Obama honeymoon may be over  —  The second-term honeymoon for President Obama is beginning to look like it is over.  —  Obama, who was riding high after his reelection win in November, has seen his poll numbers take a precipitous fall in recent weeks.  —  A CNN poll released Tuesday showed …

Obama takes Indiana over Louisville for title  —  President Barack Obama is favoring the Big Ten in this year's NCAA tournament, ultimately selecting Indiana to win it all.  —  The president predicted that Louisville, Indiana, Ohio State and Florida will reach the Final Four …

Religious Right Could Be Left Behind By New Republican Plan  —  Abandoned by the Establishment, beset by libertarians, the base is playing defense.  —  When the great Republican resurrection comes to pass, will conservative Christians be left behind?  —  Some leaders of the religious right …

Family's Home Raided over Facebook Photo of Child's Rifle  —  New Jersey police and Dept. of Children and Families officials raided the home of a firearms instructor and demanded to see his guns after he posted a Facebook photo of his 11-year-old son holding a rifle.  —  FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS.

Sanford advances to GOP runoff in SC House race  —  CHARLESTON, S.C. — Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford advanced Tuesday to a runoff in the Republican contest for an open congressional seat, taking a step toward reviving a political career that was derailed by an extramarital affair while he was governor.

South Korea raises alert after hackers attack broadcasters, banks  —  (Reuters) - South Korean authorities were investigating a hacking attack that brought down the servers of three broadcasters and two major banks on Wednesday, and the army raised its alert level due to concerns of North Korean involvement.

Roger Ailes Couldn't Care Less What You Think About His Obama Comments  —  The Fox News chief tells Howard Kurtz he stands by the laziness charge and says Sarah Palin made ‘mistakes’ and that Dick Morris looked like a ‘jerk’ when he predicted a Romney landslide.  Plus, read the 16 juiciest bits from the new Ailes biography.

Spineless pols spit on the graves of Newtown victims by not pushing for assault weapons ban  —  The words of a teary-eyed President and other politicians meant nothing, because they didn't turn into action, as a ban on assault weapons won't be included in gun legislation that's shaping up in the U.S. Senate.

Cyprus seeks Russian bailout aid, EU threatens cutoff  —  (Reuters) - Cyprus pleaded for a new loan from Russia on Wednesday to avert a financial meltdown, but won no immediate relief after the island's parliament rejected the terms of a European bailout, raising the risk of default and a bank crash.

On first visit to Israel as president, Obama vows ‘eternal’ alliance  —  President Obama arrived in Israel on Wednesday and praised the “eternal” alliance between the U.S. and Mideast nation.  —  Obama was greeted at Ben Gurion airport at Tel Aviv by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on his first visit to Israel as president.

Americans Widely Back Government Job Creation Proposals  —  Seven in 10 favor business tax breaks and infrastructure repair programs  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans widely support each of three job creation proposals, including offering tax breaks to businesses that create jobs in the U.S …

No, wait — could Rand Paul actually win?  —  A few weeks ago, Rand Paul was far down the list of 2016 GOP presidential prospects — a freshman senator with a devoted but mostly marginal following of young libertarians.  —  Now he's being mentioned in the same breath as Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush.

Sugary Drinks Linked To 180,000 Annual Deaths Around The World  —  New research finds that the consumption of sugary drinks and sodas contributes to about 180,000 obesity-related deaths around the world — including the deaths of about 25,000 adult Americans — each year.

Fla. poll: Crist crushes Gov. Scott  —  Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist easily beats the Sunshine State's current Gov. Rick Scott in a gubernatorial matchup, according to a new poll Wednesday.  —  Crist — who switched to the Democratic Party after having served as a GOP governor …

Octomom — Authorites Probing for Possible Welfare Fraud  —  Possible Welfare Fraud  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Octomom Nadya Suleman is under the microscope after a complaint was lodged that she committed welfare fraud ... and if it's true Octo could go to prison.

Pope Francis' Old Colleagues Recall Pragmatic Streak  —  BUENOS AIRES — The very idea was anathema to many of the bishops in the room.  —  Argentina was on the verge of approving gay marriage, and the Roman Catholic Church was desperate to stop that from happening.

Exclusive: No More Drones for CIA  —  Three senior officials tell Daniel Klaidman that the Obama administration is poised to shift the CIA's drone program to the Pentagon.  —  At a time when controversy over the Obama administration's drone program seems to be cresting …

G.O.P. Opposition to Immigration Law Is Falling Away  —  WASHINGTON — Republican opposition to legalizing the status of millions of illegal immigrants is crumbling in the nation's capital as leading lawmakers in the party scramble to halt eroding support among Hispanic voters …

Journalism Professor Sues Columbia, Claiming Misuse of Endowment Funds  —  A tenured professor at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism and co-director of that school's business program filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing the university of misdirecting $4.5 million in funds over the last decade.

Jane Goodall's ‘Seeds of Hope’ book contains borrowed passages without attribution  —  Jane Goodall, the primatologist celebrated for her meticulous studies of chimps in the wild, is releasing a book next month on the plant world that contains at least a dozen passages borrowed without attribution …

Issa video slams Obama over canceled White House tours  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is hammering President Obama over cancelled White House tours, with a new video accusing him of failing to take responsibility for the decision.

Angry man takes microphone from KC mayor at speech  —  Mayor Sly James of Kansas City was delivering an upbeat State of the City speech Tuesday when an irate man commandeered the microphone at the Gem Theater.  —  The man was quickly tackled on the stage by bodyguard Marlon Buie and taken to a back area …

Medicare Cost Slowdown Could Close U.S. Budget Gap  —  New evidence that the slowdown in health care costs over the past five years is happening not only because of a weak economy comes from the Economic Report of the President, released last week by the President's Council of Economic Advisers.