“What Part of ‘Politico’ Do You Not Understand?”  —  A conversation about the dark art of driving the conversation  —  The dominant mode of Washington journalism tends to both reflect and entrench the values of its era.  The eminent writers and editors of the immediate postwar age …

Statement On Michael Hastings  —  BuzzFeed is saddened to report that Michael Hastings died in a car accident early this morning in Los Angeles.  He was 33.  —  Ben Smith, BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief, said in a statement:  —  We are shocked and devastated by the news that Michael Hastings is gone.

Breaking: Full House committee transcripts shed new light on genesis of IRS targeting  —  Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have just released a full transcript of testimony from a key witness in the investigation of IRS targeting of conservatives — and it appears to confirm …

House passes late-term abortion ban  —  The House voted Tuesday to impose a nationwide ban on abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy over Democratic objections that the bill represents a dramatic attempt by Republicans to restrict abortion rights.  —  As expected, the vote fell …

Google challenges U.S. gag order, citing First Amendment  —  Google asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday to ease long-standing gag orders over data requests it makes, arguing that the company has a constitutional right to speak about information it's forced to give the government.

CBO: Immigration bill will cut deficit $197B over 10 years  —  The CBO said the bill would increase spending by $262 billion between 2014 and 2023 by requiring new border security measures, but would increase revenue by $459 billion as those given legal status and newly admitted temporary workers pay taxes.

WAS JUSTICE ROBERTS INTIMIDATED INTO VOTING FOR ‘OBAMACARE’?  SENATOR MIKE LEE PRESENTS THE EVIDENCE  —  After Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts voted to uphold the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as “ObamaCare,” many wondered if there could be a yet-unknown reason …

GOP needs action, not navel-gazing  —  We've had enough.  Yes, we just lost our second straight presidential election to Barack Obama.  Yes, losing is painful and has consequences.  Yes, when you lose, you make adjustments.  Enough already.  Let's get on with it.  —  Yes, we have plenty of changes to make.

John Boehner is bluffing  —  The House Speaker, in a private meeting with House conservatives this morning, made a big show of talking tough on immigration reform, claiming he has “no intention” of allowing a House vote on anything that doesn't have the support of a majority of Republicans:

Gen. Helms and the Senator's ‘Hold’  —  An Air Force commander exercised her discretion in a sexual-assault case.  Now her career is being blocked by Sen. Claire McCaskill.  Why?  —  Lt. Gen. Susan Helms is a pioneering woman who finds her career stalled because of a war on men …

McConnell To Reid: If You Go Nuclear On Nominations, I'll Go Nuclear On Everything When I'm Majority Leader  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday starkly warned Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) not to eliminate the filibuster on presidential nominations …

Federal Budget Cuts Blamed for Girl's Rape, Mother's Murder  —  At least one probation officer has been fired and another demoted in the horrifying New York case of a federal child pornography suspect who raped a 10-year-old and murdered the girl's mother while the suspect was under court-ordered supervision.

Photographer sues BuzzFeed for $3.6M over viral sharing model  —  A photographer says BuzzFeed should pay copyright damages not only for an unauthorized photo that appeared on its site — but for the dozens of other sites on which the photo appeared.  —  An Idaho photographer, Kai Eiselein …

Rubio calls Heritage study ‘flawed’  —  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Tuesday criticized a Heritage Foundation study on the immigration reform legislation introduced in the Senate, calling the think tank's report “flawed.”  —  “Their argument is based on a single premise, which I think is flawed …

Bank of America whistle-blower's bombshell: “We were told to lie”  —  Bombshell: Bank of America whistle-blowers detail horrid schemes to fleece borrowers, reward foreclosures (UPDATED)  —  Bank of America's mortgage servicing unit systematically lied to homeowners, fraudulently denied loan modifications …

Skills gap myth (finally) falls, but will anyone hear it?  —  Better late than never, I suppose: … We've looked at the skills gap myth here before.  I was wary right from the start, because the skills gap story is extremely beneficial to employers, at the expense of employees and the public.

How the Fed Will Wean America From Cheap Money  —  One of the main reasons for the soaring stock market is the current low cost of capital for public companies.  This cost is far lower than it otherwise would be because of a program undertaken by the Federal Reserve Board (the Fed) …