Republicans Against Reality  —  Last week House Republicans voted for the 40th time to repeal Obamacare.  Like the previous 39 votes, this action will have no effect whatsoever.  But it was a stand-in for what Republicans really want to do: repeal reality, and the laws of arithmetic in particular.

Members of Congress denied access to basic information about NSA  —  Documents provided by two House members demonstrate how they are blocked from exercising any oversight over domestic surveillance  —  • Morgan Griffith's requests for NSA information  —  • Alan Grayson's requests for NSA information

Tea Party Challenger To McConnell: ‘Be A Man, Run On Your Record’  —  Matt Bevin, the Tea-Partier challenging incumbent Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in the Republican primary, called on the five-term senator to “be a man” and “run on his record.”  —  “I beg him to tell the people …

Poor attendance at Obamacare event in Virginia  —  CENTREVILLE, Va. — A race to define Obamacare to the masses began today between the stacks at the Centreville Library.  Over pizza in Decatur, Texas.  And with a glass of wine in Naples, Fla.  —  Dozens of communities around …

G.O.P. Governors Warn Party Members in Congress Not to Shut Government  —  MILWAUKEE — Worried about the potential impact on the fragile economies in their states, Republican governors this weekend warned their counterparts in Congress not to shut down the federal government as part of an effort …

Six months later, State of the Union policy goals gathering dust  —  Nearly six months after President Obama used his State of the Union address to outline a broad, progressive agenda for his second term, many of the policy priorities that earned applause from his base appear to be gathering dust.

A much-maligned engine of innovation  —  A brilliant exploration of new ideas in business argues that government is behind the boldest risks and biggest breakthroughs  —  The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs Private Sector Myths, by Mariana Mazzucato, Anthem Press, RRP£14.99, RRP$18.95

Health Care Law Raises Pressure on Public Unions  —  Cities and towns across the country are pushing municipal unions to accept cheaper health benefits in anticipation of a component of the Affordable Care Act that will tax expensive plans starting in 2018.  —  The so-called Cadillac tax …

Statement on Update of Embassy and Consulate Closure  —  Press Statement  —  Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson  —  Washington, DC  —  Given that a number of our embassies and consulates were going to be closed in accordance with local custom and practice for the bulk of the week …

Marco Rubio's new mission: Win back the Republican Party's base  —  Sen. Marco Rubio's immigration push might have hurt his chances of winning the GOP presidential nomination, Republican lawmakers say.  [WATCH VIDEO]  —  While it's still a long way until 2016, a number of GOP lawmakers …

Egyptian Brotherhood leaders to face trial for inciting murder  —  New government says will give mediation a chance as Egypt mediation gathers pace.  —  CAIRO - Egypt's army-installed government said on Sunday it would give a chance for mediation to resolve the crisis brought on by the overthrow …

Embassy closings, travel warning renew debate over NSA data collection  —  WASHIGNTON — The closing of U.S. embassies in 21 predominantly Muslim countries and a broad caution about travel during August that the State Department issued on Friday touched off debate Sunday over the National …