Paul Ryan's budget: Social engineering with a side of deficit reduction  —  Here is Paul Ryan's path to a balanced budget in three sentences: He cuts deep into spending on health care for the poor and some combination of education, infrastructure, research, public-safety, and low-income programs.

Senate Democrats pepper Obama with questions on entitlements  —  Liberal Democrats challenged President Obama on Tuesday over his willingness to cut Social Security benefits.  —  At a meeting that lasted just less than 90 minutes, Obama was peppered by questions from Sens. Tom Harkin …

The troubling things I learned when I re-reported Bob Woodward's book on John Belushi.  —  John Belushi in Animal House, 1978 Courtesy of Universal Pictures  —  A little more than a week ago, during an interview with Politico, Bob Woodward came forward to claim he'd been threatened in an email by a …

Senate Democrats' budget includes nearly $1 trillion in new taxes  —  The first budget from Senate Democrats in four years includes nearly $1 trillion in new taxes but would not balance the budget.  —  The blueprint unveiled by Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) …

George P. Bush running for Texas land commissioner  —  AUSTIN — George Prescott Bush filed the official paperwork Tuesday to run for Texas land commissioner next year, hoping to use a little-known but powerful post to continue his family's political dynasty in one of the country's most-conservative states.

Are the Koch Brothers Trying to Buy the Los Angeles Times?  —  The latest rumor about the next owner of the L.A. Times, which is for sale, is a doozy.  A bombshell.  It's a doozy wrapped in a bombshell exploding inside a Drudge siren.  —  Multiple sources tell L.A. Weekly that Charles and David Koch …

Sources: NRA won't oppose background check deal - if Democrats cede tough records fight  —  Senators negotiating a bill mandating background checks for all gun buyers are privately expecting the National Rifle Association not to fight the measure — provided the legislation does …

Cleanup in aisle 1: Teen's ‘mourners’ trash Brooklyn shops  —  A vigil for a teenager fatally shot by cops turned into a riot in Brooklyn last night, as a mob of outraged thugs ransacked stores, broke car windows and assaulted residents in East Flatbush.  —  The chaos erupted …

See the Adams Morgan Sinkhole  —  The message from AlertDC was pretty ominous: “MPD reports a large sink hole in the 1900 block of Biltmore Street NW.  The sink hole is described as 25 feet deep and expanding from east to west.  Biltmore Street is closed between 19th Street and Cliffbourne Pl NW.

Ukrainian Attack Dolphins on the Loose  —  If you're swimming in the Black Sea, beware dolphins with weapons strapped to their heads.  —  flickr/mr_t_in_dc  —  Dolphin scientist Justin Gregg brings us this slightly disturbing, if hilarious, bit of Delphic news.

Erin Burnett to Laura Bush: Should America Accept Anti-Semitism To Affect Change In Middle East?  —  CNN's Erin Burnett on Monday asked former first lady Laura Bush a truly disgusting question.  —  In a segment about the George W. Bush Institute's Women's Initiative Fellowship Program …

Feds Spend $1.5 Million to Study Why Lesbians Are Fat  —  (CNSNews.com) - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $1.5 million to study biological and social factors for why “three-quarters” of lesbians are obese and why gay males are not, calling it an issue of “high public-health significance.”

FRC: No Right to Have Sex Outside of Marriage, Society Should ‘Punish It’  —  Family Research Council senior fellow Pat Fagan appeared alongside Tony Perkins, the head of FRC, on Washington Watch yesterday to discuss his article which claims that Eisenstadt v. Baird, the 1972 case that overturned …

NLRB To Seek Supreme Court Review in Noel Canning v. NLRB  —  The National Labor Relations Board has determined not to seek en banc rehearing in Noel Canning v. NLRB, in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit held that the January 4, 2012 recess appointments of three members to the Board were invalid.

Soda Wars Backlash: Mississippi Passes ‘Anti-Bloomberg’ Bill … Mayor Mike and his public health edicts are having a rough ride.  —  On Monday, a state judge in Manhattan struck down New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's rule capping soda sizes.  And lawmakers in Mississippi are taking …

‘Killing Jews Is Worship’ Ad Campaign Rolled Out On SF Muni Buses  —  SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) - A controversy has been re-ignited this week as ten new ads go up on San Francisco Muni buses containing quotes used by terrorists.  —  “Killing Jews is worship that draws us closer to Allah,” …

NARTH Loses Tax Exempt Status  —  In September 2012, the tax exempt status of the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) was revoked due to failure to file Form 990 for three consecutive years.  The notice of revocation was yesterday according to the IRS website.

Sarah Palin tackles ‘War on Christmas’ in new book  —  ‘Amidst the fragility of this politically correct era, it is imperative that we stand up for our beliefs before the element of faith in a glorious and traditional holiday like Christmas is marginalized and ignored,’ Palin says.

An Energy Coup for Japan: ‘Flammable Ice’  —  TOKYO — Japan said Tuesday that it had extracted gas from offshore deposits of methane hydrate — sometimes called “flammable ice” — a breakthrough that officials and experts said could be a step toward tapping a promising but still little-understood energy source.