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.

Humility or Cynicism?  Whatever is Driving Obama is Better Than Nothing  —  Tumbling polls have turned the president into the schmoozer-in-chief  —  President Obama's burst of congressional and public outreach coincides with declining poll numbers.  (AP Photo)

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 …

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 …

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.

Trump: Ashley Judd ‘a great candidate’  —  Donald Trump thinks actress Ashley Judd would make a “great” Senate candidate, the real estate mogul tweeted on Tuesday.  —  “All reports indicate Ashley Judd will be running for Sen. McConnell's seat,” Trump wrote.  “She's going to be a great candidate. ...

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

‘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,” …

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.

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 …

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 …