The 20-lb. swag bag from People/Time's White House Correspondent's party  —  Pictured below: a disgorged swag bag from the Time/People pre-WHCD cocktail party.  It weighed in at 20.6 lbs on an Post bathroom scale (very technical stuff, here).  —  Whoa, isn't the media industry struggling with hard times?

Black Voter Turnout Passed White Turnout For The First Time In 2012  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — America's blacks voted at a higher rate than other minority groups in 2012 and by most measures surpassed the white turnout for the first time, reflecting a deeply polarized presidential election …

The Great Degrader  —  I've been focused on economic policy lately, so I sort of missed the big push to rehabilitate Bush's image; also, as a premature anti-Bushist who pointed out how terrible a president he was back when everyone else was praising him as a Great Leader, I'm kind of worn out on the subject.

McCain: ‘Angry and bitter’ Syrians need America's help  —  (CNN) - The people of Syria, beleaguered by war and potentially being attacked by chemical weapons, are “angry and bitter” that the United States has not played a more leading role in ending the country's conflict, Sen. John McCain said Sunday.

Kentucky woman ordained as priest in defiance of Roman Catholic Church  —  (Reuters) - In an emotional ceremony filled with tears and applause, a 70-year-old Kentucky woman was ordained a priest on Saturday as part of a dissident group operating outside of official Roman Catholic Church authority.

Democrats ask: What debt crisis?  —  Call them the debt crisis dissenters.  —  The two parties are miles apart on how to cut the deficit and national debt: Republicans want to slash spending even more.  Democrats want to raise revenue.  —  And then there are the other Democrats …

Hand back your benefits, Iain Duncan Smith urges wealthier pensioners  —  Better-off pensioners should voluntarily pay back their taxpayer-funded benefits, the Work and Pensions Secretary declares.  —  Iain Duncan Smith says he “would encourage” elderly people who can well afford to pay …

Rep. Schiff defends reading Boston attack suspect Miranda rights  —  Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday defended the decision to read the Boston bombings suspect his Miranda rights, saying that there was no basis for law enforcement to continue questioning him under the public safety exemption.

Gun control reform still possible, Manchin says  —  Sen. Joe Manchin was optimistic on Sunday that the Senate could take another shot at passing a narrow gun control bill that focuses specifically on mental health and criminal background checks.  —  “The only thing we've asked for is for people …

Obama Is Not The ‘Strapping Young Muslim Socialist’ He Used To Be  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama joked Saturday that the years are catching up to him and he's not “the strapping young Muslim socialist” he used to be.  —  Obama poked fun at himself as well as some of his …