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.

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.

Sequestration NIMBYism Grips GOP  —  A strange sickness is afflicting congressional Republicans.  —  Unwilling to team up with Democrats to replace sequestration with a mix of spending cuts and tax increases, and unable to pass a cuts-only sequestration measure on their own …

CADDELL UNLOADS ON ‘RACKETEERING’ GOP CONSULTANTS  —  Pat Caddell, the Fox News Contributor and Democrat pollster who engineered Jimmy Carter's 1976 Presidential victory, blew the lid off CPAC on Thursday with a blistering attack on “racketeering” Republican consultants who play wealthy donors like “marks.”

NYPD cops ordered to run criminal checks on domestic-abuse victims  —  Women who report domestic violence are exposing themselves to arrest under a new NYPD directive that orders cops to run criminal checks on the accused and the accuser, The Post has learned.

Obama Will Use Nixon-Era Law to Fight Climate Change  —  President Barack Obama is preparing to tell all federal agencies for the first time that they have to consider the impact on global warming before approving major projects, from pipelines to highways.  —  The result could be significant delays …

After the Flimflam  —  It has been a big week for budget documents.  In fact, members of Congress have presented not one but two full-fledged, serious proposals for spending and taxes over the next decade.  —  Before I get to that, however, let me talk briefly about the third proposal presented …

Bill Gates: Boy Scouts Should Stop Discriminating 'Because It's 2013′  —  During an interview with Mike Allen for Politico's Playbook Cocktails, billionaire Bill Gates described some of the things he learned as a Boy Scout, then made it clear that the organization should lift the ban on gay Scouts and leaders.

Want to join the 62-mile-high club?  Not so quick, sex in outer space could be bad for your health, say scientists  —  With commercial space flights in the pipeline and financiers appealing for a couple to volunteer for a manned (and womanned) mission to Mars, it's only going to be a matter …

The GOP Keeps Getting Whiter  —  While the country is becoming more racially diverse, Republican congressional districts are becoming less.  —  After Republicans won only 48 percent of all votes cast for the House in 2012 but 54 percent of the seats, it's no secret that the party enjoys …

Coulter Destroys Feinstein Over Cruz Debate On Hannity: ‘Liberal Women Should Not Be Able To Hold Office’  —  Sean Hannity invited Ann Coulter on his Thursday night Fox News show to get her take on this morning's Senate showdown between Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Live-Blogging Senate Hearing Tomorrow, When J.P. Morgan Chase Will Be Torn a New One  —  Beginning at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, I'm going to be live-blogging a hearing held by Senator Carl Levin's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations - the best crew of high-end detectives this side of The Wire …

Younger Generations Lag Parents in Wealth-Building  —  WASHINGTON — Pearl Brady has a stable job with good benefits and holds two degrees, a bachelor's and a master's.  But despite her best efforts, she has no savings, and worries that it will be years before she manages to start putting away money …

NRA president tells ‘elitist’ gun control advocates to ‘be damned’  —  NRA President Wayne LaPierre on Friday told gun control advocates to “be damned” and ridiculed Vice President Biden for urging people to use shotguns as protection.  —  “No matter what the elitists who scorn you say …

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.

Obama couldn't eat at Hill meeting without food ‘taster’ [AUDIO]  —  WASHINGTON — Following President Obama's lunch meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill, Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins described the food served and the president's reaction to what was on menu.

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 …