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.

Paul Ryan Reverses Himself Yet Again On Medicare Cuts  —  When he unveils his budget plan this week, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) will complete a 720-degree flip on President Obama's cuts to Medicare providers in the Affordable Care Act.  —  As he revealed on “Fox News Sunday,” Ryan's upcoming budget will sustain the cuts.

2 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan insider attackhaha i  —  KABUL, Afghanistan - A police officer opened fire on U.S. and Afghan forces inside a police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, sparking a firefight that killed two U.S. troops and two other Afghan policemen.

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 …

Chief of US Pacific forces calls climate biggest worry  —  CAMBRIDGE — America's top military officer in charge of monitoring hostile actions by North Korea, escalating tensions between China and Japan, and a spike in computer attacks traced to China provides an unexpected answer when asked …

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.

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:

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 …

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 …

Senators agree on path to legal status for illegal immigrants  —  Senators crafting a bipartisan overhaul of immigration laws agree on a path to legal status, aides say, but other hurdles remain.  —  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) speaks to journalists in January about a bipartisan immigration reform effort …

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 …

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.