The resurgent progressives  —  The reemergence of a Democratic left will be one of the major stories of 2014.  Moderates, don't be alarmed.  The return of a viable, vocal left will actually be good news for the political center.  —  For a long time, the American conversation …

The Obamacare We Deserve  —  TODAY marks the beginning of health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act's new insurance exchanges, for which two million Americans have signed up.  Now that the individual mandate is officially here, let me begin with an admission: Obamacare is awful.

Edward Snowden, Whistle-Blower  —  Seven months ago, the world began to learn the vast scope of the National Security Agency's reach into the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe, as it collects information about their phone calls, their email messages …

WORLD'S FIRST LEGAL RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA SALES BEGIN IN COLORADO  —  Colorado's ambitious experiment in cannabis policy hit a historic milestone Wednesday, when licensed stores began making the first legal sales of recreational marijuana anywhere in the world.

World's climate warming faster than feared, scientists say  —  Scientists say the world's climate is warming faster than feared because previous predictions were too “optimistic” and overestimated the cooling impact of clouds  —  As the planet marked its fourth hottest year on record …

Helicopter rescue delayed as second ship trapped in ice  —  On board the Aurora Australis  —  Plans to rescue 52 passengers trapped on the stricken Russian research ship Akademik Shokalskiy have been thrown into disarray after the Chinese ice-breaker Xue Long itself became stuck in pack ice, west of the Mertz Glacier.

Slow Learners  —  What is it about Obama that makes otherwise intelligent people so dumb?  —  Politico has a headline for the ages up right now: “Management Experts Knock Obama.”  Management “experts” are just noticing now, after five years, that Obama's lack of experience is significant.

North Korean leader warns of nuclear disaster, threatens US  —  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said the Korean peninsula will be engulfed by “massive nuclear disaster” if war breaks out there again, warning the US it will not be safe in the event of a conflict.

Obama faces resurgent al Qaeda in 2014  —  President Obama and his national security team are facing a number of security threats in the New Year.  —  From turmoil in Afghanistan to the growth of al Qaeda cells, defense and intelligence officials are grappling with a host of challenges.

The price of political ignorance: More government  —  It was naughty of Winston Churchill to say, if he really did, that “the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”  Nevertheless, many voters' paucity of information about politics and government …

Boehner Is Said to Back Change on Immigration  —  WASHINGTON — Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio has signaled he may embrace a series of limited changes to the nation's immigration laws in the coming months, giving advocates for change new hope that 2014 might be the year that a bitterly divided …