An alternate theory of the Christie scandal  —  Rachel Maddow presents a new possibility of what the induced Ft. Lee traffic jam was retribution for if it wasn't over the mayor's gubernatorial endorsement.

Liberal Self-Identification Edges Up to New High in 2013  —  Fifteen-percentage-point conservative advantage ties as smallest to date  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans continue to be more likely to identify as conservatives (38%) than as liberals (23%).  But the conservative advantage …

How Millennials Have Already Reshaped Politics  —  Political parties are taking young people's policy preferences into account, but that doesn't mean they're getting everything they want.  —  Almost every week provides more evidence of the political system bending toward the cultural preferences of the massive millennial generation.

300,000 Without Water After Coal Industry Chemical Spill In W. Virginia  —  West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declares a state of emergency after spill contaminates Elk River, “Only safe use is to flush or put out fire.”  —  A chemical spill into West Virginia's Elk River has led …

Begich misses jobless vote for speech in Hawaii  —  Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) missed a procedural vote on extending unemployment benefits to deliver a speech to a lobby group in Hawaii, The Hill has learned.  —  Begich delivered a keynote speech Wednesday morning to the American Aviation Issues conference …

Obama donor leading Justice Department's IRS investigation  —  Two Republican lawmakers and a conservative legal group are questioning the Justice Department's selection of a Democratic donor to lead the agency's probe into the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of certain advocacy groups during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles.

The Parties Have Already Devised Their Midterm Messages  —  Democrats and Republicans are ready for November, but it's not clear that either of their story lines will resonate across the spectrum.  —  The gavel has been struck on what has been widely judged to be the least productive session …

Reid's Uncompromising Power Play in Senate Rankles Republicans  —  WASHINGTON — With his strong-armed change to the filibuster rule and an iron-fisted control of the Senate floor, Senator Harry Reid has engaged in the greatest consolidation of congressional power since Newt Gingrich ruled the House …

Transgender teen bullied at Hercules High faces charges  —  Hercules HS bullying victim Jewelyes Gutierrez charged  —  A 16-year-old transgender student who was allegedly victimized by bullies at an East Bay high school is now facing a criminal charge.  —  One big question being asked …

The Kids Are Alright: Another Obamacare Lesson from Massachusetts  —  Last month, everybody wanted to know how many people were signing up for Obamacare.  This month, everybody wants to know how many healthy people are signing up for Obamacare.  —  It's a reasonable question.

U.S. job growth weakest in three years  —  (Reuters) - U.S. employers hired the fewest workers in almost three years in December, but the setback was likely to be temporary amid signs that cold weather conditions might have had an impact.  —  Nonfarm payrolls rose only 74,000 last month …

How to fight academic bigotry  —  For decades, the American Studies Association labored in well-deserved obscurity.  No longer.  It has now made a name for itself by voting to boycott Israeli universities, accusing them of denying academic and human rights to Palestinians.

Millionaires' Club: For First Time, Most Lawmakers are Worth $1 Million-Plus  —  For the first time in history, most members of Congress are millionaires, according to a new analysis of personal financial disclosure data by the Center for Responsive Politics.