House votes 232-185 to block the IRS from enforcing ObamaCare  —  The House voted Friday to prevent the IRS from enforcing any aspect of ObamaCare, a bill meant to exact revenge against an agency that Republicans say is incapable of neutral enforcement of the law.

Charlie Rangel on Immigration, Pope Francis & His Successor  —  He's survived redistricting and a censure.  At 83, Harlem's controversial House stalwart is finally confronting retirement.  He won't be going quietly.  By David Freedlander.  —  Charlie Rangel barged into his office …

U.S. issues global travel alert, to close embassies due to al Qaeda threat  —  (CNN) — A global travel alert issued Friday by the State Department said al Qaeda may launch attacks in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond in coming weeks, and the U.S. government prepared to close embassies …

Tories hire key Obama strategist  —  The Conservative Party has hired Barack Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina for its general election campaign team, BBC Newsnight has learned.  —  Sources confirmed that he would act as a campaign strategy adviser to the Conservative party.

The Attack in Benghazi: Worth Investigating After All  —  CNN reports that dozens of CIA agents were on the ground there — and that they're being pressured to keep quiet.  Why?  —  Suddenly it is imperative that Congress investigate details surrounding the attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Seattle officials call for ban on ‘potentially offensive’ language  —  Government workers in the city of Seattle have been advised that the terms “citizen” and “brown bag” are potentially offensive and may no longer be used in official documents and discussions.

Sex, Money and Gravitas  —  Can a woman effectively run the Federal Reserve?  That shouldn't even be a question.  And Janet Yellen, the vice chairwoman of the Fed's Board of Governors, isn't just up to the job; by any objective standard, she's the best-qualified person in America to take over when Ben Bernanke steps down as chairman.

A Republican Case for Climate Action  —  EACH of us took turns over the past 43 years running the Environmental Protection Agency.  We served Republican presidents, but we have a message that transcends political affiliation: the United States must move now on substantive steps to curb climate change, at home and internationally.

The Neocon Revival  —  They say you can define what kind of conservative a person is by what year they want to go back to.  Some conservatives, apparently including some in Senator Rand Paul's office, want to go back to the 1850s.  They believe that Abraham Lincoln helped put us on the path to the leviathan state.

Martin family pushes Trayvon Martin amendment to black journalists  —  The family of slain teen Trayvon Martin said Friday they will continue to fight for an amendment to limit Stand Your Ground laws for as long as it takes.  —  “We understand sometimes it's a long journey to justice,” …

How fractured is the GOP?  —  Acombination of early presidential maneuvering and internal policy debate is feeding yet another iteration of that media perennial: the great Republican crackup.  This time it's tea party insurgents vs. get-along establishment fogies fighting principally over two things …

Company with ties to Terry McAuliffe is under SEC investigation  —  An electric-car company co-founded by Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe (D) is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission over its conduct in soliciting foreign investors, according to law-enforcement documents and company officials.

Drunk Russian Soldiers Attack Lonely LGBT Rights Protestor, Fight Cops  —  Today is Russian Airborne Troops Day, an annual military pride celebration which traditionally involves gaggles of soldiers and pilots spilling into public square for merriment, flag waving, wallowing in public fountains and miscellaneous public drunkenness.

Obamacare Full Frontal: Of 953,000 Jobs Created In 2013, 77%, Or 731,000 Are Part-Time  —  When the payroll report was released last month, the world finally noticed what we had been saying for nearly three years: that the US was slowly being converted to a part-time worker society.

George Clooney To Hedge Fund Honcho Daniel Loeb: Stop Spreading Fear At Sony  —  EXCLUSIVE: George Clooney, who yesterday sent his Smokehouse Pictures partner Grant Heslov to Hollywood to show Sony and Fox a first cut of their Oscar-season period film The Monuments Men, has spent …

Dem Senator: Obama Doesn't Offer Much to Middle America  —  Arkansas senator Mark Pryor blasts the president in new comments made to the Associated Press.  “[I]f you look at the president's policies, he just doesn't offer a lot to states like Arkansas,” Pryor, a Democrat, told the wire service.

Issa to subpoena IRS documents  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Friday that he would subpoena documents from the IRS over its scrutiny of Tea Party groups, accusing the agency of stonewalling its requests.  —  At a Friday hearing, Issa said that the IRS …

Senators spar over definition of ‘journalist’ in seeking to protect them  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee, looking to provide protections for journalists and their sources, ran into a roadblock Thursday when lawmakers couldn't agree on the definition of “journalist.”

Coming to an Old Friend's Aid, With an Eye on the Clinton Image  —  Moments before Huma Abedin stood amid a phalanx of television cameras last week and announced to a national audience that she was standing by her embattled husband, Anthony D. Weiner, she made a quick phone call to a trusted colleague.