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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 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 …

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 …

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.

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 …