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 …

U.S. to Expand Rules Limiting Use of Profiling by Federal Agents  —  The Justice Department will significantly expand its definition of racial profiling to prohibit federal agents from considering religion, national origin, gender and sexual orientation in their investigations, a government official said Wednesday.

Obama fighting perception that administration is out of time to make progress on priorities  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — President Obama is touting 2014 as a “year of action,” but it might just as easily be called the year of “measured expectation.”  —  Contrary to the predictions of many in Washington …

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.

Inside the House GOP's immigration push  —  House Republican leaders are within weeks of releasing their principles for immigration reform — a blueprint that will detail positions on everything from border security to legal status.  —  The document, which has been kept under wraps until now …

GOP Congressman: Limiting Abortion ‘Promotes Job Creation’  —  Democratic opponents of a new anti-abortion bill moving through the House of Representatives criticized Republicans on Wednesday for fast-tracking a socially divisive piece of legislation that “does not create a single job.”

Mr. Smith decides to go home  —  To put it bluntly, being a member of Congress sucks — and the 16 members in the growing caucus of legislators heading for the exits seem to agree.  —  Someone has announced his retirement every day this week — on Wednesday it was Northern Virginia Rep. Jim Moran …

Senate GOP More Optimistic About Midterms  —  At the dawn of the election year, Senate Republicans feel a renewed sense of optimism in their fight to net the six seats necessary to win the majority in 2014.  —  The stumbling rollout of Obamacare has given the GOP hope it can loosen …

House easily passes $1T omnibus spending bill with 359-67 vote  —  The House on Wednesday easily approved a $1 trillion omnibus spending bill that would fund the government for the rest of fiscal 2014 and let Congress avoid the risk of a shutdown until the end of September.

How Rush Limbaugh Decides What Is True  —  Something special happened Monday on the Rush Limbaugh radio program.  Its host set out to explain why conservatives won't be defending New Jersey Governor Chris Christie during the bridge scandal in the same way that they rallied behind Clarence Thomas during …

Senior UK Defense Advisor: Obama Is Clueless About ‘What He Wants To Do In The World’  —  Sir Hew Strachan, an expert on the history of war, says that the president's strategic failures in Afghanistan and Syria have crippled America's position in the world.  —  President Obama is …

Reverend Jeremiah Wright: Dr. King Had a ‘Dream,’ Obama Has a ‘Drone’  —  President Barack Obama's former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, is back in the news this week, but this time it's for some highly critical comments he made about the president at an event for the Chicago Teachers Union Wednesday.

Cuomo and Schneiderman Prepare to Fight Over JPMorgan Settlement  —  ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has asked people if they think Eric T. Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York State, wears eyeliner.  —  Mr. Schneiderman has told people that he believes Mr. Cuomo's administration is Machiavellian and is out to undermine him.

Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) - Environment Chapter  —  WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Environment Chapter and the corresponding Chairs' Report.  The TPP transnational legal regime would cover 12 countries initially …

Source: Missing U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl seen in video  —  Washington (CNN) — The U.S. military has obtained new video apparently made by those holding the lone American prisoner of war, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.  —  A U.S. military official told CNN the clip shows the Wood Valley, Idaho …