Live Blog: Supreme Court Weighs Gay Marriage, Day 2  —  The Supreme Court Wednesday is hearing arguments on the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, completing a two-day exploration of gay marriage after arguments Tuesday that showed the justices divided over how far the rights of gays and lesbians should extend.

‘Rude’ lawmaker Louie Gohmert pulls rank on cops over parking ticket  —  A Texas Republican congressman got into a late-night verbal altercation with U.S. Park Police officers earlier this month, pulling rank in an attempt to get out of a parking ticket near the Lincoln Memorial.

Same Sex Marriage and Gilligan's Island Game Theory  —  After 28 years of wedded bliss and 2 kids, I'm guessing I'm probably the Conversation's resident marriage champ.  (It was an arranged Hindu ceremony, I was 3 and she was 2.)  And there's nobody who can better attest to the joys and benefits of a traditional monogamous union.

Local Airport Closures Cause GOPers Sequestration Anxiety  —  We've noted previously that outside Washington D.C. — where politicians and reporters obsess endlessly over inconsequential but high-valence things like White House tours and Easter egg hunts — sequestration is beginning to cause real harm, and political pain.

Poll: 80% of Americans unhappy with Washington  —  The Sequester  —  Americans continue to believe the sequester cuts will be bad for the country (41 percent) in the long run, and just 28 percent expect their effect to be good for the country.  However, the view that sequester will have no impact …

Is This North Korean Hovercraft-Landing Photo Faked?  —  While researching a photo entry about North Korea's recent threats of war, I discovered an image released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) that appears to have been digitally manipulated — at least two …

Release Detail  —  March 27, 2013 - Virginia Voters Know Little About Gov Candidates, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Cuccinelli More Experienced, McAuliffe Less Ideological  —  Virginia State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is viewed as having better experience while voters see Terry McAuliffe …

ND Gears up for Legal Dispute on New Abortion Laws  —  North Dakota's governor positioned the oil-rich state Tuesday as a primary battleground in the decades-old fight over abortion rights, signing into law the nation's toughest restriction on the procedure and urging lawmakers to set aside cash for an inevitable legal challenge.

CIA director faces a quandary over clandestine service appointment  —  As John Brennan moved into the CIA director's office this month, another high-level transition was taking place down the hall.  —  A week earlier, a woman had been placed in charge of the CIA's clandestine service for the first time in the agency's history.

China jails 20 on jihad, separatism charges in restive Xinjiang  —  (Reuters) - Chinese courts have sentenced 20 people to up to life in jail on charges of separatism and plotting to carry out jihad in the restive far western region of Xinjiang, the government said on Wednesday.

Who really killed bin Laden?  —  Osama bin Laden was killed by a team of U.S. SEALS on May 2, 2011, at a compound near Abbottabad, Pakistan.  Click through to see images of the compound where he spent the last days of his life.  —  HIDE CAPTION  —  Bin Laden's compound

Cruz, Paul Threaten Filibuster On Gun Bill  —  In a letter that will be submitted to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on Tuesday, Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (TX), Rand Paul (KY) and Mike Lee (UT) threatened to filibuster any gun control legislation “that will serve as a vehicle for any additional gun restrictions.”

Reid faces dilemma over Dem defections after close budget vote  —  The razor-thin margin of passage for the Senate Democratic budget highlights the challenge Majority Leader Harry Reid will have in steering President Obama's legislative agenda through the Senate.

FAU College Student Who Didn't Want To Stomp On ‘Jesus’ Runs Afoul of Speech Code  —  Would you stomp on a piece of paper with the name Jesus written on it as part of a classroom assignment?  Ryan Rotela, a devout Mormon student at Florida Atlantic University, had to make this bizarre decision in his Intercultural Communications class.

37 States Fight Over Chance To Test-Fly Drones, Tap Into The Civilian Market  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's the land where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, where the space shuttle fleet rolled off the assembly line and where the first private manned rocketship climbed to space.

Energy revenue for infrastructure: A ‘natural link’?  —  As Congress continues to hunt for ever-elusive money to rebuild roads, bridges and transit systems, House Republicans are likely once again to turn to black gold.  —  In the tax-averse and conservative-heavy conference …

Northern Lebanon Burning  —  Northern Lebanon is currently suffering the kind of violent absurdity that occurs nowhere in the world but the Middle East.  —  The Syrian civil war is spilling into the city of Tripoli, the second largest in Lebanon.  Sunni Muslims in the poor neighborhood …