The President Is Raging Against a Budget Crisis He Created  —  Obama invented the ‘sequester’ in the summer of 2011 to avoid facing up to America's spending problem.  —  A week from now, a dramatic new federal policy is set to go into effect that threatens U.S. national security, thousands of jobs and more.

Release Detail  —  February 20, 2013 - New Jersey Gov Flies High, Buries Unknown Dem, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Christie Close To Clinton, Leads Cuomo In '16 Pres Race  —  New Jersey voters today continue Gov. Christopher Christie's record-breaking 74 - 22 percent approval rating …

Conan O'Brien to host White House press dinner for second time  —  Conan O'Brien will hold court as emcee of the 2013 White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner.  —  WHCA President and Fox News Channel senior White House correspondent Ed Henry announced the group's pick of the funnyman …

Supreme Court to consider limits on individual political contributions  —  The Supreme Court reentered the controversial field of campaign finance Tuesday, agreeing to consider a Republican challenge to decades-old limits on the total amount a person can contribute to candidates, political parties and political action committees.

Fahrenkopf opines on GOP's “idotic” stances, Christie's “French kiss,” the media's bias and more  —  What better place than the Las Vegas Country Club, where time seems to have stopped in 1974 or so, for a group of conservatives to gather to figure out how to capture the glory days.

The Devil Made Them Do It  —  Senate Democrats try to dodge responsibility for ObamaCare.  —  “Powerful Democrats” subjected a top Obama administration health-care official “to withering criticism” last week, notes Walter Russell Mead.  When Gary Cohen, head of the Center for Consumer Information …

Gas prices are on a mysterious climb  —  The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped 45 cents in the past 31 days, according to AAA, the fastest run-up since 2005.  —  Retail gasoline prices have climbed for 33 days in a row.  A month ago, a gallon of regular gasoline cost $3.30 …

‘Friends of Hamas’: My role in the birth of a rumor  —  A Daily News reporter explains how he inadvertently created the myth that Chuck Hagel spoke to a non-existent group.  —  Daily News reporter Dan Friedman recounts the origin of a rumor he unwittingly started about Chuck Hagel (pictured) …

McCain defends immigration plan to angry residents  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona took center stage in the national immigration debate Tuesday as Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano toured the state's border with Mexico and Sen. John McCain defended his proposed immigration overhaul to an angry crowd in suburban Phoenix.

A Company That Runs Prisons Will Have Its Name on a Stadium  —  In recent years, where stadium naming rights could be sold, universities and professional sports teams have sold them — to airlines and banks and companies that sell beer, soda, doughnuts, cars, telecommunications, razors and baseball bats.

Americans Say Preventing Terrorism Top Foreign Policy Goal  —  Nuclear weapons, energy also top foreign policy concerns for Americans  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Eighty-eight percent of Americans say preventing future acts of international terrorism should be a very important foreign policy goal of the U.S., top among nine issues.

Republican Senator Cruz defends style a Democrat likened to McCarthyism  —  (Reuters) - First-term Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas on Tuesday staunchly defended his aggressive, in-your-face style that already is raising eyebrows in Washington and has led a Senate Democrat to suggest his tactics reminded her of McCarthyism.

How the Mossad Works: The Mystery of Israel's ‘Prisoner X’  —  An Israeli agent commits suicide in his prison cell.  Was he a traitor?  The mysterious case of “Prisoner X,” reported to be Australian-born Benjamin Zygier, provides an insight into the workings of the Mossad.

Rand Paul: Obama ‘histrionics’ over cuts  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is charging that President Barack Obama is full of “histrionics” about what will happen if the sequester kicks in.  —  “I think the sequester happens and it will be in some ways a yawn because the histrionics that are coming …

Joe Miller's return gives GOP establishment heartburn  —  Republicans who don't want to witness GOP-on-GOP primary warfare in 2014 may want to keep their eyes trained on the Lower 48.  —  Alaska could be messy.  —  Joe Miller, the tea party favorite who was backed by Sarah Palin …

Jesse Jackson Jr., Sandi Jackson expected to plead guilty  —  WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., and his wife, former Chicago Ald.  Sandi Jackson, are expected to plead guilty to federal charges today, when more details may emerge about an alleged crime spree in which he is accused …

Tiger Woods: Obama Has ‘Amazing Touch’  —  When Tiger Woods is your teammate, it's hard to lose.  Still, President Obama has a pretty good game, according to the world's second-ranked golfer.  —  President Obama and Woods played golf over Presidents' Day weekend, and Woods divulged on Tuesday …

Carte Goodwin out for 2014  —  Charleston Attorney Carte Goodwin has decided NOT to run for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate in West Virginia in 2014.  —  Goodwin tells Metronews that his decision to stay out of the race was driven by family concerns.  He and his wife have two young children.

Al Jazeera makes major U.S. expansion  —  The cable news network is building a new broadcast center in Washington and planning bureaus in eight cities across the USA.  —  Seven years after it arrived in the U.S., Al Jazeera is putting up its sign.  —  As it launches a major expansion …

Senate Minority Leader Fooled by Report in Military Version of The Onion  —  The best parody contains elements of truth.  Which might explain how the military's answer to The Onion suckered the Senate's Republican leader.  —  Meet The Duffel Blog, if you haven't already.

John Duncan On VAWA: Most Men Can Handle Violence Better Than Most Women  —  Rep. John “Jimmy” Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.) said he doesn't know if he will vote for a renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, a bill the congressman said has a nice name, and argued that men can handle violence better than women.

2 missing, 14 hurt in Kansas City gas explosion  —  See CNN affiliate coverage on KSHB, KCTV and KMBC  —  (CNN) — It was happy hour at JJ's when the roof blew off the popular Kansas City, Missouri, restaurant.  —  “When we got to the scene, we had a fully involved restaurant that had patrons …

Missouri Bill Makes It A Felony For Lawmakers To Propose Gun Safety Legislation  —  Yesterday, Missouri state Rep. Mike Leara (R) proposed legislation making it a felony for lawmakers to so much as propose many bills regulating guns.  Leara's bill provides that “[a]ny member of the general assembly …