Edward I. Koch, 1924-2013: Edward I. Koch, Ex-Mayor of New York, Dies  —  Edward I. Koch, the master showman of City Hall, who parlayed shrewd political instincts and plenty of chutzpah into three tumultuous terms as mayor of New York with all the tenacity, zest and combativeness that personified …

Ted Cruz's Bogus Attack on Hagel  —  Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (L) talks with committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) (R) as they and former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) arrive for Hagel's confirmation hearing to become the next secretary of defense on Capitol Hill January 31, 2013 in Washington, DC.

Hagel delivers shaky performance  —  Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) delivered a shaky performance at his confirmation hearing to lead the Pentagon while enduring a difficult day of grilling by his former Republican colleagues.  —  Hagel stumbled over some answers — describing Iran as having a …

Pastor Apologizes For Snide Remark On Meal Receipt  —  St. Louis woman says she got waitress fired for online leak  —  The St. Louis pastor responsible for the credit card receipt heard 'round the Internet termed her snide scribblings a “lapse in my character and judgment,” …

RNC ends 2012 in the black  —  The Republican National Committee ended the 2012 presidential cycle in the black, the party announced Thursday.  —  The committee ended the year with $4.7 million in cash on hand, and raised $378 million over the last two years.

Hillary Clinton Takes a Rest, How Weird Is That?  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton's plan for 2013 was simple.  —  She'd embark on an epic swansong around the world as secretary of state, a dizzying itinerary of east-west and north-south flights that would take her past 1 million miles in the air …

Senator Has Long Ties to Donor Under Scrutiny  —  Dr. Salomon E. Melgen, a wealthy Florida eye surgeon, has always been happy to help out his friend, Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey.  —  He rushed to the senator's side when Mr. Menendez's mother died, flew him around on his private jet …

IRS: Cheapest Obamacare Plan Will Be $20,000 Per Family  —  (CNSNews.com) - In a final regulation issued Wednesday, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) assumed that under Obamacare the cheapest health insurance plan available in 2016 for a family will cost $20,000 for the year.

POLICE: SUICIDE BOMBING AT US EMBASSY, 2 DEAD … ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance of the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital on Friday, killing himself and one other person, officials said.  —  U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardione …

Poll Finds Most Americans Support Treating Marijuana Like Alcohol; Even More Think the Feds Should Let States Do So  —  As the Obama administration mulls its response to marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington, the latest Reason-Rupe Public Opinion Survey finds that most Americans …

Paranoid NRA Releases Enemy List - Are YOU On It?  —  Enemy lists...They go back as far as politics have been a part of our culture.  Nixon, Joseph McCarthy, Pol Pot, Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Generalissimo Francisco Franco, who is, we believe, still dead.

Snort: Senators reportedly in ‘shock’ over Hagel's ineptitude, bumbling  —  Stop, our aching sides!  This reminds us of the shock ... SHOCK ... when President Obama totally blew the first debate.  Remember, he even had to jet off to California to soothe the shock and worry of “deeply shaken” big-time celebrity donors.

GOP prods a hesitant Scott Brown to run for Senate  —  With time running short, Washington Republicans have begun a “full court press” to persuade an increasingly reluctant Scott Brown to run in the special election to replace John F. Kerry, say two leading Massachusetts GOP figures.

Tough questions follow Al Gore book tour  —  If you thought Al Gore was a media darling, you haven't seen his latest book tour.  Although Gore has been selective in which outlets he appears on to promote his new book, “The Future,” they haven't treated the former vice president with kid gloves.