Dems' big 2014 obstacle: President Obama  —  President Barack Obama says he's ready to do whatever it takes to help Democrats win the House next year — a feat that could make the difference between limping to the end of his presidency and going out with a bang.

Ryan's New Budget Repeals ‘Obamacare’  —  Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Sunday that the budget he will introduce next week repeals health care reform because that under ‘Obamacare,’ “we think it's going to look very ugly over the next couple of years.”  —  Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” …

President Obama's numbers plummet in New York  —  President Barack Obama's approval rating in New York fell precipitously in the last month, according to a poll released Monday, and three-fifths of the state's registered voters now believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.

Harvard Search of E-Mail Stuns Its Faculty Members  —  Bewildered, and at times angry, faculty members at Harvard criticized the university on Sunday after revelations that administrators secretly searched the e-mail accounts of 16 resident deans in an effort to learn who leaked information …

2 Americans slain at special ops site in Afghanistan  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Two U.S. service members were killed and at least eight others were injured Monday in a possible insider attack at a special forces site in Afghanistan, U.S. and Afghan officials said.

N. Korea says it has scrapped armistice that ended Korean War  —  SEOUL — North Korea said Monday that it had “completely scrapped” the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the Korean War, following up on a threat made days earlier and increasing the likelihood of a strike against or a skirmish with the South, analysts said.

Why do the Koch Brothers get all the sunshine? … Here's a couple of data points that bear serious thought this week by transparency advocates celebrating Sunshine Week and by everybody else who cares about protecting and preserving a free and independent press:

Private Manning's Confidant  —  In early 2010, Pfc. Bradley Manning methodically uploaded a digital mother lode of classified United States military and diplomatic documents to the Internet insurgents of WikiLeaks.  As everyone knows, WikiLeaks made these secret archives available to a few major news outlets, including this one.

Mandatory Cuts Could Open Path to Deeper Defense Trims  —  WASHINGTON — At a time when $46 billion in mandatory budget cuts are causing anxiety at the Pentagon, administration officials see one potential benefit: there may be an opening to argue for deep reductions in programs long …

Rep. Peter King fights kickboxing champion in fundraiser  —  Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) squared off against former kickboxing champion “Irish” John Foley in a two-round celebrity boxing match on Saturday before a crowd of about 400 at a Long Island pub.  —  No winner was declared in the fight …

Top Republican Strategist: GOP 'Doesn't Give Equal Opportunity To Women'  —  During a segment on women's evolving roles in the workplace on Meet the Press Sunday morning, GOP political operative and former McCain campaign adviser Steve Schmidt made a compelling case for equal opportunity …

When to Say No  —  The State Department's latest environmental assessment of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline makes no recommendation about whether President Obama should approve it.  Here is ours.  He should say no, and for one overriding reason: A president who has repeatedly …

How Ashley Judd Can Win  —  The staffers who ran campaigns for Eastwood and Bono, Schwarzenegger and Franken, say the actress can win if she gets in early, stays local, and works like hell.  Celebrity status can be like “a huge tire around the neck,” says Padberg.  —  Image by AP