It's a Trap!  —  Republicans are walking into a trap and they don't even realize it.  —  They are about to consider, in the House of Representatives, legislation by Congressman Upton that would allow people to keep their insurance plans.  —  There's a problem though.

LOCKED IN THE CABINET  —  The worst job in Barack Obama's Washington.  —  Steven Chu is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, a brilliant innovator whose research fills several all-but-incomprehensible paragraphs of a Wikipedia entry that spans his achievements in single-molecule physics …

Two Secret Service agents cut from Obama's detail after alleged misconduct  —  A call from the Hay-Adams Hotel this past spring reporting that a Secret Service agent was trying to force his way into a woman's room set in motion an internal investigation that has sent tremors through …

Obamacare Schadenfreudarama  —  To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to laugh at the unraveling of Obamacare.  —  First, the obligatory caveats.  It is no laughing matter that millions of Americans' lives have been thrown into anxious chaos as they lose their health insurance …

Obamacare credibility going up in smoke: Our view  —  New HealthCare.gov data show just how broken it is.  —  CONNECT  —  The health insurance signup numbers the White House released Wednesday afternoon were deeply disappointing, though not particularly surprising.

GOP seeks Holder impeachment  —  A group of hard-line conservative House Republicans will introduce a resolution on Thursday calling for the impeachment of Attorney General Eric Holder.  —  But there is no sign yet that Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) or other House GOP leaders will act on the measure.

Obama open to health-law change  —  The government released numbers Wednesday showing that far fewer Americans had enrolled in private insurance plans under the new health law than expected and, in a marked shift, the Obama administration signaled it was open to legislation to fix the troubled rollout.

Sen. Rand Paul: Christie Reelected Because ‘He Got A Lot Of Federal Money’ Following Sandy  —  PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) appeared to call out New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for using federal funds for Hurricane Sandy relief on Wednesday.

Americans' Approval of Healthcare Law Declines  —  Currently 40% approve and 55% disapprove  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' views of the 2010 healthcare law have worsened in recent weeks, with 40% approving and 55% disapproving of it.  For most of the past year, Americans have been divided on the law …

Testimony  —  Vice Chair Janet L. Yellen  —  Confirmation hearing  —  Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.  —  Chairman Johnson, Senator Crapo, and members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you today.

Ted Cruz: When You Attack Me, You're Attacking the ‘American People’  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) believes that when his critics attack, they're not just going after him, but also taking on “the American people.”  Following his lively conversation with Jay Leno last Friday, the senator attended an …

Why President Obama's sinking job approval numbers matter.  A lot.  —  Who cares?  —  That's a common reaction — particularly in the Democratic wing of the Twitter-sphere — anytime, like this morning, we post a piece detailing President Obama's sinking poll numbers.

Commissioned poll: Mike Enzi up 53 on Liz Cheney  —  Liz Cheney's support has faded in Wyoming since the summer, according to internal polling conducted for a super PAC that's been running ads against her and shared exclusively with POLITICO.  —  Sen. Mike Enzi (R) has expanded his lead …

Immigrant teens ambush Boehner at diner  —  A pair of immigrant teenagers confronted Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at a Capitol Hill diner on Wednesday morning, telling him their parents were in danger of deportation because of the House's inaction on immigration reform.

Ex-S.D. Senator: Comeback Bid Based on ‘Idealistic Concept’  —  If he runs at all, former GOP Sen. Larry Pressler's, R-S.D., bid for Senate as an independent won't look like your traditional campaign.  —  He said his campaign is running on an “idealistic concept” in a Wednesday phone interview with CQ Roll Call.

Socialist candidate leading in Seattle City Council race  —  A Seattle City Council election that was thought to be a foregone conclusion is suddenly on the cusp of seeing a Socialist candidate either win or force a recount, the Seattle Times reported on Tuesday.

Pope Francis corruption fury: Tie them to a rock and throw them in the sea  —  Impassioned sermon condemned corruption from those who donated to the church but stole from the state  —  Pope Francis delivered an impassioned sermon yesterday, during which he quoted a passage from the bible …