Chuck Hagel blocked: Harry Reid says he doesn't have the votes  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Thursday that Republicans have told him that they plan to block Chuck Hagel's nomination to be the next secretary of Defense over demands for more information from the White House.

In Valentine vote, Illinois Senate approves gay marriage  —  (Reuters) - The Illinois state Senate approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage on Thursday in a Valentine's Day vote spearheaded by Democrats, as gay couples around the country used the romantic day to dramatize their quest for the right to marry.

That Tesla Data: What It Says and What It Doesn't  —  The Model S at the Tesla Supercharger in the Interstate 95 service plaza in Milford, Conn.  —  Elon Musk , the chief executive of Tesla Motors, has now responded in detail to the account of my test drive of his Model S electric car …

Lautenberg will not seek re-election next year  —  Photos: Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey  —  TRENTON — U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a pugnacious and plain-spoken Democrat who has represented New Jersey for three decades, will not seek re-election to a sixth term next year.

FreedomWorks Made Video of Fake Giant Panda Having Sex With Fake Hillary Clinton  —  The investigation at the influential tea party group could get weird.  —  An internal investigation of FreedomWorks—the prominent conservative advocacy group and super-PAC—has focused on president Matt Kibbe's management …

Obama favors sacking the expensive penny  —  President Obama on Thursday said he supports eliminating pennies, but that it's unlikely to happen because it's so low on the list of congressional priorities.  —  In a Google Plus “Hangout,” Obama was asked why the U.S. Treasury continues …

Confidential, expensive USDA sensitivity training: ‘The Pilgrims were illegal aliens’ [VIDEOS]  —  Footage of the United States Department of Agriculture's compulsory “Cultural Sensitivity Training” program reveals USDA employees being instructed to refer to the Pilgrims as “illegal aliens” …

Missouri Democrats Introduce Legislation to Confiscate Firearms - Gives Gun Owners 90 Days to Turn in Weapons  —  Missouri Democrats introduced an anti-gun bill which would turn law-abiding firearm owners into criminals.  They will have 90 days to turn in their guns if the legislation is passed.

Obama meets 47% video guy  —  DECATUR, Ga. — President Obama on Thursday met the man who made “47 percent” part of Mitt Romney's legacy.  —  Obama and opposition researcher James Carter, who released the infamous Romney fundraiser video, met backstage before Obama's education event here …

Pelosi: Congressional pay cut undermines dignity of the job  —  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that she opposes a cut in congressional pay because it would diminish the dignity of lawmakers' jobs.  —  “I don't think we should do it; I think we should respect the work we do …

The Cool Kids of the GOP Show the Christian Right the Door  —  Today's Big Read for those who are bored with the regular news (or lack thereof) is Robert Draper's very long piece in the New York Times Magazine about the difficulty the Republican Party is experiencing in keeping up with the Obamas.