The Secret Gingrich-Santorum ‘Unity Ticket’ That Nearly Toppled Romney  —  It's one of the great untold stories of the 2012 presidential campaign, a tale of ego and intrigue that nearly upended the Republican primary contest and might even have produced a different nominee …

Priebus slams ‘idiotic statements’ by Republicans as reason for losses  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Friday said the party played into a “caricature” of itself in the 2012 election cycle, citing “idiotic statements” and “biologically stupid things” said by Mitt Romney and other GOP candidates.

Biden's One-Night Paris Hotel Tab: $585,000.50  —  As it turns out, Vice President Joe Biden's London stay in February was not the most expensive part of his trip.  A government document released on February 14, 2013 shows that the contract for the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand came in at $585,000.50.

Netanyahu apologizes to Erdogan  —  AMMAN—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan spoke by telephone Friday, after a prolonged effort by President Barack Obama and his aides to overcome a deep chill that had settled into the relationship between Israel and Turkey.

Marine kills two at Quantico base, takes own life  —  (Reuters) - An active-duty Marine shot dead two fellow service members at a base at Quantico, Virginia, then barricaded himself in a building and killed himself, prompting a brief lockdown of the base, the Marines said on Friday.

Dominican official links Daily Caller to alleged lies about Menendez  —  A top Dominican law enforcement official said Friday that a local lawyer has reported being paid by someone claiming to work for the conservative Web site the Daily Caller to find prostitutes who would lie and say they had sex …

Phil Donahue on His 2003 Firing from MSNBC, When Liberal Network Couldn't Tolerate Antiwar Voices … In 2003, the legendary television host Phil Donahue was fired from his prime-time MSNBC talk show during the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.  The problem was not Donahue's ratings …

Senate rejects repeal of healthcare law, again  —  The Senate on Friday rejected another GOP attempt to repeal President Obama's healthcare law.  —  An amendment to the Senate budget resolution from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) failed on a 45-54 vote on Friday.

Good news for people who like bad news about inequality  —  So here's some bad news: The rise in wealth inequality?  It's permanent.  —  This graph, which shows wealth inequality is even more severe than income inequality, isn't related to the study.  It's just more bad news.

Most Senate Dems Join GOP Push To Repeal Obamacare Tax  —  A majority of Senate Democrats want to eliminate a $29 billion piece of Obamacare.  —  Thirty-four Democratic senators joined every Republican Thursday night in voting for a nonbinding budget amendment to repeal the law's 2.3 percent sales tax on medical devices.

The Man Who Could Turn Texas Blue: Rick Perry  —  By opposing Medicaid expansion, the governor could hurt the GOP in a must-win state.  —  AUSTIN, Texas—Big in all things, Texas leads the nation in failing to provide health insurance.  About one in four Texans are uninsured, the highest percentage in any state.

Health Insurers Warn on Premiums  —  Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for many individuals and small businesses could increase sharply next year because of the health-care overhaul law, with the nation's biggest firm projecting that rates could more than double for some consumers buying their own plans.

Mitt Romney invites donors to $5K trip  —  Mitt Romney isn't running for president, but he's still looking for supporters' contributions.  —  The former presidential candidate sent out an email Thursday evening to bundlers and big donors, asking them to join him for a four-day June summit in Park City, Utah.

Wasserman-Schultz: My Aides on Brink of Starvation  —  WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: MY AIDES CAN'T AFFORD GOOD MEALS … On Tuesday, FL Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and her colleague VA Rep. Jim Moran openly whined about the impacts of spending cuts on their personal office budgets.

Chinua Achebe, Nigerian Writer, Dies at 82  —  Chinua Achebe, the Nigerian writer who was black Africa's most widely read novelist and one of the continent's towering men of letters, has died after a brief illness, his publisher and agent said in London on Friday.  He was 82.

Why Republicans still run K Street  —  Democrats control the White House and the Senate, but you wouldn't know it by looking down K Street.  —  Republicans hold more than 30 of the 50 highest-profile, in-house lobbying jobs in town, a POLITICO analysis found.

Noonan: Can the Republican Party Recover From Iraq?  —  The war almost killed the GOP.  Whether it can come back is yet to be seen.  —  The air has been full of 10th-anniversary Iraq war retrospectives.  One that caught my eye was a smart piece by Tom Curry, national affairs writer for NBC News …

Detroit native Carson could break barriers in Senate race  —  Dr. Ben Carson is a Black History month staple.  Each February, schoolchildren hear the story of the impoverished African-American boy from Detroit, a struggling student whose mother made him read two books a week until he bloomed into a scholar.

The Constitution and Same-Sex Marriage  —  Next week the Supreme Court will be asked to decide an issue in an area in which it has said it has no jurisdiction.  —  For most Americans, the Supreme Court cases being heard on Tuesday and Wednesday next week are about same-sex marriage.

Obama's Nixonian Precedent  —  ON March 17, 1969, President Richard M. Nixon began a secret bombing campaign in Cambodia, sending B-52 bombers over the border from South Vietnam.  This episode, largely buried in history, resurfaced recently in an unexpected place: the Obama administration's …