Christie, Official Who Arranged Bridge Closures Were Together During Fiasco … Gov. Chris Christie was with the official who arranged the closure of local lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 11, 2013 — the third day of the closures, and well after they had triggered outrage …

Obama to pay visit to Pope  —  (CNN) - President Barack Obama plans to soon meet with Pope Francis for the first time.  —  Secretary of State John Kerry said the President was “looking forward” to visiting the popular new leader of the Roman Catholic Church at the Vatican.

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 …

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.

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 …

Jobless aid in jeopardy  —  Efforts to pass an extension of expired unemployment benefits stumbled in the Senate on Tuesday with the chamber knotted up in procedural brinksmanship.  —  As the clock ticks toward a recess next week, the impasse further dimmed the prospects that Congress …

Court strikes down net neutrality  —  A federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down the Obama administration's net-neutrality rules.  —  The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Federal Communications Commission overstepped its authority by prohibiting Internet providers from blocking …

Justin Bieber — Lil Za ARRESTED for COCAINE During Egg Raid [VIDEO]  —  Justin Bieber's BFF Lil Za has just been arrested for COCAINE POSSESSION at the singer's home — during the early morning raid stemming from the Bieber egg attack on his neighbor.  —  A rep for the L.A. County Sheriff's …

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 …

Watch: North Carolina GOP Senate Candidate Claims Food Stamps Are “Slavery”  —  North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Greg Brannon has an interesting argument for eliminating food stamps: “slavery.”  In a videotaped interview with the North Carolina Tea Party in October, Brannon …

Howard Kurtz Lied About Business Ties To Fox News Contributor  —  Fox News anchor Howard Kurtz has repeatedly claimed, most famously during a live interrogation on CNN, that his relationship with Fox News contributor Lauren Ashburn amounted to a “limited venture” for which the MediaBuzz host …

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.

GOP Senate Candidate Complained of Lack of Muslim Movie Villains  —  Political correctness is keeping Hollywood from properly stigmatizing Muslims—so said Mississippi Republican Senate candidate Chris McDaniel.  He issued this complaint during a 2006 episode of Right Side Radio …

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 …

Oyster, a Start-Up for E-Reading, Raises $14 Million  —  With Netflix soaring, investors are betting that a start-up based on the same business model — but for e-books — will succeed as well.  —  Oyster, which gives customers access to more than 100,000 books for $10 a month, has raised $14 million in a new round of financing.

Ed Gillespie's steep slog to the Senate  —  Gillespie's website was quietly updated around New Year's to remove a video clip of him promoting comprehensive immigration reform and to take off a link to a story that featured him expressing openness to a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants …

The best, imperfect 12th District solution  —  Democrats are unhappy with N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory's decision to schedule a November special election to fill the congressional seat formerly held by Charlotte Democrat Mel Watt.  McCrory announced this month that instead of letting voters choose …

New York Democrat Bill Owens to retire from House  —  Democratic Rep. Bill Owens of New York will not run for reelection in November, he announced Tuesday — dealing another blow to the party's prospects of winning control of the House.  —  In the past two months, three Democrats — Owens …

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.