Lawmakers Charged in Plot to Buy Spot on Mayoral Ballot  —  State Senator Malcolm A. Smith, a contractor and real estate developer who rose to become the first black president of the State Senate, and City Councilman Daniel J. Halloran III were arrested early Tuesday on charges of trying …

Statement from Senator Kirk on Same-Sex Marriage  —  When I climbed the Capitol steps in January, I promised myself that I would return to the Senate with an open mind and greater respect for others.  —  Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage.  Our time on this Earth is limited, I know that better than most.

Republican Sen. Mark Kirk Endorses Marriage Equality  —  “Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage.”  —  Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images  —  Illinois Republican Senator Mark Kirk came out in support of marriage equality Tuesday shortly after the Supreme Court heard …

Academia hearts the Weather Underground: Kathy Boudin at Columbia and NYU  —  Last week, I reminded you about the bloody history of convicted Weather Underground terrorists Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert, whom left-wing bleeding heart director Robert Redford pays homage to in his new fictional movie “The Company You Keep.”

Democratic Senator Touts Bill To Allow Patients Involuntarily Committed For Mental Illness To Purchase Guns  —  Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) hinted on Tuesday that he would oppose a Democratic initiative to expand background checks to all gun purchases, but reiterated his support for an NRA-backed measure …

Legislators in Connecticut Agree on Broad New Gun Laws  —  HARTFORD — More than three months after the massacre of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., state legislative leaders announced on Monday that they had agreed on what they called the most far-reaching gun-legislation package in the country.