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 …

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 …

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.

The IRS Scandal, Day 250: FBI Says No Criminal Charges in IRS Probe  —  Wall Street Journal: Criminal Charges Not Expected in IRS Probe:  —  The Federal Bureau of Investigation doesn't plan to file criminal charges over the Internal Revenue Service's heightened scrutiny of conservative groups …

Lawmakers unveil massive $1.1 trillion spending bill in bipartisan compromise  —  Congressional negotiators late Monday unveiled a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill that would fund federal agencies through the rest of the fiscal year and end the lingering threat of another government shutdown.

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.

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 …

U.S. Congressman to marry same-sex partner  —  Washington (CNN) - Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-New York, will marry his longtime partner, designer Randy Florke, the couple announced Monday.  —  “After 21 years together, we are excited for the next step in our journey as a family,” they said in a statement.

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 …

Who's Getting Obamacare?  These Four Charts Give Some Big Clues  —  The Obama Administration has released detailed information about enrollment in the Affordable Care Act—not just how many people are signing up for insurance, but also what kind of people and what plans they are choosing.

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 …

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.

Ya'alon: Kerry should win his Nobel and leave us alone  —  Defense Minister says in private that US security plan 'not worth the paper it's written on', insists Kerry ‘cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians’.  —  Shimon Shiffer  —  While the United States …

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 …

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 …

Top New York Post columnist Fredric Dicker calls Newtown shooting ‘little convenient massacre’; Sandy Hook families demand apology  —  Dicker, who made the comment Monday on his WGDJ talk show, said that Gov. Cuomo was able to push anti-gun legislation after 'he had a little convenient massacre …

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.