Trying to Revive Talks, Obama Goes Around G.O.P. Leaders  —  WASHINGTON — With Republican leaders in Congress forswearing budget negotiations over new revenues, President Obama has begun reaching around them to Republican lawmakers with a history of willingness to cut bipartisan deals.

Rand Paul launches talking filibuster against CIA nominee  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is staging a talking filibuster against the nomination of John Brennan to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  —  “I'm here to filibuster John Brennan's nomination to be director of CIA,” Paul said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

How his economically disastrous, politically effective ideology will haunt the country he ruined.  —  Even before Hugo Chávez died, he had become a ghost.  A strange, unfamiliar quiet had fallen on Venezuela for weeks as people waited to hear the voice of the president who had been part of their daily lives for nearly 14 years.

Exclusive Excerpt: Roger Ailes Off Camera  —  Roger Ailes is one of the most powerful—and controversial—characters in television media, pilloried by critics and many in the mainstream media and lionized by conservative viewers who can't get enough of his posse of charismatic hosts.

Chief White House Calligrapher Gets Paid $96,725 Per Year  —  With the White House closing its doors to public tour groups in order to save money for the sequester, it's worth remembering some of the other costs the White House incurs annually.  —  Like the “Chief Calligrapher,” …

City looks to make gun ownership mandatory  —  Every homeowner in a local town could soon have to own a gun or break the law.  It's a controversial new plan for the city of Nelson.  —  NELSON, Ga. —  Every homeowner in a local town could soon have to own a gun or break the law.

Capitol janitors making ‘ends meet’ with overtime?  Nope  —  “You know, those Capitol janitors will not get as much overtime.  I'm sure they think less pay, that they're taking home, does hurt.”  — Gene Sperling, director of the White House economic council, on ABC News' “This Week,” March 3, 2013

Cops: Perp Had Loaded Revolver In Her Vagina  —  Handgun was found inside Oklahoman during strip search  —  An Oklahoma woman arrested Monday on drug charges had a loaded handgun hidden in her vagina, according to police.  —  The weapon was discovered during a search of Christie Dawn Harris …

Too Much Money Spent in Iraq for Too Few Results  —  Ten years and $60 billion in American taxpayer funds later, Iraq is still so unstable and broken that even its leaders question whether U.S. efforts to rebuild the war-torn nation were worth the cost.  —  In his final report to Congress …

Mayor Bloomberg's new health crusade: too-loud earbuds  —  Now listen up, if you can.  —  Mayor Bloomberg — who has already cracked down on smoking, junk food, trans fats, salt and super-sized drinks — is embarking on a new crusade: preventing New Yorkers from going deaf.

Ted Cruz Goads Eric Holder Into Admitting That Killing Americans With Drones On U.S. Soil Is Unconstitutional  —  On Tuesday, the Department of Justice sent shockwaves through the nation when Attorney General Eric Holder informed Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in writing that the White House …

Revealed: Pentagon link to Iraq torture centres  —  Exclusive: General David Petraeus and ‘dirty wars’ veteran behind commando units implicated in detainee abuse  —  See the full-length documentary film of the 15-month investigation  —  The Pentagon sent a US veteran of the “dirty wars” …

Sam Mendes Won't Direct Bond 24  —  Exclusive on ‘a very difficult decision’  —  Bond may be back, but Empire can exclusively reveal that Sam Mendes won't be joining him.  At the BAFTAs recently, basking in the glow of Skyfall's triumph for Outstanding British Film, it seemed that Mendes …