Panetta: Obama Absent Night of Benghazi  —  Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified this morning on Capitol Hill that President Barack Obama was absent the night four Americans were murdered in Benghazi on September 11, 2012:  —  Panetta said, though he did meet with Obama …

As Neocons Defend Obama, Allies Doubt Him on Drones as Never Before  —  The John Brennan confirmation hearings are the biggest showdown yet on extrajudicial killing and executive branch secrecy.  —  For once, the Obama Administration's drone policy is much in the news.

The GOP, Fox political purge  —  Republicans and Fox News are moving to purge the controversial political creatures they created.  —  Both were damaged badly in 2012 by loud, partisan voices that stoked the base — but that scared the hell out of many voters.

News Media Scrub Cop Murderer's Manifesto of Pro-Obama, Hillary, MSNBC, CNN, Gay, and Anti-Gun Comments  —  I've been following closely the news story about Chris Dorner, who is now suspected of murdering three people, including one police officer, and shooting another two police officers.

Dems will offer GOP spending cuts to avert doom  —  The New York Times reports today that Senate Dems are putting together a plan to avert the sequester with new revenues drawn from things like nixing tax breaks enjoyed by oil and gas companies and closing loopholes for the wealthy and corporations.

Sen. Menendez contacted top officials in friend's Medicare dispute  —  Sen. Robert Menendez raised concerns with top federal health-care officials twice in recent years about their finding that a Florida eye doctor — a close friend and major campaign donor — had overbilled the government …

SNEED EXCLUSIVE: Pending Jesse Jackson Jr. plea deal includes ‘significant jail time,’ source says  —  Sneed has learned a plea deal is now on the table between former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and federal authorities probing allegations of campaign fund misuse.

Immigrant Son  —  Oriales García Rubio knows how it feels to want more.  When she was a girl in central Cuba in the 1930s, her family of nine lived in a one-room house with a dirt floor.  Her dolls were Coke bottles dressed in rags.  She dreamed of becoming an actress.

Obama's Apparent Pick for Commerce Secretary Has a History of Shady Commerce  —  As he continues to fill out his cabinet, a report emerged late Wednesday that President Obama is “close to choosing” Chicago billionaire Penny Pritzker as America's next Secretary of Commerce.  There's only one problem.

Steve King: Donate to me to stop Karl Rove  —  Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) says Karl Rove and American Crossroads are out to get him and his supporters should pony up to stop them.  —  Keying off a quote from Crossroads President Steven Law in Sunday's New York Times, the likely Iowa Senate candidate sent …

L.A. police look for ex-cop suspected in shootings  —  Los Angeles (CNN) — A former Los Angeles cop who had allegedly warned he would target law enforcement in retribution for being fired is now suspected of shooting three officers early Thursday, killing one, authorities said.

Bill would define abortion as murder  —  State Rep. Rob Bacon believes abortion is murder and he wants the Iowa Code to reflect that.  —  Bacon, R-Slater, and eight other Republicans introduced such a bill in the Iowa House Wednesday.  It would alter the definition of a person in murder cases to …

Obama ‘prepared, eager and anxious’ for GOP sequester fight  —  President Obama told House Democrats on Thursday that he is “prepared, eager and anxious” to produce a “big package” on the so-called sequester that would end “this governance in crisis.”  —  Speaking to lawmakers …

Alabama Republicans Advance Bill To Close Last Five Abortion Clinics In The State  —  Republican lawmakers in Alabama took a crucial step on Wednesday towards their goal of shuttering the state's last five abortion clinics, advancing a bill to the full house that would impose strict requirements on abortion providers.

Exclusive: Lena Dunham—Born Again Political Virgin  —  LENA DUNHAM (in a video supporting President Obama's re-election): Your first time shouldn't be with just anybody. … The actual story of the cherries jubilee celebrating the loss of Lena Dunham's virginity is somewhat less romantic.

Release Detail  —  February 7, 2013 - Americans Back Women In Combat 3-1, But Less For Draft, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For Universal Gun Background Checks Is 92%  —  American voters support allowing women in combat by an overwhelming 75 - 22 percent, including 77 …

Obama Plans Fund-Raising Trips to Aid Senate and House Candidates  —  President Obama may have run his last political campaign, but that does not relieve him of his obligations to the Democratic Party.  —  The president, who has a vested interest in Democrats retaining their Senate majority …

Congress — not email — destroyed the Postal Service  —  The oft-maligned U.S. mail is actually quite well-run.  Politicians steered it into the ditch  —  You know that feeling of pleasure you get when you see someone stand up to a bullying, incompetent boss?  It's viscerally satisfying, isn't it?

Damsel, Arise: A Westboro Scion Leaves Her Church  —  Just after 11 last Sunday morning at Old First Reformed Church in Brooklyn, the Rev. Dr. Daniel Meeter is starting the Sunday service as he always does.  He runs through the opening salutation and the collect for the day …