Court to Hear Arguments on Defense of Marriage Act  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court returns to the subject of same-sex marriage for a second day on Wednesday, when the justices hear arguments about the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 1996.

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.

Release Detail  —  March 27, 2013 - Sandy Won't Change Their Vacation Plans, New Jersey Voters Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; Menendez Gets Small Bounce After Big Drop  —  New Jersey voters say 85 - 13 percent that they are not changing their summer vacation plans because of Hurricane Sandy …

Congress Improves Among Hispanics; Obama, SCOTUS Hold Majority Popularity  —  Popularity of the U.S. Congress, while weak overall, has gained sharply among Hispanics, likely reflecting its current efforts on immigration reform, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll has found.

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 …

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.

How not to seem like a racist  —  A tip for right-wingers angry about charges of racial bias: Try treating the Obama daughters with decency  —  Writing my piece on Andrew Breitbart and Tucker Carlson, I missed a huge example of overlap between their two sham-empires: the reporter who broke …

Egyptian mosque turned into house of torture for Christians after Muslim Brotherhood protest  —  Islamic hard-liners stormed a mosque in suburban Cairo, turning it into torture chamber for Christians who had been demonstrating against the ruling Muslim Brotherhood in the latest case …

WBUR poll shows Edward J. Markey leading Democratic race and Michael J. Sullivan ahead in the Republican run for US Senate nomination  —  US Representative Edward J. Markey is leading the race for the Democratic Senate nomination while former US attorney Michael J. Sullivan is ahead in the battle …

Has Washington waited too long?  —  President Barack Obama said Newtown changed everything.  —  But it didn't change Washington.  —  Two days after 20 first-graders were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in what Obama has said was the worst day of his presidency …

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

Oh brother: David Miliband to quit as MP for “dream” charity job in New York  —  The Mirror understands the brother of Labour leader Ed intends to step down with immediate effect, triggering a by-election in May  —  David Miliband is to stun Parliament by stepping down as an MP tomorrow to take up a “dream job” in New York.

Your taxes help promote world's most hated dictators  —  Thanks to your generous support, the New York City-based People's Rights Fund has been able publicize the great work of Karl Marx and dictators Kim Jong-Il, Hugo Chavez and Saddam Hussein.  —  Don't remember writing that check?

Mayors Gone Wild  —  Mayors Against Illegal Guns member and Democratic Gainesville, Fla., Mayor Craig Lowe was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and property damage after police found him asleep in his car at the scene of a crash last Thursday.

King leaning toward running for Senate  —  He says fundraising wouldn't be a problem  —  U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Ia., hinted Monday he is leaning toward a run next year for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, saying the odds are “a little more than 50-50” that he will launch a campaign.

Actor Jake McClain Tweeting Every Word Of 906-Page ‘Obamacare’ Health Reform Law  —  Actor and director Jake McClain has taken on the monumental task of tweeting every single word of the 906-page “Obamacare” health reform law in hopes of drawing attention to the bill's content …

Goldman Rejects Proposal That Firm Run for Elected Office  —  Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), the investment bank nicknamed “Government Sachs” because of senior executives who have moved into public posts, won't be entering politics itself.  —  A shareholder proposal that the New York-based company run …