Senate Republicans filibuster Hagel nomination  —  Senate Republicans delivered a sharp rebuke to President Obama on Thursday when they began a filibuster of Chuck Hagel's nomination as secretary of defense.  —  The confirmation process stalled Thursday when GOP senators deprived Hagel …

Meteor strike injures hundreds in central Russia  —  The BBC's Daniel Sandford says people described a ball of fire in the sky  —  A meteor crashing in central Russia's Ural mountains has injured at least 500 people, as the shockwave blew out windows and rocked buildings.

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 …

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” …

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 …

Lone star rising  —  AUSTIN, Tex. — California fancies itself as a trendsetter and Florida prizes its claim as a microcosm of America.  —  But when it comes to politics - both present-day battles and future trends - ground zero right now is the fastest-growing of the mega-states: Texas.

Over a Decade, Maureen O'Connor Spent $1 Billion on Bets  —  LOS ANGELES — A former mayor of San Diego spent the last decade wagering more than a billion dollars at casinos across the country, eventually liquidating her savings, auctioning her belongings, selling off real estate …

Rubio and the Zombies  —  The State of the Union address was not, I'm sorry to say, very interesting.  True, the president offered many good ideas.  But we already know that almost none of those ideas will make it past a hostile House of Representatives.  —  On the other hand, the G.O.P. reply …

Parents Complain About School Ad Excluding Whites From Tutoring Program  —  AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A school principal said no white children were allowed at an after-school tutoring program, and now some parents call it discrimination.  —  The principal at Mission Viejo Elementary in Aurora sent …

Senate Dems unveil $110B sequester-replacement bill  —  Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a $110 billion sequester-replacement bill at a closed-door caucus meeting Thursday that would replace $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set for March 1.  —  The Senate Democratic package …

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 …

Rahm Emanuel May Be Toying With 2016 Presidential Run  —  Obama's former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel might make a go for 2016, two well-connected Democrats tell Lloyd Grove—as long as Hillary doesn't.  And the potty-mouthed Chicago mayor could win.  —  Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel …

BREAKING: Huge Meteor Blazes Across Sky Over Russia; Sonic Boom Shatters Windows [UPDATED]  —  Still frame from a dashcam video of a huge meteor over Russia. … Apparently, at about 09:30 local time, a very big meteor burned up over Chelyabinsk, a city in Russia just east of the Ural mountains …

U.S. Grant Funded Workers' Play at LG Chem Factory  —  WASHINGTON—The Obama administration's electric car efforts took another hit on Wednesday after a federal inspection found a South Korean advanced battery maker never scaled up U.S. production despite receiving $142 million in federal grants.

Senators Push Brennan on Misleading Testimony  —  John Brennan, President Obama's nominee to run the Central Intelligence Agency, is getting renewed scrutiny for a highly questionable claim he made during his confirmation hearings last week.  On Tuesday, two Republicans on the Senate Select Committee …

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 …