Rob Portman commentary: Gay couples also deserve chance to get married  —  I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married.

Former Web Producer Indicted in California for Conspiring with “Anonymous” Members to Attack Internet News Site  —  A former web producer for a Tribune Company-owned television station in Sacramento, Calif., was charged today in an indictment for allegedly conspiring with members of the hacker group …

Conservative Groups Warn GOP Lawmakers  —  WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama's wooing of congressional Republicans in the past week has spurred the party's most conservative faction into girding to keep GOP lawmakers in line.  —  Conservative activists and organizations …

Dianne Feinstein, Ted Cruz trade barbs over gun ban  —  Yet gun-control advocates hailed today's vote as a victory, even if the bill faces a bleak outlook.  —  “There are plenty of weapons out there,” Feinstein said during Thursday's hearing.  “The whole point of this bill is to reduce …

Grand jury investigating Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), people familiar with probe say  —  View Photo Gallery — Sen. Robert Menendez: Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) has been embroiled in a controversy involving his relations with a Miami campaign contributor and the awarding …

Obama Says Iran More Than a Year Away From Nuclear Weapon  —  JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama told Israelis Iran is still more than year away from developing a nuclear weapon and sought to reassure them that military force remains a U.S. option if sanctions and diplomacy fail to thwart its nuclear ambitions.

Mitt Romney gets B-list treatment at CPAC  —  Indifference awaits Mitt Romney Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference as he delivers his first public speech since election night.  —  The base moved on four months ago, and most Republican activists don't really care what their failed nominee thinks any more.

LAWMAKERS WANT OBAMA TO FOLLOW UP OUTREACH EFFORT  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — At a recent gathering of House committee and subcommittee chairmen, Republican lawmakers were asked if they could name the legislative affairs staffer at the White House responsible for staying in contact with their panel.

In Republican Party, Schism Over America's Role Abroad  —  WASHINGTON — For more than three decades, the Republican Party brand has been deeply tied to a worldview in which the aggressive use of American power abroad is both a policy imperative and a political advantage.

John Boehner Turns Down Obama Invitation To Join Visit To Vatican, New Pope  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner says he's turning down President Barack Obama's invitation to be in the U.S. delegation to the installation of Pope Francis.  —  The Ohio Republican says in a statement …

Sarah Palin's next act: Candidate or ‘Kardashian’?  —  In January 2009, Sarah Palin had the world on a string.  A potential Republican presidential field-clearer for the presidency, every sentence she uttered was news.  A Fox News contract awaited her.  So did book deals.

Sources: Benghazi suspect detained  —  (CNN) — A man suspected of involvement in the September attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi is being held in Libya, according to two sources who have spoken with CNN.  —  Both sources confirmed the man's name as Faraj al-Shibli (also spelled Chalabi).

Religious right calls Chief Justice Roberts' adoption of 2 kids “second best”  —  It's already being called the religious right's “47% video.”  John Eastman, the chairman of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the lead religious right organization fighting against marriage equality for gay couples …

Baptist pastor: Sex with underage girl ‘is exactly what Christ desires’  —  The former pastor of a Indiana megachurch who is awaiting sentencing in a sex crimes case told a 17-year-old girl that Jesus wanted her to have sexual relations with him.  —  Federal prosecutors on Wednesday released letters …