‘This Is the End of the Presidency’  —  Tracking the same horrible second-term path as Bush, can Obama learn from the past?  —  Claiming a mandate he never had, the newly reelected president foisted a bold agenda upon Congress and the public, then watched it collapse within months …

White House to tap Microsoft exec to fix HealthCare.gov  —  The White House is tapping the private sector for its next point man to oversee the troubled Obamacare website.  —  The administration is set to announce that Kurt DelBene, an executive at Microsoft, will succeed Jeff Zients …

The Thought Leader  —  Little boys and girls in ancient Athens grew up wanting to be philosophers.  In Renaissance Florence they dreamed of becoming Humanists.  But now a new phrase and a new intellectual paragon has emerged to command our admiration: The Thought Leader.

Snap Out of It  —  If this judge doesn't buy the legal basis for the NSA's intrusive phone snooping, no one should.  —  If you have been lulled into a state of somnolence about former government contractor Edward Snowden's revelations that the government is collecting records …

Rep. Wolf retires after 17 terms  —  Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) announced Tuesday he will retire from Congress after 17 terms, opening up a competitive House seat in Northern Virginia.  —  Wolf, 74, has represented his district in North Virginia since 1981 and is the longest-serving member from the state.

An Open Letter to the People of Brazil  —  Atualizado em 17/12/2013 às 08h11.  —  Six months ago, I stepped out from the shadows of the United States Government's National Security Agency to stand in front of a journalist's camera.  —  Espionage Whistleblower Edward Snowden to Seek Asylum in Brazil

When I launched my first campaign in 1999, I knew that the arc of my public service would have many chapters.  It has been a tremendous privilege to serve the people of Utah during my time in the United States House of Representatives, but my time in the House should not be the sum total of my service.

Jerry Brown, urged to run for president, won't rule out 2016 bid  —  Some are urging California Gov. Jerry Brown to run a fourth time for president, in part to stop the front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton.  (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images / May 23, 2013)  —  If he weren't the nation's oldest governor …

Exclusive: Inside Steve Stockman's Disgusting, Condemned Campaign Office (PHOTOS)  —  Those looking for dirt on Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) need look no further.  TPM has obtained photographs taken by the local officials who recently shut down Stockman's campaign office in Webster, Texas.

Why conservatives just don't get Pope Francis' anti-poverty crusade  —  U.S. conservatives like to pair the cross and the coin, but that's not the case elsewhere around the world  —  O  —  n Sunday, Pope Francis matter-of-factly announced that he was not actually a Marxist, telling Italy's La Stampa, “The Marxist ideology is wrong.

Accidental Tax Break Saves Wealthiest Americans $100 Billion  —  Sheldon Adelson makes no secret of his disdain for the estate tax.  —  “How many times do you have to pay taxes on money?” the casino magnate asks, leaning on a blue cane on the cobblestones of Wall Street on a crisp October morning.

Francis Dumps U.S. Cardinal Who Is Outspoken Critic Of Abortion, Gay Marriage  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pope Francis announced changes in the influential Vatican office that evaluates and nominates candidates for bishop around the world.  —  Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington was appointed Monday to the Congregation for Bishops.

Harvard Student Charged In Bomb Hoax  —  BOSTON (CBS) — A Harvard student has been charged in connection with Monday's bomb threats which shut down four Harvard buildings and canceled finals for many students.  —  The U.S. Attorney's office says Eldo Kim, 20, of Cambridge …

Texas congressmen take aim at Affordable Care Act's navigators  —  Dozens of Obamacare supporters attended Monday's congressional hearing at the Eisemann Center in Richardson.  Luis Veloz, 20, of Dallas told the crowd that he and his family do not have health insurance.

Internal Rick Scott poll: Charlie Crist up in Florida  —  Charlie Crist leads Florida Gov. Rick Scott by 4 percentage points in an internal poll conducted by Scott pollster Tony Fabrizio.  —  The survey, taken in late November and obtained Tuesday by POLITICO, puts Crist …