Many New York Women Are Baffled at Loyalty Shown by Weiner's Wife  —  Sipping sparkling water by the bustling patios of Bryant Park on Wednesday afternoon, the young women touched on the usual topics of lunchtime gossip: men, work, relationships.  —  Then the discussion turned …

Justice Department to challenge states' voting rights laws  —  The Justice Department is preparing to take fresh legal action in a string of voting rights cases across the nation, U.S. officials said, part of a new attempt to blunt the impact of a Supreme Court ruling that the Obama administration …

Some Democrats Look to Push Party Away From Center  —  WASHINGTON — As President Obama made the case on Wednesday about how the American economy was improving, he went off script to underscore how significant the challenges were that remained.  —  “But — and here's the big but …

McCain, McConnell heading for spell of rocky relations  —  The relationship between Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is going to be awkward in the coming months.  —  McConnell finds himself increasingly constrained by both his new primary challenger …

Why I'm Boycotting Russian Vodka  —  Buzzfeed has a photo essay—"36 Photos from Russia That Everyone Needs to See"—that will bring anyone who hasn't been paying attention to the situation in Russia up to speed.  And Harvey Fierstein's opinion piece in Monday's NYT offers a great summary of Putin's escalating anti-gay pogrom:

Thank you, Ray Kelly  —  President Obama shouldn't nominate Ray Kelly to be secretary of homeland security.  He should give the New York City police chief a stern talking to.  He should invite him to examine his conscience and consider the error of his ways.  Failing that, he should hold him up to national obloquy.

House Defeats Effort to Rein In N.S.A. Data Gathering  —  WASHINGTON — A divided House defeated legislation Wednesday that would have blocked the National Security Agency from collecting vast amounts of phone records, handing the Obama administration a hard-fought victory in the first Congressional showdown …

The Inequality President  —  The rich have done fine under Obamanomics, not so the middle class.  —  President Obama made his fourth or fifth, or maybe it's the seventh or eighth, pivot to the economy on Wednesday, and a revealing speech it was.  We counted four mentions of “growth” but “inequality” got five.

‘Obamacare’ National Marketing Campaign To Cost Nearly $700 Million  —  CHICAGO (AP) — It will make you stronger.  It will give you peace of mind and make you feel like a winner.  Health insurance is what the whole country has been talking about, so don't be left out.  —  Sound like a sales pitch?

Will the GOP's North Carolina End Run Backfire?  —  Amid an outburst of right-wing energy, North Carolina is set to pass one of the most restrictive voting laws in the nation.  But the experiences of other states should tell them how badly it could backfire.

Tax writers promise 50 years of secrecy for senators' suggestions  —  Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and the panel's top Republican, Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), assured lawmakers that any submission they receive will be kept under lock and key by the committee and the National Archives until the end of 2064.

Remarks by the President on the Economy — Knox College, Galesburg, IL  —  THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Galesburg!  (Applause.)  Well, it's good to be home in Illinois!  (Applause.)  It is good to be back.  It's good to be back.  Thank you.  Thank you so much, everybody.  (Applause.)  Thank you.

Jesse Watters Confronts Rep. Charles Rangel  —  Representative Charles Rangel recently made some inflammatory remarks regarding the Zimmerman trial.  After dodging the Factor, Fox New's Jesse Watters tracks him down! … REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: I think it's possible the police got a black Zimmerman.

KTVU producers fired over Asiana pilots' fake names  —  KTVU-TV has dismissed at least three veteran producers over the on-air gaffe involving the fake names of those Asiana airline pilots that became an instant YouTube hit - and a major embarrassment to the station.

Mistaken identity brings threats to Pastor Zimmermann  —  George A. Zimmermann, a retired pastor in Florida, has received death threats meant for the man acquitted in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.  —  CONNECT  —  Death threats were the last type of phone calls George A. Zimmermann …

Tea Party Congressman Compares African American Civil Rights To Snail Darters  —  Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) compared the civil rights of African Americans and other minorities to the rights of animals during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, sparking outrage from lawmakers.