Senate Democrats Poised to Block Filibusters of Presidential Picks  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats are on the verge of moving to eliminate the use of the filibuster against most presidential nominees, aides and senior party leaders said Wednesday, a move that would deprive Republicans …

G.O.P. Maps Out Waves of Attacks Over Health Law  —  WASHINGTON — The memo distributed to House Republicans this week was concise and blunt, listing talking points and marching orders: “Because of Obamacare, I Lost My Insurance.”  “Obamacare Increases Health Care Costs.”

Palin kills Matt Lauer interview over Martin Bashir slur  —  It's no secret that Sarah Palin is mighty steamed at MSNBC and Martin Bashir over his despicable remarks about the abusive treatment he imagines for her.  —  And now she's doing something about it.

Illinois Governor Signs Marriage Equality Into Law  —  Wednesday afternoon, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed marriage equality into law, making Illinois the 16th state to allow same-sex couples to marry.  It was originally expected to be the 15th, but Hawaii technically completed the passage …

Vancouver Banned Doorknobs.  Good.  —  Levers are the way of the future.  —  Doorknob Jim Simonson  —  In Vancouver, the humble doorknob is being phased out.  Kind of.  Effective in March, new housing will be required to install levers on doors and faucets, instead of the good-ol' round knobs of our forefathers.

Florida Rep. Trey Radel to Take Leave of Absence After Cocaine Charge … Florida Republican congressman Trey Radel will take a leave of absence from Congress and donate his salary to charity after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of cocaine possession.  —  “I'm owning up to my actions.

Second wave of health plan cancellations looms  —  A new and independent analysis of ObamaCare warns of a ticking time bomb, predicting a second wave of 50 million to 100 million insurance policy cancellations next fall — right before the mid-term elections.

In an Attack Ad, an Alaskan Voter Is Really an Actress From Maryland  —  WASHINGTON - In a tough new advertisement from the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity, an unnamed woman looks directly into the camera and upbraids Senator Mark Begich, Democrat of Alaska.  —  “Senator Begich didn't listen.

Applicants Find Health Website Is Improving, but Not Fast Enough  —  DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — Tilda Elias had reason to be optimistic when she opened the HealthCare.gov website on Monday, ready to help her first client of the week find health insurance.  Technicians had made fixes to the online insurance exchange over the weekend.

Top lobbyist Gerry Cassidy to step down  —  One of the Beltway's premier lobbyists, Gerry Cassidy, is stepping aside from his official role at the iconic D.C. lobbying firm that bears his name, POLITICO has learned.  —  On Thursday, Cassidy will announce a transition from the day-to-day leadership …

Scott Walker strikes own path on Obamacare  —  Scott Walker hates Obamacare.  But Scott Walker also needs Obamacare.  —  The Wisconsin Republican governor, a potential 2016 contender for the White House, has drawn national attention to his ambitious health reform effort to cover the poor …

Utah town forgets to hold election — again  —  Wallsburg » New recorder forgot to announce opening of filing period.  —  | The Salt Lake City  —  In the Wasatch County town of Wallsburg, the city employee responsible for oversight of elections brought new meaning to the job description by overlooking the election altogether.

Feds consider new gun regs  —  The Obama administration is working on new gun control regulations that would target stolen and missing weapons.  —  Police have a hard time tracking firearms that disappear from gun shops, which “just feeds the sort of already large and existing secondary market on guns …

Politico's Mike Allen, native advertising pioneer  —  Introducing: The “Playbook” game!  —  Politico Chief White House Correspondent Mike Allen writes “Playbook,” a daily e-mail newsletter featuring stories from Politico and other outlets, various “exclusives,” tips and birthday notices.

Gillibrand & Cruz: Stop sexual violence in the military  —  We must protect the 200,000 women serving on active duty.  —  CONNECT  —  We are blessed with the most disciplined, honorable, and effective military force the world has ever known, and improving the system to report …

Angry words of '63 Dallas now part of mainstream  —  On the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the Dallas Morning News ran a giant black-bordered ad headlined “Welcome Mr. Kennedy to Dallas” that ripped him as soft on communism.  Plastered around town were black-framed posters …

Rep. Grace Meng attacked, robbed near Eastern Market  —  WASHINGTON (WJLA) - Police say a U.S. congresswoman was attacked and robbed Tuesday night near Eastern Market.  —  Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., who represents the 6th congressional district in Queens, was walking home from dinner Tuesday night …

Mom of Alleged Teen Shoplifter Accuses Police of Brutality  —  The Bucks County District Attorney's Office is investigating the alleged assault of a teen boy by police officers.  —  The mother of the 14-year-old boy, who was arrested for shoplifting, is accusing police of roughing him up.

Poor countries walk out of UN climate talks as compensation row rumbles on  —  Bloc of 132 countries exit Warsaw conference after rich nations refuse to discuss climate change recompense until after 2015  —  Representatives of most of the world's poor countries have walked …