Rand Paul Explains His Surprise Vote For Chuck Hagel  —  “The president gets to choose political appointees,” Paul says.  —  Image by Gary Cameron / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said his support for a filibuster against Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel never meant that he would vote against Hagel's confirmation.

No CPAC Invite for Christie Because of ‘Limited Future’ in Republican Party  —  New Jersey governor Chris Christie was not invited to address the Conservative Political Action Conference because of his position on gun control, according to a source familiar with CPAC's internal deliberations who requested anonymity to speak freely.

Liberal Super PAC Goes After Mitch McConnell's ‘Chinese’ Wife  —  A Democratic group is under sharp criticism for controversial online messages about Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's wife.  —  For months, the liberal super PAC Progress Kentucky has attacked McConnell and held demonstrations at his offices and home.

NBC/WSJ poll: Public wary about sequester cuts, but Obama in stronger political position than GOP  —  With automatic, across-the-board spending cuts set to begin Friday, majorities of Americans believe they aren't a good idea and say the contentious budget negotiations make them less confident …

Bloomberg's cash paves way to Jackson's seat  —  A multimillion-dollar ad blitz by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to stop an NRA-backed House candidate in Illinois paid off Tuesday night, as local official Robin Kelly crushed more than a dozen Democratic candidates vying to replace disgraced former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Reason for mass release of illegal immigrants “hard to believe,” Boehner says  —  House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Tuesday in an interview with CBS News blasted the “outrageous” move by federal immigration officials to OK the release of hundreds of illegal immigrants as a way to save money ahead …

Sequester: A secret plan  —  President Obama's massive and voluble campaign against the sequester has a deep political motivation that is not apparent on the surface.  He is engaging in a battle he knows he'll lose.  Republicans are not going to budge on agreeing to tax hikes to avoid …

As Budgets Face Cuts, Austerity Kills Government Jobs  —  WASHINGTON — The federal government, the nation's largest consumer and investor, is cutting back at a pace exceeded in the last half-century only by the military demobilizations after the Vietnam War and the cold war.

Wave of Immigrants Released Ahead of Automatic Budget Cuts  —  In a highly unusual move, federal immigration officials have released a wave of detainees from immigration detention centers around the country in an effort to save money as automatic budget cuts loom in Washington, officials said.

The Republican Sequestration Plan  —  Whether or not you agree with it, and whether or not it will work, President Obama's strategy on sequestration is perfectly obvious.  His goal is to end the automatic budget cuts, which he regards as stupidly constructed and likely to harm the economy …

U.P. State Senator Tom Casperson Is Some Kind Of Birther  —  State Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, was on Michael Patrick Shiels' Lansing radio program today and had some fun and interesting things to say about where President Obama was born.  —  Casperson, whose name might sound familiar …

Republicans: CIA nominee involved in Benghazi talking points  —  President Obama's pick to head the CIA was involved in crafting controversial talking points about last year's attack in Benghazi, Republicans said Tuesday after viewing intelligence documents.

Senate's Democratic Class of '08 Faces New Challenges  —  First-term Democratic senators from competitive states are key to party keeping majority  —  The class of senators swept into office riding Barack Obama's coattails in 2008 — giving Democrats a supermajority in the process …

House expected to pass Senate version of VAWA bill this week  —  After a year-long fight over how to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), House Republicans are now prepared to allow a vote this week on the Senate-passed language.  —  The House Rules Committee on Tuesday evening approved …