Top Republican Blasts Obama Budget As ‘Shocking Attack On Seniors’  —  Remember those warnings about how instead of welcoming President Obama's adoption of Chained CPI, Republicans would continue to deny him a budget deal and attack him for proposing to cut Social Security?

Rand Paul: GOP must reconnect with African Americans  —  (CNN) - Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who's considering a 2016 presidential bid, made a pitch for his party Wednesday at the historically black Howard University, arguing why the GOP and African Americans should fall in the same column.

Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin's Post-Scandal Playbook  —  One day in early February, I met Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin for breakfast at the Gramercy Park Hotel, one of their regular joints, just a few blocks from their apartment on Park Avenue South.  The first thing Weiner said when I sat …

Senators unveil deal on background checks  —  Sens. Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey unveiled a bipartisan deal to expand background checks for commercial gun purchases — including those at gun shows and online — Wednesday morning, opening a pathway for the biggest change in U.S. gun laws in nearly two decades.

Republican Congressman Cites Biblical Great Flood To Say Climate Change Isn't Man-Made  —  “If you believe in the Bible, one would have to say the Great Flood is an example of climate change.  That certainly wasn't because man had overdeveloped hydrocarbon energy.”  —  View Video ›

The GOP's Gun Control Misfire  —  The filibuster threat is giving political cover to Senate Democrats.  —  'This is about these families and families all across the country who are saying, 'Let's make it a little harder for our kids to get gunned down,'" President Obama declared Monday …

Mad Men  —  Who's more dangerous to Americans than Kim Jong Un?  —  America is rightly on edge.  When a man with the power to make life-or-death decisions affecting thousands of U.S. citizens recklessly shows contempt for decency and international norms of behavior, it is no wonder the American people would be both angry and fearful.

Photos: Bachmann aides hustle her out of Medicaid press conference  —  Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and State Senator Sean Nienow (R-Cambridge) held a joing news conference to discuss problems with Medicaid reimbursement rates paid to doctors in Minnesota.  Both are introducing legislation increasing accountability and transparency.

AG sues florist who refused flowers to gay wedding  —  State Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Tuesday filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Arlene's Flowers & Gifts, a Richland florist that refused to supply flowers to the same-sex marriage of a longtime customer.

North Carolina Lawmaker Calls Muslim Prayer ‘Terrorism’  —  In a email to a constituent obtained by the Raleigh News & Observer, one North Carolina state representative said that she is against Muslim prayer because, “I do not condone terrorism.”  —  Rep. Michele Presnell (R) …

The Power of Talking to Your Baby  —  By the time a poor child is one year old, she has most likely already fallen behind middle-class children in her ability to talk, understand and learn.  The gap between poor children and wealthier ones widens each year, and by high school it has become a chasm.

New Documents Suggest IRS Reads Emails Without a Warrant  —  Everyone knows the IRS is our nation's tax collector, but it is also a law enforcement organization tasked with investigating criminal violations of the tax laws.  New documents released to the ACLU under the Freedom of Information Act reveal …

Mitch McConnell aide: ‘Gestapo’ tactics  —  Sen. Mitch McConnell's campaign manager charged Wednesday that whoever obtained audio of the Kentucky Republican's strategists discussing opposition research on Ashley Judd was engaging in “Gestapo kind of scare tactics.”

White House to begin furloughs in May  —  The White House will begin implementing furloughs and pay cuts for all employees beginning in the first pay period in May.  —  Members of the president's staff who are commissioned officers, including top deputies and advisers, will see their paychecks docked the equivalent of one day's pay.