Bachmann Won't Seek Re-election Next Year  —  Representative Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota Republican who made an ill-fated run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, announced Wednesday that she would not seek a fifth term in Congress next year.

Sources: Lincoln Chafee to switch parties  —  Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has notified senior Democratic Party officials that he intends to switch his party registration and join the Democratic Party, multiple sources familiar with Chafee's decision told POLITICO.

IRS higher-ups requested info on conservative groups, letters show  —  Additional scrutiny of conservative organizations' activities by the IRS did not solely originate in the agency's Cincinnati office, with requests for information coming from other offices and often bearing the signatures …

President of Scandinavia  —  WASHINGTON — Like many others in our business, Jonathan Alter says he is “on fire” about the Justice Department's snooping on reporters and attempting to criminalize investigative journalism, including labeling the respected Fox News Washington correspondent James Rosen a …

Larry King joins RT with brand new politics show  —  Award-winning interviewer Larry King will host a mold-breaking political talk show on RT from next month, speaking to both leading establishment figures, and those who are not afraid to go against the grain.

Fire Eric Holder: Column  —  Top lawyer doesn't have credibility to investigate anyone, let alone himself.  —  Recently, Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the administration's sweeping surveillance of journalists with the Associated Press.

Newsweek confirms it is eyeing sale  —  Newsweek CEO Baba Shetty and editor-in-chief Tina Brown have sent a memo to staff confirming earlier reports that parent-company IAC is exploring a sale of the now online-only magazine.  —  In the memo, Shetty and Brown attributed the exploration …

Cantor says Obama ‘disconnected,’ has ‘lost focus’ in office  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Tuesday said that President Obama had become “disconnected” and “lost focus,” citing a trio of controversies which threaten to derail his second-term agenda.

A Bad Relationship: How the Press Came To Love Obama More Than Itself  —  As the scandals pile up, the press keeps finding excuses for the president, writes Stuart Stevens.  —  In Dan Brown's new novel, Inferno, the lead character is struck with amnesia, unable to remember critical events even as he's trying to save the world.

Study: PolitiFact says Republicans lie more  —  The fact-checking organization PolitiFact has found Republicans to be less trustworthy than Democrats, according to a new study.  —  Fifty-two percent of Republican claims reviewed by the Tampa Bay Times fact-checking operation were rated …

AP EXCLUSIVE: RISE OF AL-QAIDA SAHARA TERRORIST  —  You are here  —  Home » Osama bin Laden » AP Exclusive: Rise of al-Qaida Sahara terrorist  —  DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — After years of trying to discipline him, the leaders of al-Qaida's North African branch sent one final letter to their most difficult employee.

Oval Office is no classroom  —  No doubt: Barack Obama has what it takes to be a terrific law student.  It's less clear those are the ingredients of a successful president.  —  A great law student excels at reading the fact pattern on an exam and spotting the legal issues.

Rubio: The ‘Only Answer’ To IRS Scandal Is To Repeal Obamacare (VIDEO)  —  Calling the Internal Revenue Service's role in the implementation of the new federal health care law “chilling,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) argued in a video posted online Wednesday that the only appropriate response …

Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor hitting back with own ads  —  Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), who's facing an onslaught of ads from New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's gun-control group, has started buying TV air time of his own, three media-tracking sources told POLITICO.

Breadwinner Moms  —  Mothers Are the Sole or Primary Provider in Four-in-Ten Households with Children; Public Conflicted about the Growing Trend  —  CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW  —  A record 40% of all households with children under the age of 18 include mothers who are either the sole or primary source …

Harvard Dean Steps Down Following Secret Searches of E-Mail Accounts  —  Less than three months after Harvard University administrators admitted to signing off on secret searches in the e-mail accounts of more than a dozen resident deans as part of a cheating investigation …

Three Reasons Why State Polarization Is a Big Deal  —  Those of us who report on state-level politics usually brag about how much better it is than following Congress.  On our beat, after all, bills actually get passed and become law—unlike in D.C., where the Senate can't even vote for lack …