoff in southern Alabama when he shot a bus driver and took a child into an underground bunker is a “survivalist” who has ties to the antigovernment movement, an official …

Fox News ratings hit 12-year low  —  Fox News had its worst ratings since 2001 in January, according to the latest figures.  —  The network had a 12-year low in the coveted 25-54 demographic in primetime and fell to its lowest total day ratings since 2008, a press release from rival cable channel MSNBC stated on Tuesday.

FBI wraps up raid at West Palm Beach office of doctor tied to U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez  —  Agents with the FBI and HHS continued their search Wednesday of a South Florida eye doctor who last year was accused of providing prostitutes to longtime ally Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat.