Ted Cruz Runs Counter to the Senate's Courtly Ways  —  WASHINGTON — As the Senate edged toward a divisive filibuster vote on Chuck Hagel's nomination to be defense secretary, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, sat silent and satisfied in the corner of the chamber — his voice lost to laryngitis …

JEB BUSH: I WOULD GOVERN LIKE LYNDON JOHNSON AS PRESIDENT  —  Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said he would strive to be like Lyndon Johnson, the Democrat famous for expanding the U.S. welfare state through the “Great Society,” if he were elected president.

FBI investigating allegations Sen. Menendez patronized prostitutes in Dominican Republic  —  A team of FBI agents has been conducting interviews in recent weeks in the Dominican Republic and the United States, looking into allegations that Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) patronized prostitutes …

The best choice for pope?  A nun.  —  In giving up the papacy, Pope Benedict XVI was brave and bold.  He did the unexpected for the good of the Catholic Church.  And when it selects a new pope next month, the College of Cardinals should be equally brave and bold.  It is time to elect a nun as the next pontiff.

Elizabeth Warren's Aggressive Questioning Prompts Anger From Wall Street  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-Mass.) meeting with bank regulators Thursday left bankers reeling, after the politician questioned why regulators had not prosecuted a bank since the financial crisis.

Protecting People On Facebook  —  Facebook, like every significant internet service, is frequently targeted by those who want to disrupt or access our data and infrastructure.  As such, we invest heavily in preventing, detecting, and responding to threats that target our infrastructure …

Bear Bombers Over Guam  —  Two Russian nuclear-armed bombers circled the western Pacific island of Guam this week in the latest sign of Moscow's growing strategic assertiveness toward the United States.  —  The Russian Tu-95 Bear-H strategic bombers were equipped with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles …

Incomes Flat in Recovery, but Not for the 1%  —  WASHINGTON — Incomes rose more than 11 percent for the top 1 percent of earners during the economic recovery, but barely at all for everybody else, according to new data.  —  The numbers, produced by Emmanuel Saez, an economist at the University …

Paul Krugman is wrong - but don't take my word for it  —  America's fiscal predicament is serious.  The problem has become obvious in the last few years, but it has been building for decades, largely the result of promises of extensive social benefits without a corresponding willingness to pay for them.

Wal-Mart Executives Sweat Slow February Start in E-Mails  —  Wal-Mart Stores Inc. had the worst sales start to a month in seven years as payroll-tax increases hit shoppers already battling a slow economy, according to internal e-mails obtained by Bloomberg News.

Iranian Elites, Scholars Urge Mursi to Foster Unity, Implement Islamic Law  —  TEHRAN (FNA)- A group of renowned Iranian elites and scholars in a letter to Egyptian President Mohammad Mursi stressed the Islamic community's high capacity to save the world, and asked Mursi to implement Islamic governing system in his revolutionary state.

How to Save the Republican Party  —  The Republican Party is in trouble: In the wake of the presidential election, everybody has said so, and everybody is right.  From there, however, a hundred paths diverge and a thousand voices have been heard.  The relevant questions are these: How deep is the trouble?

Jesse Jackson Jr. Charged With Misusing Campaign Funds  —  WASHINGTON — In the span of four years starting in 2007, Jesse L. Jackson Jr., then a representative from Illinois, amassed a collection of celebrity memorabilia, furs, jewelry and furniture.  —  Working with an antiques dealer …