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.”

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

3 Amtrak Trains With Hundreds of Passengers Stranded Since Monday  —  About 500 passengers aboard three Amtrak trains were stranded overnight in a remote part of northern Illinois because of blowing and drifting snow, Amtrak officials said today.  —  The trains were halted late Monday near Mendota, about 80 miles west of Chicago.

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 …

Suit filed to allow same-sex marriage in Arizona  —  Danny Leclair and Aubrey Loots share a moment by their cake ahead of their New Years Day wedding on the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's third annual float entry, “Living the Dream,” for the 125th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., Friday, Dec. 27, 2013.

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.

If You Can't Go to Cedars-Sinai Anymore, Is It Obamacare's Fault?  —  Consumer choices, cachet, and health care reform  —  At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, originals by Picasso and Warhol hang in the hallways.  The deluxe maternity rooms—three-bedroom, two-bath suites with views of the city …

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.

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.

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 …