Chicago Ban on Gun Sales Within City Struck Down by Judge  —  A Chicago law prohibiting the sale of guns within the third-most populous U.S. city was struck down as unconstitutional by a federal judge.  —  “Chicago's ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers …

Senate confirms Yellen at Fed  —  The Senate on Monday voted 56-26 to confirm Janet Yellen as the first woman to lead the Federal Reserve.  —  Eleven Republicans joined Democrats present on Monday in voting to confirm Yellen, who will face more scrutiny than perhaps any central bank leader …

Sasheer Zamata Joins ‘Saturday Night Live’ As New Cast Member  —  EXCLUSIVE: Three years after she graduated from the University of Virginia, Sasheer Zamata is landing a very big break — the young comedy performer has been selected to join Saturday Night Live as a new cast member.

Republicans Really Could Win It All This Year  —  A definitive guide to the 2014 elections from our new columnist. … Another midterm election beckons, and over the next 10 months we'll see headlines about a thousand supposedly critical developments—the “game changers” and the “tipping points.”

Burglars Who Took On F.B.I. Abandon Shadows  —  Stealing J. Edgar Hoover's Secrets: One night in 1971, files were stolen from an F.B.I. office near Philadelphia.  They proved that the bureau was spying on thousands of Americans.  The case was unsolved, until now.

EXCLUSIVE: Republicans set to deliver big statement on abortion  —  Winter meeting to be delayed so members can attend March for Life on the National Mall  —  In an unprecedented show of opposition to abortion, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is delaying the start …

CNN Poll: Support for legal marijuana soaring  —  Washington (CNN) - In a major turnaround from past decades, a majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana, according to a new poll.  —  The CNN/ORC International survey released Monday also indicated that the number of people who say smoking pot is morally wrong has plunged.

Everything You Wanted To Know About The ‘Polar Vortex’  —  A person struggles to cross a street in blowing and falling snow Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, in St. Louis.  —  CREDIT: AP Photo/Jeff Roberson  —  On Sunday night, a reporter for The Weather Channel stood in a Minnesota snowstorm …

The Smartest Nerd in the Room  —  Why Melissa Harris-Perry is America's foremost public intellectual, and what she means  —  On Saturday, Melissa Harris-Perry apologized on air for segment that made light of the Romney clan's adoption of a young black boy.

Angry Dennis Rodman defends North Korea basketball game  —  (CNN) - Eccentric basketball star Dennis Rodman Tuesday defended his controversial visit to North Korea with a team of former NBA players, saying it was a “great idea for the world.”  —  In an exclusive interview with Chris Cuomo of CNN's …

Jim Gerlach Won't Seek Re-Election (Updated)  —  Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., announced Monday he will not seek re-election in 2014, marking yet another moderate House Republican to leave Congress.  —  “Nearing the end of my sixth term in the House and following 12 years of public service …

NBC's ‘Meet The Press’ hits historic lows in the final quarter of 2013  —  It's no secret that NBC's “Meet The Press” has been in bad shape of late.  Indeed, the show has been on the decline since David Gregory took over in 2008.  But the most recent numbers are especially troubling.

Steven Seagal and 5 Other Celebs Who Flirted With Running for Office  —  The '90s action star may run for Arizona governor—and by complete coincidence, he has a new reality show.  From Alec Baldwin to The Donald, see more stars who floated political bids.  —  Whatever Steven Seagal is doing …

Spitzer caught sucking Lis Smith's toes in topless hot tub romp  —  Sleazy Eliot Spitzer turned a resort hot tub into a steamy love cauldron over the weekend — kissing and sucking the toes of his topless mistress, Lis Smith, in front of families with children, mortified witnesses told The Post.

Sorry, Comrade, But You Didn't Just Discover The Secret To Making Communism Work  —  If you're a Millennial who loves bread lines, prison camps, forced famines, and abject human misery, then you'll love the latest offering from Rolling Stone.  Over the weekend, Jesse Myerson …

Court stops Utah gay marriages (UPDATED)  —  UPDATE 1:16 p.m. State officials said on Monday that they are evaluating the legal fate of Utah same-sex couples who already have been married.  A total of 950 marriage licenses have been issued in the state to gay and lesbian couples …

An interview with former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, the Democrat most likely to challenge Hillary Clinton in 2016.  —  The last time he appeared on a ballot, then-Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer filmed a TV ad that consisted entirely of him shooting clay pigeons.

When a (Partial) Tweet Becomes an Ad, What Are the Rules?  —  The media world gets weirder every day, but this moment still stands out as something of a stunner - the kind of thing that merits a place on the eternal timeline of “How the Internet Flipped the Media World on Its Head.”  —  Picture it:

Spending Bill On Track to Avert Shutdown  —  If it weren't clear already that lawmakers — especially Republicans — want to avoid another government shutdown, the overwhelming optimism Monday that Congress will pass an omnibus spending measure for the first time in two years tips their hand.

How Al Qaeda Terrorized Its Way Back in Iraq  —  As the country edges closer to civil war, much of the blame goes to Prime Minister Maliki—and the White House.