Judge Halts New York City Soda Ban … A state judge on Monday stopped Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration from banning the sale of large sugary drinks at New York City restaurants and other venues, a major defeat for a mayor who has made public-health initiatives a cornerstone of his tenure.

The GOP Plan to Balance the Budget by 2023  —  The goal can be reached, with no new taxes, while increasing spending 3.4% annually instead of the current 5%.  —  America's national debt is over $16 trillion.  Yet Washington can't figure out how to cut $85 billion—or just 2% of the federal budget …

The ‘fair share’ White House  —  Those who make the rules should play by them.  Especially a White House that lectures the rest of America about the importance of paying your “fair share” of taxes.  —  So we were struck by IRS reports that no fewer than 40 aides to President Obama still owe …

After Watering Down Financial Reform, Ex-Senator Scott Brown Joins Goldman Sachs' Lobbying Firm … During his nearly three years in the U.S. Senate, Scott Brown (R-MA) frequently came to the aid of the financial sector — watering down the Dodd-Frank bill and working to weaken it after its passage …

FDIC Secretly Settling Bank Cases For Years With ‘No Press Release’ Clause: Report  —  At the request of rule-breaking bankers, a top U.S. regulator has for years settled bank cases in secret, raising the bar on just how far regulators are willing to go to help the industry they regulate.

New Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel tries to find his balance  —  A three-day visit to Afghanistan is a rocky beginning for the Defense secretary, who had faced a bitter confirmation fight.  Now awaiting him is $47 billion in budget cuts.  —  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, right, arrives in Germany on Monday.

Boston.com had no control over bogus Krugman post  —  The Daily Currant makes another round of headlines with its satire.  Weeks ago, it bamboozled the Washington Post into believing that Sarah Palin had signed on with Al Jazeera as a commentator.  —  Now it has hoaxed the journalism world …

CBC leader concerned Obama has named no blacks to new Cabinet  —  The chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus said she is concerned that President Obama has not yet appointed African-Americans to his second-term Cabinet.  —  Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) said Obama's appointees do not reflect …

In President's Outreach to G.O.P., Past Failures Loom  —  WASHINGTON — For all the attention to President Obama's new campaign of outreach to Republicans, it was four months ago — on the eve of bipartisan budget talks — that he secretly invited five of them to the White House for a movie screening …

UN disputes Gaza strike on BBC man's house  —  Jehad Mashhrawi's 11-month-old son Omar was killed in the attack on his house in Gaza  —  The son of a BBC journalist and two relatives killed in last November's war in Gaza may have been hit by a misfired Palestinian rocket, a UN agency says.

How Does Jeff Sachs Explain the Great Recession?  —  Facebook Twitter Digg Reddit StumbleUpon Delicious  —  First, let me recommend Mark Thoma, who takes apart Sachs' very crude representations of Paul Krugman's positions.  I want to circle back to one particular point that leaped out at me:

Report: DSCC pulling back from Judd after Kentucky Senate polling shows her vulnerable  —  A survey conducted for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee of the Kentucky Senate race by one of their leading pollsters may be cause for the DSCC to pull back from supporting Ashley Judd's potential campaign …

Palin, Trump Get Longer Speaking Slots at CPAC  —  Time to address conservatives from across the country at CPAC is a prime commodity, especially for politicians eyeing a 2016 run — and it's not being distributed equally.  —  According to an internal draft of the minute-by-minute schedule at CPAC …

Colorado Senate OKs gun control bill  —  A gun control package pushed by Colorado Democrats cleared the state Senate on Monday, as sponsors described it as a needed response to Colorado's blood-soaked history of mass shootings.  —  One Democrat after another rose Monday to talk …

Obama phones Sen. Kirk  —  President Obama called Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) on Monday.  —  “They discussed bipartisanship in terms of the budget and getting something done,” a Kirk spokesman said in an email to The Hill.  “They discussed North Korean/Iranian nuclear programs.  They discussed guns.”

Copy Clinton on guns, Feinstein tells Obama  —  Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the lead sponsor of a federal assault weapons ban, says President Obama needs to take a more active role in pushing legislation to prohibit military-style weapons.  —  Feinstein says she wants Obama to match …