Bill and Hillary Clinton are ‘livid’ at comparisons to Weiner's sexcapades and Huma's forgiveness  —  Bill and Hillary Clinton are angry with efforts by mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner and his campaign to compare his Internet sexcapades — and his wife Huma Abedin's incredible forgiveness …

Cumulus planning to drop Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity  —  In a major shakeup for the radio industry, Cumulus Media, the second-biggest broadcaster in the country, is planning to drop both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity from its stations at the end of the year, an industry source told POLITICO on Sunday.

Stranded by Sprawl  —  Detroit is a symbol of the old economy's decline.  It's not just the derelict center; the metropolitan area as a whole lost population between 2000 and 2010, the worst performance among major cities.  Atlanta, by contrast, epitomizes the rise of the Sun Belt …

Peace talks set to begin after Israel agrees to free 104 Palestinian prisoners  —  JERUSALEM — The first substantive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in years will begin Monday evening in Washington, the Obama administration announced, after Israeli leaders agreed Sunday to release 104 Palestinian prisoners.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul hits critics for ‘gimme, gimme’ attitude toward federal Sandy relief  —  FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul hit back at New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the two Republicans' ongoing spat over national security.  —  Christie last week criticized Paul's opposition …

Momentum Builds Against N.S.A. Surveillance  —  WASHINGTON — The movement to crack down on government surveillance started with an odd couple from Michigan, Representatives Justin Amash, a young libertarian Republican known even to his friends as “chief wing nut,” and John Conyers Jr. …

Lautenberg and Booker's tortured history shows up in campaign  —  Days before Newark Mayor Cory Booker announced he wanted to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Frank Lautenberg in December, the two men's top aides tried to negotiate over the phone.  —  Lautenberg Chief of Staff Dan Katz …

In U.S., 52% Back Law to Legalize Gay Marriage in 50 States  —  Americans would legalize gay marriage nationwide, favor equal rights for such unions  —  PRINCETON, NJ — If given the opportunity to vote on a law legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states, the slight majority of Americans …

Detroit Looks to Health Law to Ease Costs  —  As Detroit enters the federal bankruptcy process, the city is proposing a controversial plan for paring some of the $5.7 billion it owes in retiree health costs: pushing many of those too young to qualify for Medicare out of city-run coverage …

Pope Francis's Lessons for the GOP  —  The new pope hasn't been afraid to challenge the entrenched interests that have sullied his church's perception.  His style of reaching out is just what might save the Republican Party.  —  On the heels of Pope Francis's triumphant visit to Brazil for World Youth Day …

Fox News to Scholar: Why Would a Muslim Write a Book About Jesus?  —  It's got plenty of competition but this may just be the single most cringe-worthy, embarrassing interview broadcast on Fox News.  At least in recent memory.  Fox News anchor Lauren Green had religious scholar Reza Aslan …

How the Obama campaign won the race for voter data  —  From the moment Barack Obama took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, and every day thereafter, his team was always preparing for the 2012 campaign.  Everyone said Obama's 2008 operation had rewritten the book on organizing.

A New Defense of Voting Rights  —  On Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. took an important step toward repairing the damage from last month's Supreme Court ruling striking down a central element of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  He is right to adopt an aggressive approach to defending …