Senators near a deal on background checks for most private gun sales  —  A bipartisan group of senators is on the verge of a deal that would expand background checks to all private firearms sales with limited exemptions, but significant disagreements remain on the issue of keeping records …

On the sequester, the American people ‘moved the goalposts’  —  I don't agree with my colleague Bob Woodward, who says the Obama administration is “moving the goalposts” when they insist on a sequester replacement that includes revenues.  I remember talking to both members of the Obama administration …

The big sequester gamble: How badly will the cuts hurt?  —  Evan Vucci/AP - President Barack Obama speaks in Chicago Feb. 15, 2013.  The president and congressional Republicans each seem content with the political ground they hold and are prepared to let across-the-board spending cuts take effect on March 1.

Political movies look to win big at Oscars  —  Political movies are expected to rake in the trophies at Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony.  —  “Argo,” a film about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, is favored to win the biggest prize of the night: Best Picture.

Violent, Drunk and Holding a Gun  —  Multiple mass shootings by deranged young men have made keeping firearms out of the hands of mentally ill people a big part of the gun debate.  —  Given the enormity of those crimes, that is understandable.  Federal law does, in fact …

Bobby Jindal: Republicans Can Continue Discriminating Against Gays And Still Win Elections  —  Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) — a possible Republican candidate for president in 2016 — rejected former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's argument that conservatives must embrace marriage equality for gays …

Michael Goldfarb Gleeful Provocateur at Intersection of Many Worlds  —  At 11:42 a.m. on Feb. 14, a conservative online magazine called The Washington Free Beacon posted a dispatch about a speech Chuck Hagel gave in 2007 in which it said he called the State Department “an adjunct to the Israeli foreign minister's office.”

Major Banks Aid in Payday Loans Banned by States  —  Major banks have quickly become behind-the-scenes allies of Internet-based payday lenders that offer short-term loans with interest rates sometimes exceeding 500 percent.  —  With 15 states banning payday loans, a growing number of the lenders …

Emotional Pope says God asked him to retire  —  Pope Benedict XVI delivered an emotional last Sunday prayer in St Peter's Square, saying God had told him to devote himself to prayer but assuring supporters he would not “abandon” the Church.  —  Tens of thousands of supporters turned …

Bombshell email: Nick Clegg was told about Lib Dem sex scandal four years ago  —  Nick Clegg knew more than four years ago that a top Liberal Democrat official had been accused of molesting women, a bombshell email claims.  —  The Deputy Prime Minister has always denied knowing about the allegations …

UK's top cardinal accused of ‘inappropriate acts’ by priests  —  Three priests and former priest report Cardinal Keith O'Brien to Vatican over claims stretching back 33 years  —  Three priests and a former priest in Scotland have reported the most senior Catholic clergyman in Britain …

Proposed design of NC illegal immigrant licenses sparks concern  —  RALEIGH, N.C. - A new driver's license expected to be issued to some illegal immigrants in North Carolina has prompted state lawmakers and immigrant rights groups to voice concerns over the proposal.