No excuse to lift the filibuster  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) revealed on “Fox News Sunday” that defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel responded to his letter jointly signed by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) asking whether he made the reported comment at Rutgers University that the State Department …

HILLARY CLINTON UNVEILS FIRST PHASE OF NEW LIFE — Rubio's last laugh — POTUS golfs with Tiger — 10th anniv. of Iraq war is March 19; MSNBC special 9 p.m. — Yoko Ono is 80  —  EXCLUSIVE: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will hit the paid speaking circuit this spring (likely April or May) …

Alec fast & slur-ious  —  Blasts Post fotog in a ‘racist’ rant  —  Actor Alec Baldwin allegedly called a black Post photographer a racial epithet, a “crackhead” and a “drug dealer” during a confrontation on an East Village street yesterday morning, prompting police to intervene.

Obama's Plan Sees 8-Year Wait for Illegal Immigrants  —  WASHINGTON — A plan by President Obama for an overhaul of the immigration system would put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship that could begin after about eight years and would require them to go to the back of the line behind …

Historic oversight corrected: Film ‘Lincoln’ inspires look into slavery vote  —  Oscar-nominated “Lincoln,” which depicts the political fight to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, played a role in Mississippi officially ratifying the amendment this month — a century and a half later.

Former Gov. Palin to address CPAC 2013  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will speak at next month's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).  —  “We are pleased to again welcome Governor Sarah Palin to CPAC in March,” said American Conservative Union (ACU) Chairman Al Cardenas in a statement.

Rising Republican star Rubio set to visit Jerusalem  —  Florida senator touted as possible GOP presidential candidate in 2016 visits region; Rubio will meet Peres, Netanyahu, Fayyad.  —  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), an emerging leader in the Republican Party who is considered …

Reaganism After Reagan  —  TODAY'S Republicans are very good at tending the fire of Ronald Reagan's memory but not nearly as good at learning from his successes.  They slavishly adhere to the economic program that Reagan developed to meet the challenges of the late 1970s and early 1980s …

No, Obama Is Not My Daddy - He's My Employee  —  The grotesque spectacle of the State of the Union address, with its lengthy receiving line of adoring sycophants, demonstrates why the President is operating under the delusion that he is more than just our President.

Israeli soldier posts Instagram image of Palestinian child in crosshairs of rifle  —  Military investigates Mor Ostrovski, 20, as row grows over spate of offensive images posted online by Israeli soldiers  —  An Israeli soldier has sparked outrage by posting a photograph appearing to show …

Terrorist serving life for role in 1993 WTC bombing reportedly sues to end solitary  —  A convicted terrorist serving life with no parole plus 240 years for masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing has reportedly filed a lawsuit arguing he should be let out of solitary confinement.

Right to Fight  —  It is ironic that the Hagel drama is playing out just as the national commentariat is debating whether Barack Obama's national security policy truly differs from that of his predecessor, George W. Bush.  —  As the Hagel story has played out, we've focused on tactics …

Congressional staffers often travel on tabs of foreign governments  —  About a dozen congressional staffers flew business class on a trip to China last summer and stayed at luxury hotels while touring the Great Wall and the Forbidden City and receiving a “briefing on ancient artifacts and dynasties” at the Shanghai Museum.

Exclusive - The case against Oscar  —  A bloodied cricket bat is the central piece of evidence in the unfolding murder investigation into ReevaSteenkamp's death.  —  City Press can reveal that police are investigating different scenarios involving the bat - one of which is that her boyfriend …

Raise That Wage  —  President Obama laid out a number of good ideas in his State of the Union address.  Unfortunately, almost all of them would require spending money — and given Republican control of the House of Representatives, it's hard to imagine that happening.