Whither the GOP?  Republicans Want Change, But Split over Party's Direction  —  Ryan Has Broader Appeal in GOP than Paul, Rubio or Christie  —  OVERVIEW  —  Coming off of two consecutive presidential election defeats, most Republican voters believe that their party must address major problems to be more competitive in the future.

Source: Obama was ‘rude and dismissive’ in exchange with Democrat  —  Washington (CNN) - During a question and answer session Wednesday with Democrats on Capitol Hill, President Barack Obama offered what Democratic sources said was a testy response to a question about a federal loan guarantee program …

George Zimmerman DASHCAM VIDEO — Stopped By Cops for Speeding ... Gun in Car  —  DASHCAM VIDEO  —  Stopped By Cops, Packing Heat  —  EXCLUSIVE DETAILS  —  1:55 PM PT — We've obtained the police dashcam video of the stop ... in which George Zimmerman informs the cop he has a firearm in his glove box.

New outrage over Benghazi  —  Washington (CNN) — A Republican lawmaker demanded Wednesday to know why investigators have not captured or killed any of the suspects in the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, pointing out that CNN was able to find a man who some say was the ringleader …

MLB prepared to ban A-Rod for life, suspend eight others  —  Commissioner Bud Selig is prepared to levy a lifetime suspension on New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, while suspending about eight others before the weekend, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports.

Republican fiscal splits erupt; Rogers rips party leadership  —  Long-running Republican tensions over the Ryan budget's deep spending cuts boiled over Wednesday as the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee accused his party of being unable to support them.

Rev. Jesse Jackson calls Florida ‘Selma of our time’; Gov. Rick Scott calls for apology  —  TALLAHASSEE — It didn't take long for Florida's Republican leaders to lash out following comments made Tuesday by the Rev. Jesse Jackson during his visit with the Dream Defenders protest group at the Capitol.

XKeyscore: NSA tool collects ‘nearly everything a user does on the internet’  —  • XKeyscore gives ‘widest-reaching’ collection of online data  —  • NSA analysts require no prior authorization for searches  —  • Sweeps up emails, social media activity and browsing history

Ted Cruz denies saying ‘surrender caucus’ —  the record says otherwise  —  Several Republicans have become concerned recently about the possibility of intensified intra-party fighting over the effort to defund Obamacare.  The topic came up Wednesday when GOP Sen. Ted Cruz …

Glenn Beck: “I Was Diane Sawyer's Little Bitch”  —  Beck's radio program goes off the rails and his co-host Stu is left almost speechless.  “Don't even think about what you're saying.  Just go with it.”  —  Watch as Beck's radio program descends into chaos.  —  View Video ›

Fewer Than Ten People Show Up For Ex-Gay Pride Event That Expected to Draw ‘Thousands’  —  Yesterday, American Family Radio's Sandy Rios spoke to Ex-Gay Pride Month organizer Christopher Doyle about today's ex-gay lobby day on Capitol Hill.  Doyle, who was organizing the since-canceled Ex-Gay Pride banquet …

Oprah Winfrey, Forest Whitaker Talk Lee Daniels' The Butler, Racism, and the N-word  —  “People need to see this movie,” says Oprah of Lee Daniels' The Butler, which raises questions about race in America  —  In this weekend's issue, Parade features a very personal conversation with Forest Whitaker …

APNewsBreak: Ark.'s Cotton to run for US Senate  —  You are here  —  Home » Tom Cotton » APNewsBreak: Ark.'s Cotton to run for US Senate  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Republican Rep. Tom Cotton plans to announce his bid next week to challenge two-term incumbent Democratic …

Sen. Heitkamp flying back to Washington to cast decisive vote on ATF nominee  —  The Senate is waiting for Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) to cast the deciding vote on whether to end debate on President Obama's nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Secret Sex Tape: Monica Lewinsky Caught On Explicit Recording Telling Bill Clinton, ‘I Could Take My Clothes Off...’  —  A sex tape that Monica Lewinsky recorded for Bill Clinton at the height of their scandalous affair has leaked, during which the former White House intern is heard planning …

The Hill's 50 Most Beautiful People  —  Welcome to The Hill's annual 50 Most Beautiful list!  —  This year marks the 10th anniversary of the list and brings in a slew of new faces as, for the first time, White House and executive branch employees were eligible for consideration.

How Egypt Will Shake the World  —  In late 1991, amid the worldwide wave of elections that followed the end of the Cold War, Algeria's military-backed government held a national vote and very reluctantly invited a coalition of previously repressed Islamists to take part.

Student loan bill passes House, heads to Obama  —  The House on Wednesday approved legislation that would lower interest rates on federally backed student loans.  —  The vote ended a months-long fight with the Senate and sent the legislation to the White House.  President Obama has said he would sign the bill.