The New Pope: Bergoglio of Argentina  —  VATICAN CITY — With a puff of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and to the cheers of thousands of rain-soaked faithful, a gathering of Catholic cardinals picked a new pope from among their midst on Wednesday — choosing the cardinal from Argentina …

Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigns  —  Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll has resigned.  —  The resignation comes two days after Florida Department of Law Enforcement officers interviewed Carroll about her involvement with Allied Veterans of the World, a non-profit that operates internet cafes in Florida.

Tense meeting between President Obama, House GOP  —  President Barack Obama tangled with House Republicans for more than an hour Wednesday, answering questions on topics ranging from whether the White House spends too much time campaigning to how serious the administration is about slashing the nation's deficit.

North Korea Trolls American Poverty In Greatest Propaganda Video Ever  —  Living in tents.  Drinking coffee made from snow.  This is your life in America, filtered through the incisive prism of North Korean propaganda.  —  The world's most militarized society is shaking its head …

Transcript: President Obama's Exclusive Interview With George Stephanopoulos  —  GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  —  Mr. President, thank you for doing this.  —  PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  —  It's great to be here.  —  GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  —  So, you've done all meetings on Capitol Hill …

Obama's approval drops as Americans take a dimmer view of his economic policies  —  The afterglow of President Obama's reelection and inauguration appears to have vanished as increasingly negative views among Americans about his stewardship of the economy have forced his public approval rating …

EXCLUSIVE: The ‘47% tape’ and the man who revealed the real Mitt Romney  —  Mitt Romney is back in the public eye.  —  The former presidential candidate celebrated his 66th birthday Tuesday and he's speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) later in the week.

The Veronica Mars Movie Project  —  Here it is.  Our one shot to see a Veronica Mars movie happen.  Kristen is in.  I'm in.  Let's do it!  —  Almost since Veronica Mars went off the air, there's been talk of making a movie.  In that span, I've taken different tactics in dealing with the question of whether it might happen.

Paul Ryan and the problem with losing  —  Like myriad candidates before him, Paul Ryan is learning how damaging being part of a failed ticket can really be  —  What was most striking about the unveiling of Paul Ryan's latest budget blueprint on Tuesday was how familiar it felt.

EXCLUSIVE - U.S. to let spy agencies scour Americans' finances  —  (Reuters) - The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country, according to a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters.

Police ID fatal shooting suspect as Kurt Myers of Mohawk  —  Mohawk police have identified the man suspected of fatally shooting six and wounding two others as 64-year-old Kurt Myers of Mohawk.  —  Police have not yet apprehended Myers.  State police expect to hold a news conference at the Herkimer barracks within the hour.

CPAC muddle mirrors GOP mess  —  It's not hard to make fun of CPAC.  From the presence of Donald Trump to a meaningless straw poll to a cavalcade of fringe-dwelling book merchants, the event has become more carnival than conservative salon.  —  What is more notable about this year's rendition …

Senate Dems Weigh Consequences For GOP Filibusters Of Key Nominees  —  Senate Democratic leaders have engaged in preliminary discussions about how to address Republican procedural obstruction, according to a senior Democratic aide, reflecting an awareness that key administration …

GSA ordered to give job back to executive fired after Las Vegas conference scandal  —  The General Services Administration was ordered this week to reinstate a senior executive who lost his job last year amid revelations of lavish spending at a Las Vegas conference.