Saxby Chambliss: 'I'm not gay.  So I'm not going to marry one'  —  Support for gay marriage is picking up steam all over the country — except on Capitol Hill.  —  Take Sen. Saxby Chambliss.  When asked if his views had changed on gay marriage, the Georgia Republican quipped: “I'm not gay.

Analysis: Obama, he had us at ‘Shalom’  —  We so want to be accepted, so want to be understood.  —  He had us at the word “Shalom,” did President Barack Obama, on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport.  —  Or if not at “Shalom,” then 33 words later when he said in Hebrew, “Tov lihiyot shuv ba'aretz” (It's good to be back in Israel).

The Republican Autopsy Report  —  On Monday a Republican task force released a remarkably hard-headed diagnosis of the party's many liabilities: its ideological rigidity, its preference for the rich over workers, its alienation of minorities, its reactionary social policies and its institutionalized repression of dissent and innovation.

Unified House Republicans poised to pass Ryan budget blueprint  —  Republican leaders are poised to pass Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget on Thursday, having convinced centrists and conservatives to back the blueprint that Democrats believe is their road map back to the House majority.

Biden, Bloomberg Present United Front On Assault Weapons Ban  —  Reid has dropped it from the Senate bill, but Bloomberg calls for an amendment vote.  “I'm not going to rest, and neither is the president, until we do all of these things,” Biden says.  —  Image by Ruby Cramer/Buzzfeed

THE SILENT MAJORITIES  —  There's a lot of buzz at and around the Cool Kidz table today because, glorioski, there's actually another budget proposal out there, the one put together by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and it not only seems to make more sense to more people than, for example …

Why I was hoping for a government shutdown  —  I'll be honest.  I was sort of hoping for a government shutdown.  —  Congress, you're terrible at your job.  (Andrew Harrer/Bloomber)  —  It's not that I like government shutdowns.  I'm as big a fan of national parks as the next guy.

Release Detail  —  March 21, 2013 - Clinton Tops Florida Favorite Sons In 2016 Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; 91% Back Universal Gun Background Checks  —  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has double-digit leads over either of Florida's favorite sons, former Gov. Jeb Bush …

Secret report raises alarms on intelligence blind spots because of AQ focus  —  A panel of White House advisers warned President Obama in a secret report that U.S. spy agencies were paying inadequate attention to China, the Middle East and other national security flash points because they had become …

Michele Bachmann: Obamacare Will ‘Literally’ Kill People  —  As the country prepares to celebrate the third anniversary of health care reform, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) insisted on Thursday that the Affordable Care Act will “kill” vulnerable women and children during a speech on the floor of the House.

Iraq War made Obamacare possible … This week brought two milestones: It has been 10 years since the United States invaded Iraq, and three years since President Obama's health care legislation became law.  It's fitting that the two events coincided, because it was the Iraq War that made the passage of Obamacare possible.

Survey |  Citizenship, Values, and Cultural Concerns: What Americans Want from Immigration Reform  —  ▶ Read the full report here.  —  ▶ Read the news release here.  —  ▶ Read a Spanish translation of the news release here.  —  ▶ Read the topline questionnaire, including the survey methodology, here.

Dark Knight killer James Holmes ‘is now a Muslim who prays five times a day’  —  James Holmes, the gunman behind the Dark Knight massacre in Colorado last July, has reportedly turned Muslim and prays five times a day.  —  The killer showed off a lengthy, thick beard during a court appearance earlier …

Cuomo Seeks to Ease a Newly Passed Gun Restriction  —  ALBANY — In the wake of the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York pushed through the State Legislature gun control measures that included not only a tougher assault weapons ban but also a tighter restriction …

Congress avoids government shutdown  —  Congress approved and sent to the White House on Thursday a stopgap spending bill to avert any threat of a government shutdown next week and keep agencies funded through September in the wake of automatic cuts ordered under sequestration.

Want to change college athletics?  Financially punish coaches … March Madness is underway, but the 2011 champion, the University of Connecticut, is conspicuously absent.  The Huskies men's team isn't competing this year because it failed to meet the minimal academic requirements set by the NCAA for postseason play.

EXCLUSIVE: State Dept. Hid Contractor's Ties to Keystone XL Pipeline Company  —  A top expert who helped write the government's latest Keystone report previously consulted on three different TransCanada projects—a fact the State Department tried to hide.  —  A woman protests the Keystone XL pipeline …