Rob Portman and the Politics of Narcissism  —  I'm glad that Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio has reconsidered his view on gay marriage upon realization that his son is gay, but I also find this particular window into moderation—memorably dubbed Miss America conservatism by Mark Schmitt—to be the most annoying form.

Federal Judge Finds National Security Letters Unconstitutional, Bans Them  —  Ultra-secret national security letters that come with a gag order on the recipient are an unconstitutional impingement on free speech, a federal judge in California ruled Friday.  —  U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered …

Ryan: Democrats' budget puts US on path ‘straight into debt crisis’  —  House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Saturday said he wants the federal government to cut back on spending, just like an American family would.  —  Ryan used the weekly GOP address to promote …

CPAC Event On Racial Tolerance Turns To Chaos As ‘Disenfranchised’ Whites Arrive  —  A CPAC session sponsored by Tea Party Patriots and billed as a primer on teaching activists how to court black voters devolved into a shouting match Friday as some attendees demanded justice for white voters …

Weiner Polled for N.Y. Mayoral Bid  —  Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner's dormant New York City mayoral campaign paid more than $100,000 to a San Francisco-based polling firm earlier this month, suggesting the once-prominent Democrat whose career was derailed by allegations he sent salacious texts …

Obama doubles down on alternative energy  —  President Barack Obama is doubling down on the administration's plan to reinvest federal oil-and-gas drilling revenues into next-generation alternative energy technology, unveiled during his State of the Union address last November.

Romney urges GOP to ‘learn from’ mistakes he made in 2012 campaign  —  GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney appealed for the Republican Party to learn from the mistakes of his losing 2012 presidential campaign and — as conservatives chart their future — to look to GOP governors for a path to future electoral wins.

A lengthy weather report again affirms global warming  —  SCIENTISTS HAVE a good sense of what the Earth's climate has been like over the past handful of centuries.  But what about many thousands of years back?  —  In a recent article in the journal Science, researchers at Oregon State University …

House Republicans Unanimously Vote Down Minimum Wage Hike  —  House Republicans unanimously voted down a measure Friday that would have raised the federal minimum wage, from its current $7.25 per hour to $10.10 by 2015.  —  Six Democrats joined 227 Republicans in voting it down; 184 Democrats voted yes.

Jeb Bush: GOP can't be ‘anti-everything’  —  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) called for an aspirational, big-tent conservative movement Friday night, telling leaders that the GOP “must move beyond the divisive and extraneous issues that currently define the public debate.”

Want to debate Medicare costs?  You need to see this chart first.  —  It's taken as an article of faith inside the beltway: Policy makers need to do something to tamp down on out-of-control health-care costs.  —  If we don't get our Medicare and Medicaid spending under control …

Democrats Try And Fail To Catch Conservatives Cheering Ashley Judd's On-Screen Death  —  CPAC crowd unmoved by the big moment, video shows.  No gotcha here.  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats hoped to catch attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference cheering the on-screen death …

Maryland will be 18th state to ban death penalty  —  The state legislature completed action to repeal capital punishment.  Gov. Martin O'Malley will sign the ban.  —  Maryland's General Assembly on Friday completed its repeal of the death penalty, nearly 40 years after the U.S. Supreme Court restored capital punishment.

The Anti-Choice Olympics  —  Ever since the 2010 elections, Republican legislators and governors have been in a competition to see who can enact the most blatantly unconstitutional—at least according to existing precedents—laws on abortion in the country.  The first batch …

‘Jeopardy’ looking at Lauer as next host  —  'I'll take Soft Landings for a thousand, Alex'  —  The answer to the “Jeopardy” clue “Alex Trebrek's replacement” has a new and surprising question:  —  “Who is Matt Lauer?”  —  The beleaguered host of the “Today” show is at the top of the list …