Assault weapons ban loses steam  —  Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said on Monday that a controversial assault weapons ban will not be part of a Democratic gun bill that was expected to reach the Senate floor next month.  —  After a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …

Assassination ‘Joke’ Sheriff Doubles Down, Compares Critics To Nazis  —  Plymouth County, MA Sheriff Joe McDonald (R)  —  A day after ThinkProgress and others reported that Joseph D. McDonald, Jr. (R), Sheriff of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, told a “joke” at a Republican St. Patrick's …

Larry Sabato and Kyle Kondik: The Early Line on the 2014 Midterms  —  The Obama goal is to regain the House, but holding the Senate is no sure thing.  —  President Obama's greatest setback to date has been the 2010 midterm elections.  Gains that Republicans scored in the House and Senate still circumscribe his agenda.

The Last Letter  —  A Letter to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran  —  I write this letter on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War on behalf of my fellow Iraq War veterans.  I write this letter on behalf of the 4,488 soldiers and Marines who died in Iraq.

Cyprus Rejects Bank Deposit Tax, Scuttling Bailout Deal  —  NICOSIA — The Cypriot Parliament rejected an international bailout package on Tuesday that had sought to tax bank depositors to pay a big part of the bill, despite a revision that would have exempted small bank accounts from the levies.

The GOP Faces 2 Stark Choices: Change or Go Over the Cliff  —  As they head into the future, Republicans need to decide whether they will follow the path of hope or the road to ruin.  —  The past 96 hours should provide thinking Republicans both hope and despair about their party's future.

Erica Werner of the Associated Press Reads More Into Rand Paul's Speech Than is There  —  Erica Werner of the Associated Press gives us a textbook example of why talking about immigration in the United States is so hard.  She reads into statements things that are not there.

GOP catfight: Michael Steele calls Reince Priebus ‘numb nuts’ … The catfight between former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele and his replacement, Reince Priebus, has reached screech level, with Steele belittling the party's new focus on minorities as old news.

The Progressive Shift  —  There is a statue outside the Department of Labor of a powerful, rambunctious horse being reined in by an extremely muscular man.  This used to be a metaphor for liberalism.  The horse was capitalism.  The man was government, which was needed sometimes to restrain capitalism's excesses.

What ‘Lean In’ Misunderstands About Gender Differences  —  There is much to admire in Sheryl Sandberg's book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.  It is full of funny stories about her brilliant career and helpful advice for workplace success.  As former chief of staff …

Scott trails Crist by 12 points  —  Rick Scott's approval numbers have seen no improvement over the last two months, even after his decision to allow Medicaid expansion in Florida.  33% of voters continue to approve of the job he's doing to 57% who disapprove.

Paul Ryan's Ax Isn't Sharp Enough  —  THE latest budget proposal by Representative Paul D. Ryan, called “The Path to Prosperity,” is anything but.  It fails to seriously address runaway government spending, the most pressing problem facing our nation.  I cannot vote for something that would trick …

Houston-Area Tea Party Leader Had Ties to Fascist Party … As recently as 2003, the president of the Greater Fort Bend County Tea Party had a very different title: director of propaganda for the American Fascist Party.  —  James Ives, a prominent Tea Party activist who has hosted statewide rallies …

Staffers Told Washington Examiner Will Cease Daily Publication  —  Today's layoffs at the Washington Examiner extend beyond the Local section.  Staffers are being told that the paper will cease daily publication in June to become a weekly political magazine and website, according to two sources who attended a meeting about the change.

Samsung Preparing Wristwatch as It Races Apple for Sales  —  Turf War: Samsung Races Apple for First Smartwatch  —  Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) is developing a wristwatch as Asia's biggest technology company races against Apple Inc. (AAPL) to create a new industry of wearable devices that perform similar tasks as smartphones.

Supreme Court to release same-day audio of marriage arguments  —  The Supreme Court will release audio recordings on the same day it hears oral arguments over same-sex marriage — a rare step reserved for especially high-profile cases.  —  The court will hear oral arguments next Tuesday …

Israelis to push Obama for release of spy  —  JERUSALEM—When President Barack Obama arrives in Israel on Wednesday, it'll be tough for him to miss the campaign pressing him to release an American-born man convicted of spying for Israel: Jonathan Pollard.  —  As buses carrying …

Rush Limbaugh: RNC Report Wrong, GOP Didn't Get ‘Landslided’ In 2012, Must Be More Conservative  —  Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on Monday dismissed a recently released Republican National Committee report that encouraged the party to modernize.  Limbaugh argued instead that the party is not conservative enough.

Voice of Elmo Sued — Allegations of Crystal Meth Sex Parties  —  Sex Parties  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Kevin Clash, the longtime voice of Elmo, has been sued by a man who claims ... when he was a minor, Clash lured him to engage in lurid, crystal meth sex parties.

Chipotle Cancels Sponsorship of Utah Boy Scouts Event  —  A day after admitting that its sponsorship of the Utah Scout-A-Rama violated its corporate non-discrimination policies, Chipotle told ThinkProgress Tuesday that it has cancelled its support.  —  In an email, company spokesman Chris Arnold wrote:

Magpul Industries Corp.  · 207,979 like this  —  Apparently Gov Hickenlooper has announced that he will sign HB 1224 on Wednesday.  We were asked for our reaction, and here is what we said:  —  We have said all along that based on the legal problems and uncertainties in the bill …

7 Marines killed during explosion at Nevada's Hawthorne Army Depot  —  An explosion at a military ammunition storage facility in Nevada during a Marine Corps training exercise killed seven U.S. Marines and wounded several others, military officials said.  —  The North Carolina-based soldiers …