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.

Republicans emerge from dinner optimistic about deficit deal  —  Senate Republicans are more optimistic about the prospect of a grand bargain on the deficit after an intimate dinner with President Obama Wednesday evening in downtown Washington.  —  Obama and a dozen Republicans discussed …

‘A Big New Power’  —  Years from now, when the Supreme Court has come to its senses, justices then sitting will look back on the spring of 2013 in bewilderment.  On what basis, they will wonder, did five conservative justices, professed believers in judicial restraint, reach out to grab …

GRAPHIC: Woman packing heat, drugs in private parts  —  WARNING: Content could be considered graphic to some audiences.  —  ADA, Okla. - An unusual and graphic case in Pontotoc County leads police to a bizarre find inside a female suspect.  —  It began at Dairy Lou Drive Inn in Ada.

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,” …

Alvin Lee Is Going Home: ‘Ten Years After’ Guitarist Dies … Guitarist Alvin Lee, whose incendiary performance with the British band Ten Years After was one of the highlights of the 1969 Woodstock festival, has died. … He was 68.  Lee's website says he “passed away early this morning …

Big One-Year Jump In Atmospheric CO2 Brings Climate Catastrophe Closer  —  The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere underwent one of its biggest single-year jumps ever in 2012, according to researchers at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

Michelle Obama and John Kerry to Honor Anti-Semite and 9/11 Fan  —  On Friday March 8, Michelle Obama will join John Kerry at a special ceremony at the State Department to present ten women the Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award.  The award, says the press release …

Arkansas Adopts Strictest Abortion Law in the U.S.  —  In the sharpest challenge yet to Roe v. Wade, Arkansas adopted Wednesday what is by far the country's most restrictive ban on abortion, at 12 weeks of pregnancy, around the time that a fetal heartbeat can be detected by abdominal ultrasound.

Cut government spending?  Sure....in theory.  —  Americans broadly support an across-the-board cut in spending for a government often seen as wasteful, but there is wide opposition to blanket cuts to the military, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

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 …

Mideast Defies U.S. Bid to ‘Pivot’  —  CAIRO—The Obama administration hopes to “pivot” away from a hyper-focus on the Middle East during its second term, but John Kerry's maiden overseas mission as secretary of state—a nine-nation odyssey across Europe and the Persian Gulf—highlighted why that goal may be elusive.

Cruz: Spending bill must defund Obama healthcare law  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Wednesday that he will object to a government spending bill if it does not cut off funds for President Obama's signature healthcare law.  —  Cruz, a staunchly conservative freshman, said he will offer …

The Fox News-iest Segment in Fox News History  —  If you have never seen Fox News before, here is a four-minute clip that captures the essence of the network so perfectly that you need never watch anything on it again.  It's all here.  At the center, you have an old conservative white guy …

Leaked email adds fuel to claims White House playing politics over impact of cuts  —  A leaked email from an Agriculture Department field officer adds fuel to claims President Obama's political strategy is to make the billions in recent federal budget cuts as painful as possible to win the public opinion battle against Republicans.