Ads Attacking Health Law Stagger Outspent Democrats  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats are increasingly anxious about an onslaught of television ads hitting vulnerable Senate and House candidates for their support of the new health law, since many lack the resources to fight back in the early stages of the midterm campaign.

Poll: Christie cruising through bridge scandal (so far)  —  Nearly 70 percent of Americans say the bridge-closure scandal engulfing Chris Christie has not changed their opinion about the New Jersey governor, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll.  In addition, 44 percent …

WH delays another ObamaCare deadline  —  The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it was again extending the ObamaCare enrollment deadline for people with pre-existing conditions.  —  The administration said it will extend the Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan (PCIP), slated to end January 31, until March 15.

Armed Services Chairman McKeon retiring  —  House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) will announced his retirement on Wednesday, according to two sources close to McKeon.  —  “Mr. McKeon will be making his announcement tomorrow morning that he'll be retiring,” a source close to McKeon tells The Hill.

What Happens When the President Sits Down Next to You at a Cafe  —  Before  —  Thursday into Friday, my head cold got worse, so on Friday morning I walked down to a bar-cafe-restaurant in my neighborhood.  I had been there for a few hours when youthful, vigorous men and women wearing …

This Democrat thinks he can win in 2016 as the anti-Obama  —  Brian Schweitzer, the former two-term Democratic governor of Montana, is rarely speechless.  Once he gets going on a topic, he's almost impossible to stop.  As he builds up steam, he'll slap his knee to emphasize his points.

Government Itself Still Cited as Top U.S. Problem  —  Narrowly leads the economy, unemployment, healthcare  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans start the new year with a variety of national concerns on their minds.  Although none is dominant, the government, at 21%, leads the list …

Wendy Davis's Campaign Mocks Greg Abbott for Being Paralyzed  —  Wendy Davis's campaign spin on her fundraising numbers is impressive.  She wants you to know that she raised $12 million to Republican Greg Abbot's $11.5 million.  What she is hoping you will ignore, and which much of the press will ignore …

Senate report: Attack on U.S. compound in Benghazi could have been prevented  —  A long-delayed Senate intelligence committee report released on Wednesday spreads blame among the State Department and intelligence agencies for not preventing attacks on two outposts in Libya that killed four Americans …

Gabriel Sherman's biography of Roger Ailes.  —  Gabriel Sherman is part of a group of young media reporters—many starting out at the New York Observer under the tutelage of then-Editor Peter Kaplan, an avowed media nostalgist—who have seen their subject, the power of the media, pulled out from under them.

GOP Congressional Candidate: Spousal Rape Shouldn't Be a Crime  —  Virginia state Sen. Dick Black fought to block a statue of Lincoln and invited a video crew to film him watching violent rape porn on a library computer.  Now he's looking for a promotion.  —  Republican attorney general …

Inside Boehner's Election-Year Immigration Strategy  —  The speaker's looking to test the waters ahead of primaries, and he'll score a political win no matter how it turns out.  —  John Boehner is planning to unveil a set of Republican principles for immigration reform before President Obama's State …

Marijuana politics  —  So the POLITICO homepage has gone to pot: Darren Samuelsohn and Byron Tau report on how states are taking the lead on the legalization campaign; Reid Cherlin investigates the legal nightmare this creates between state and federal law — the consequences are far-ranging …