Watching Obama for Signs of Change  —  WASHINGTON — On Tuesday night, the president will address the nation and Congress on the state of the union.  But many will watch as well for signs of the state of Barack Obama.  —  Inside the White House and out, advisers and associates have noted subtle …

Sarah Palin tries to stay relevant  —  CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly reported that Sarah Palin planned to contribute to the Al Jazeera America news network.  —  The Sarah Palin Story is a cautionary tale about what can happen when politics and celebrity meet.

Hearsay Economics  —  Jonathan Chait is boggled by Joe Scarborough's latest rant.  (Dear Jon: I am not “prickly”: I'm aggressive and annoying.  But that's by design, and I only do it when the situation calls for it.)  What's really striking is Scarborough's certainty that we're experiencing …

Anonymous Issues Communique Announcing Plans to Disrupt 2013 State of the Union Address Over #CISPA  —  Publicity & Creative Direction for Grassroots Activists  —  [WASHINGTON, DC] At approximately 10:22am EST an email address assigned to a Sparrow Project volunteer received a communique …

Ex-Tea Party Rep. Joe Walsh insists he's not trying to stop paying child support  —  After insisting he wasn't a “deadbeat dad” throughout his failed campaign for re-election, ex-U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh is still dogged by questions about child support.  —  Walsh, a flame-throwing Tea Party Republican …

China joins U.S., Japan, EU in condemning North Korea nuclear test  —  (Reuters) - North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday in defiance of existing U.N. resolutions, drawing condemnation from the United States, Japan, Europe and Pyongyang's only major ally, China, which summoned the North Korean ambassador to protest.

Obama to Announce Troops' Return  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to announce in his State of Union address on Tuesday night that half of the 66,000 American troops in Afghanistan will be home by this time next year, according to an administration official familiar with the speech.

The Shooter Needs Health Insurance: A Response to Stars and Stripes  —  After yesterday's release of “The Shooter”, Esquire's 15,000 word piece by Phil Bronstein on the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden and his difficult transition back to civilian life, much attention is being correctly focused …

Why I Am Running  —  I'm running to serve, and I mean that in the old fashioned patriotic sense of the word.  —  In my military career, at the U.S. Naval Academy, as a Navy aircraft carrier pilot, and as a Navy SEAL, I learned one thing above all else - serving others is more important than being served.

Millions Improperly Claimed U.S. Phone Subsidies  —  The U.S. government spent about $2.2 billion last year to provide phones to low-income Americans, but a Wall Street Journal review of the program shows that a large number of those who received the phones haven't proved they are eligible to receive them.

Fort Hood Hero Says President Obama ‘Betrayed’ Her, Other Victims  —  Three years after the White House arranged a hero's welcome at the State of the Union address for the Fort Hood police sergeant and her partner who stopped the deadly shooting there, Kimberly Munley says President Obama broke …

NRA Convention Helps Distribute Literature Calling For Secession And Civil War … WAUSAU, Wisconsin— At a state conference this past weekend, the NRA helped distribute a newspaper that called for Wisconsin secession and a new civil war.  —  The article, which appeared …

Lehigh University student sues over grade, seeks $1.3 million  —  Megan Thode isn't the first Lehigh University student who was unhappy with the grade she received in a course.  But she may be the first to sue to get it changed.  —  The C+ that Thode was given scuttled her dream of becoming …

The ‘Die Hard’ Quandary  —  Later this week, the fifth installment of the “Die Hard” movies is scheduled to open in theaters across the country.  “A Good Day to Die Hard” stars, once again, Bruce Willis as John McClane, a too-stubborn-for-his-own-good cop who has to stop a highly trained army …