Codey: Some Democrats tried to quash investigation into bridge scandal to protect Christie  —  State Sen. Richard Codey wouldn't name names, but he said some Democrats tried to “stop cold” an investigation into the George Washington Bridge scandal to protect Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

New Iran agreement includes secret side deal, Tehran official says  —  (Abedin Taherkenareh / European Pressphoto Agency / February 3, 2007) … WASHINGTON - Key elements of a new nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers are contained in an informal, 30-page text not yet publicly acknowledged …

ObamaCare has youth problem  —  Too few young people are signing up for ObamaCare to stop premiums from rising, new data released by the administration on Monday show.  —  Only 24 percent of Obama-Care's enrollees are young people, well below the 40 percent benchmark set by the administration …

President's goal for NSA reform — no more Edward Snowdens  —  The Obama administration plans to overhaul the nation's security clearance system to prevent future intelligence leaks like the one by former defense contractor Edward Snowden.  —  The changes, part of a package of reforms President Obama …

Rep. Sean Maloney Is Engaged To His Longtime Partner, Randy Florke  —  “[I]t's interesting when you've been in love with someone for 21 years and your country finally catches up to you,” the New York representative says of his Christmas Day engagement.  —  Randy Florke, left, and Rep. Sean Maloney …

The ‘crime’ of the IRS  —  Only days after we learned the Obama administration had appointed an Obama donor to head investigations into the IRS targeting of conservative organizations, we now have a leak from law enforcement saying the FBI doesn't expect to file criminal charges.

The Benghazi Transcripts: Top Defense officials briefed Obama on ‘attack,’ not video or protest  —  Minutes after the American consulate in Benghazi came under assault on Sept. 11, 2012, the nation's top civilian and uniformed defense officials — headed for a previously scheduled Oval Office session …

Readers Lash Out About Bill Keller's Column on a Woman With Cancer  —  Bill Keller's column in The Times on Monday about Lisa Bonchek Adams has generated a great deal of negative response.  Xeni Jardin, the well-known writer who blogs on Boing Boing, sometimes about her own experience with cancer, was outraged, calling it bullying.

Man killed after dispute over texting in theater  —  A moviegoer lost his life inside a Pasco County theater Monday afternoon after a dispute over texting with a retired police officer.  —  According to the sheriff's office, the dispute happened before the 1:20 showing of 'Lone Survivor …

McDonnell leaves McAuliffe behind big surprise in bathroom  —  RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - Apparently it's a Virginia tradition.  —  On his way out of the door, the out-going governor pulls a prank on the incoming governor.  —  So for his prank, former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell left …

Graham challenger Jay Stamper finds ‘reluctant’ support among Democrats  —  SPARTANBURG COUNTY — Even as controversy permeates his candidacy, Jay Stamper is plotting his campaign as a Democratic candidate in a Republican stronghold.  —  “I'm going to challenge Republicans on what kind …

Google to Acquire Nest  —  Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to buy Nest Labs, Inc. for $3.2 billion in cash.  —  Nest's mission is to reinvent unloved but important devices in the home such as thermostats and smoke alarms.

All Your Health Are Belong to Us  —  An ObamaCare progress report.  Well, a report.  —  “Expect the unexpected” has been good advice for anyone following American economic news since 2009.  That news has usually been bad, and almost always “unexpectedly” so.

This Is What Government-Run Health Care Looks Like  —  Socialized Medicine: More than two-thirds of the public don't think the government can be trusted to run the nation's health care system successfully.  ObamaCare is proving these skeptics right.  —  The public might not agree on much these days …

No Party  —  A new Gallup poll came out last week showing that a record number of Americans, 42%, reject both major political parties and identify as independent.  Republicans are at a historic low of only 27%.  —  I've said for a long time that both John McCain and Mitt Romney won independents …

Feinstein rejects NYT on Benghazi  —  The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said that key conclusions of a recent New York Times investigation into the 2012 Benghazi attack are wrong.  —  Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) rejected the Times's conclusion that al Qaeda …

One in Four Americans Satisfied With Direction of U.S.  —  Republicans' satisfaction has increased since last month  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Twenty-three percent of Americans say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. at this time, unchanged from December and within one percentage point of the 24% average for 2013.