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 …

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.

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.

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.

Putin's ‘zero-sum’ misstep  —  President Barack Obama can't come close to living up to the fantasies of a showdown stirred by Vladimir Putin's international flip-off.  —  But for all the calls Thursday to reassess the Russia relationship in the wake of Russia's granting temporary asylum to Edward Snowden …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

The ‘Straight Talk Express’ is back: McCain on his fears about the future of the GOP  —  Sen. John McCain has a strong warning for Republicans: Falter on immigration reform and the party will lose in 2016.  —  “If we fail on immigration reform, it won't matter who our nominee …

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.

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.

Ellen DeGeneres To Host Oscars  —  Talkshow host returns for second Oscar tour  —  And the next host of the Academy Awards is ... Ellen DeGeneres.  —  It will be DeGeneres' second tour of duty as Oscar host, having previously emceed the 79th annual Academy Awards in 2007 and earning an Emmy nomination.

New Links Emerge in the IRS Scandal  —  Emails released this week sweep the Federal Election Commission into the conservative-targeting probe.  —  Congressional investigators this week released emails suggesting that staff at the Federal Election Commission have been engaged …