Obama Administration Responds To Rand Paul On Drones  —  The U.S. government cannot target an American citizen who is not engaged in combat on American soil, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Thursday during his daily press briefing.  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) …

North Korea warns U.S. of preemptive nuclear strike  —  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea threatened the United States on Thursday with a preemptive nuclear strike, raising the level of rhetoric while the U.N. Security Council considers new sanctions against the reclusive country.

Paul Ryan Balances New Budget By Embracing Obama Policies  —  But next week, just four months after losing the November election, Ryan plans to unveil a budget that incorporates many of the policies he campaigned against, since the very changes he opposed as a vice presidential candidate …

Breaking: Sen. Levin won't seek re-election in 2014  —  Washington (CNN) - Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan announced Thursday that he will not run for a seventh term in 2014.  —  Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called it an “extremely difficult” …

New York National Rifle Association official barred from carrying a gun  —  An order of protection stemming from a domestic disturbance at his Long Island home in 2010 prevents Richard D'Alauro, the NRA's field representative for the city and its suburbs, from carrying the weapons.

Al Gore Sued Over Current TV Sale to Al Jazeera (Exclusive)  —  A $5 million lawsuit claims Gore was “adamant” about not selling his network to oil-rich Qataris but had a “change of heart,” then stiffed the man who came up with the idea for the deal.  —  Current TV's $500 million sale …

Source: Preparations underway for Obama vacation on Martha's Vineyard  —  President Obama and his family are likely headed to Martha's Vineyard for a summer sojourn again this year.  —  A source tells POLITICO that the Secret Service has started booking accommodations on the toney island off the Massachusetts coast.

The War On Entitlements  —  The debate over reform of Social Security and Medicare is taking place in a vacuum, without adequate consideration of fundamental facts.  —  These facts include the following: Two-thirds of Americans who are over the age of 65 depend on an average annual Social Security benefit …

The GOP's easy route to victory in fiscal fight  —  It's this: Republicans are not going to get the serious entitlement cuts they say they want unless they agree to new revenues.  —  To put this in another way, there is no imaginable scenario in the next three years, and probably beyond, under which Republicans win a total victory.

L.A.'s walking dead  —  Most Angelenos couldn't summon the energy to cast a ballot.  That doesn't have to continue.  —  Olga Korn, 86, votes in Encino on Tuesday.  She was among just 16% of L.A. residents who did.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times / March 5, 2013)  —  Mark the date, remember the day.

Press Release of Senator Cruz … WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY) today introduced legislation to prohibit drone killings of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil if they do not represent an imminent threat.  —  “Our Constitution restrains government power,” Cruz said.

A Devastating 26-Word Challenge to President Obama's Leadership  —  A single sentence from Senator Ron Wyden sums up the radicalism of the administration's national-security policies.  —  Reuters  —  When Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, stopped by the Senate floor Wednesday to help …

How Disney Bought Lucasfilm—and Its Plans for ‘Star Wars’  —  One weekend last October, Robert Iger, chief executive officer of Walt Disney (DIS), sat through all six Star Wars films.  He'd seen them before, of course.  This time, he took notes.  Disney was in secret negotiations to acquire Lucasfilm …

The Good, Racist People  —  Last month the actor Forest Whitaker was stopped in a Manhattan delicatessen by an employee.  Whitaker is one of the pre-eminent actors of his generation, with a diverse and celebrated catalog ranging from “The Great Debaters” to “The Crying Game” to “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.”