Firearms advocates target gun-control measures  —  Gun-control measures that seemed destined to become law after the school shootings in Newtown, Conn., are in jeopardy amid a fierce lobbying campaign by firearms advocates.  —  Despite months of negotiations, key senators have been unable …

This Blood Libel Brought to You by the West  —  Following a rash of criticism from U.S. Jewish groups, a Palestinian nonprofit funded by Western governments has apologized for accusing Jewish people of using “Christian blood” during the Passover holiday.  —  Miftah, a Palestinian nonprofit group founded …

Obama to announce new research initiative to map the human brain  —  President Obama on Tuesday will unveil a new research program to map the human brain, efforts which scientists hope could help develop treatments for Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy, according to reports.

Casey: I support gay marriage  —  Sen. Bob Casey has announced his support for gay marriage in an interview with The Morning Call.  (AFP/GETTY IMAGES / April 1, 2013)  —  WASHINGTON - Sen. Bob Casey told The Morning Call on Monday he now supports same-sex marriage.

James E. Hansen Retiring From NASA to Fight Global Warming  —  James E. Hansen, the climate scientist who issued the clearest warning of the 20th century about the dangers of global warming, will retire from NASA this week, giving himself more freedom to pursue political and legal efforts to limit greenhouse gases.

Arizona Congressman Opposes His Own Son's Marriage Equality  —  Matt Salmon and his boyfriend Kent Flake (2010)  —  When Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) came out for marriage equality last month, he largely attributed his change of position to his gay son and his desire to support him.

US Navy shifts destroyer in wake of North Korea missile threats  —  The U.S. Navy is shifting a guided-missile destroyer in the Pacific to waters off the Korean peninsula in the wake of ongoing rhetoric from North Korea, U.S. defense officials said.  —  The USS McCain is capable of intercepting …

Big Agriculture flexes its muscle  —  Yet for all the anger — and belated legal reviews — no one can truly be surprised by the packers' success nor Monsanto's.  Indeed the collapse of the traditional appropriations process in Congress may magnify the power of single-interest lobbies …

Lady Gaga turned down $1 million to perform at RNC … Not even a million dollars could convince Lady Gaga to perform at last summer's Republican National Convention.  —  The snub by the pop star is included in a lawsuit filed by a powerful Republican nonprofit fundraising organization …

It Took Obama 15 Tries To Sink A Basket On White House Court Monday  —  “Oh man,” Obama said.  —  Image by Jason Reed / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama did not have a great day on the White House basketball court Monday.  —  During the White House Easter Egg Roll …

The Simple Reason Why Goodreads Is So Valuable to Amazon  —  Amazon is the king of online booksellers and, by most accounts, the most feared player in publishing.  Yet last week it shelled out a reported $150 million to buy up Goodreads, a social network for book nerds with a devoted but far from enormous 16 million members.

Justin Amash: The House's new Ron Paul  —  When it comes to the House of Representatives, Justin Amash is the new Ron Paul.  —  The Michigan congressman, only 32, sees himself as a leader of “the second generation” of Paulites in the lower chamber.  Sen. Rand Paul moved quickly to present himself …

SEC Ex-Chief Lands at Consultant  —  Schapiro Is Latest Former U.S. Regulator to Join Promontory Financial; ‘No Revolving Door’  —  Less than four months after stepping down as the top U.S. securities regulator, Mary Schapiro is joining a consulting firm that has built a reputation …

NPR's First Person Shooter Fantasy  —  Before your read this story keep in mind that the killer at Sandy Hook was addicted to violent video games.  So of course NPR decides that violent first-person shooter video games are great art.  Well .... this one is because it's irresistible to the NPR producers.

March was bloodiest month in Syria war: rights group  —  (Reuters) - March was the bloodiest month yet in Syria's two-year conflict, with more than 6,000 people killed, a third of them civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday.  —  The group opposes President Bashar al-Assad …

Lessons From a Comeback  —  Modern movement conservatism, which transformed the G.O.P. from the moderate party of Dwight Eisenhower into the radical right-wing organization we see today, was largely born in California.  The Golden State, even more than the South, created today's religious conservatism …

Lawsuit over health care tax could kill ‘Obamacare’  —  “Obamacare” looks increasingly inevitable, but one lawsuit making its way through the court system could pull the plug on the sweeping federal health care law.  —  A challenge filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation contends …

Choice of Plans Under Health Law Delayed for Small Firms  —  WASHINGTON — Unable to meet tight deadlines in the new health care law, the Obama administration is delaying parts of a program intended to provide affordable health insurance to small businesses and their employees — a major selling point for the health care legislation.

Environmentalists to news networks: cover climate change more, skeptics less  —  Invoking news coverage of recent extreme weather events, environmentalists are urging the public to sign a petition to pressure major television networks to do more coverage of climate change.

On China's State-Sponsored Amnesia  —  IN March 2012 I met Torbjorn Loden, the Swedish professor of Chinese language and culture, in Hong Kong.  He told me that while briefly teaching at Hong Kong's City University he asked the 40 students from China in his class what they knew about the June 4 Incident …

Judge: Stockton, Calif., Can File for Bankruptcy  —  A judge accepted the California city of Stockton's bankruptcy application on Monday, making it the most populous city in the nation to enter bankruptcy.  —  U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein said the bankruptcy declaration was needed …