US Sen. Frank Lautenberg dies at 89  —  Frank R. Lautenberg, who rose from a poor Paterson boyhood to become a multimillionaire businessman and New Jersey's longest-serving U.S.senator, died Monday at 89 of viral pneumonia, his office said.  —  The oldest member of the Senate …

David Plouffe rips Darrell Issa ‘loose ethically’  —  Former White House senior adviser David Plouffe took to Twitter to question Rep. Darrell Issa's ethics after the California Republican trashed press secretary Jay Carney.  —  “Strong words from Mr Grand Theft Auto and suspected arsonist/insurance swindler.

Report: How GOP lost young voters  —  A new postmortem on the November elections from the nation's leading voice for college Republicans offers a searing indictment of the GOP “brand” and the major challenges the party faces in wooing young voters, according to a copy given exclusively to POLITICO.

Devoted to Politics, MSNBC Slips on Breaking News  —  At MSNBC they view it as rooting against death and destruction: the last thing the channel wants is more months like the last two, filled with terror bombings, tornadoes and plant accidents.  —  It's not all altruism.

Scandalpalooza  —  Is Team O trying to tire us out?  —  The Obama Scandalpalooza continues.  It's gotten so bad that some pundits have even suggested that they're bringing everything out at once to induce “scandal fatigue” and make it all fade away.  Well, maybe — there's certainly a lot:

Immigration reform deal hangs on border security  —  The Gang of Eight's hopes for a Senate supermajority is running into the GOP's push for a dramatic crackdown on border security — testing the limits of the bipartisan coalition that's propelling the bill through Congress.

The Decline of the Obama Presidency  —  His second term is coming undone not because of scandal but because of decisions made in the previous four years.  —  John Dos Passos, the novelist and historian, once said: “Often things you think are just beginning are coming to an end.”

Inside The Meltdown At America's Most Conservative, Most Christian Political Consulting Firm  —  Rex Elsass build a Republican empire on his faith.  But he found himself battling his closest allies over his immortal soul.  —  DELAWARE, Ohio — About 30 miles north of Columbus …

Al Sharpton's Long Bill of Goods, From Tawana Brawley to Primetime  —  As a ‘Times’ documentary revives one of the many ugly incidents from the reverend's past, it's time NBC accounted for its decision to rehabilitate and promote him, writes Stuart Stevens.  —  The Tawana Brawley case …

Mayhem in the city: 25 people shot in 48 hours  —  Three killed Sunday after three were killed Saturday.  One of the wounded includes an 11-year-old girl who will never walk again.  —  Cops check the scene of a deadly gun battle at Bedford Ave. and Lenox Road in Brooklyn on Sunday.

‘Constitutional crisis’ if Lords reject gay marriage, senior peer warns  —  The Government could be plunged into a “constitutional crisis” if members of the House of Lords reject plans for gay marriage this week, a senior peer has warned.  —  Opponents of the Same Sex Couples Bill …

Two-Thirds of Americans Don't Know If They Will Insure Under Obamacare  —  There's no assurance folks will be buying insurance under Obamacare, and that could spell trouble for the Affordable Care Act.  —  Nearly two-thirds of Americans who currently lack health insurance don't know yet …

China Is Reaping Biggest Benefits of Iraq Oil Boom  —  BAGHDAD — Since the American-led invasion of 2003, Iraq has become one of the world's top oil producers, and China is now its biggest customer.  —  China already buys nearly half the oil that Iraq produces, nearly 1.5 million barrels a day …

The Geezers Are All Right  —  Last month the Congressional Budget Office released its much-anticipated projections for debt and deficits, and there were cries of lamentation from the deficit scolds who have had so much influence on our policy discourse.  The problem, you see …

Supreme Court allows police to take DNA sample without warrant  —  Police can take DNA samples from those under arrest the same as they take fingerprints and photographs, the Supreme Court said in a 5-4 decision on Monday.  —  The ruling defied the court's traditional ideological divisions.

Preservati out of Senate race  —  Charleston, W.Va. — Charleston attorney Nick Preservati has decided not to run for the U.S. Senate.  —  Sources tell MetroNews the Democrat came close to announcing he was getting into the race for the seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Jay Rockefeller, but decided against it for family reasons.