Target announces it will drop part-time employees from its healthcare plan  —  Target Corp. announced on Tuesday it would no longer offer healthcare coverage to its part-time employees.  —  In a blog post on the company's website, Jodee Kozlak, the executive vice president of human resources …

The real problem with the American right: Aging, white radicals  —  But less understood is the true reason why  —  The Republican Party's total failure to make even cosmetic changes to its image and policy agenda last year has at this point become the kind of cliché-cum-running joke …

Ex-husband: Wendy Davis would be a ‘very capable governor’  —  Dallas (CNN) - Wendy Davis' second ex-husband, Jeff Davis, says he doesn't want to talk any more about his ex-wife, adding he wasn't pleased with the explosive debate that originated from his recent comments about the Texas gubernatorial candidate.

Resolved: Obamacare Is Now Beyond Rescue  —  Last Wednesday, Scott Gottlieb and I debated Jonathan Chait and Douglas Kamerow on this proposition: “Resolved: Obamacare Is Now Beyond Rescue.”  I was feeling a little trepid, for three reasons: First, I've never done any formal debate; second …

Obama's Job Approval Points to 2014 Trouble for Democrats  —  With the advent of this election year, the time to turn from generalities/playing field pieces to tracking specific races is fast approaching.  But before picking up my series on competitive Senate races (I wrote on three …

De Blasio ‘getting back at us’ by not plowing: UES residents  —  It really is a tale of two cities — this time with the tony Upper East Side getting the shaft!  —  Huge swaths of the city's wealthiest neighborhood had been not been plowed by early Tuesday evening, leaving 1-percenters out in the cold …

Statement by the President on Roe v. Wade Anniversary  —  Today, as we reflect on the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, we recommit ourselves to the decision's guiding principle: that every woman should be able to make her own choices about her body and her health.

There's No Getting Rid of David Vitter, America's Most Contemptible Senator  —  After surviving a prostitution scandal and a dead madam, the Republican wants to be the Bayou State's next governor.  —  I was once shooting the breeze with a Democratic senator I knew fairly well.

Court to paper: Reveal commenter ID  —  A federal judge Tuesday ordered a New Orleans newspaper to turn over information about anonymous commenters on its website in a case related to an investigation into prosecutorial misconduct in the famous Hurricane Katrina bridge shootings case.

The ugly, sordid, damning details in the Bob McDonnell indictment  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL VIRGINIA CORRUPTION BOB MCDONNELL  —  If the prosecutors' case in United States v. Robert F. McDonnell and Maureen G. McDonnell is correct, the corrupt acts of the 71st governor of Virginia and his wife …

A physician's view on the sanctity of life  —  The thought of abortion for convenience is repugnant  —  Several years ago, I was consulted by a young woman who was 33 weeks pregnant and was on her way to Kansas get an abortion.  I informed her of the multiple options available to her outside …

'We're Dancing on Deck of the Titanic': Touré Kills Co-Hosts' Snow Buzz with ‘Heavy’ Climate Change Rant  —  On Wednesday, the hosts MSNBC's The Cycle were engaging in a lighthearted discussion about the joys of snowfall and how childhood memories come flooding back when the frozen precipitation begins to pour.

GOP Rep.: Wife Should ‘Voluntarily Submit’ To Her Husband  —  Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) believes that although a wife is supposed to “voluntarily submit” to her husband, she is not inferior to him, according to the Washington Post.  —  “The wife is to voluntarily submit …

When Public Opinions Collide  —  The progressive challenge of adjusting to a new climate of public opinion on deficits, entitlements, and jobs. … A major problem that confronts progressives and Democrats in dealing with deficits, entitlements and jobs is the extraordinary degree …

Rob Ford admits to drinking ‘a little bit’ after new video surfaces  —  After swearing off alcohol, mayor admits to drinking ‘a little bit’ on Monday night  —  Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admitted to drinking alcohol Monday night, after a YouTube video appeared today showing him at a restaurant swearing …

Musician in coma after brutal attack in French Quarter  —  NEW ORLEANS — A well-known New Orleans musician is hospitalized and unconscious after being jumped in the French Quarter.  —  Doug Potter's family and friends believe he may have been a target of the “knockout” game.  —  “Always here when we needed him.

The Supreme Court Case That Could Clobber Public-Sector Unions  —  William Messenger of the National Right to Work Committee asked the Supreme Court today to hold that public employee unions are unconstitutional.  —  “This is—I'm just going to use the word here, it is a radical argument.

In U.S., 65% Dissatisfied With How Gov't System Works  —  Republicans and independents most likely to be dissatisfied  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sixty-five percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the nation's system of government and how well it works, the highest percentage in Gallup's trend since 2001.

The Minimum Wage Means Less Hiring  —  A seeming point of among agreement among minimum wage researchers is that higher minimum wages lead to lower turnover.  Dube et al (2012) find that “[a]verage separations, hires and turnover rates decline significantly among teen workers and restaurant establishments.”

Inside the “Lines Commission,” an Answer for Elections?  —  The world's greatest democracy is not so great at running elections, as we all saw in 2012.  There were, among other things, long lines at polling places, botched registrations, and mysterious rules on absentee ballots.

The Loud Truth About Abortion Protesters  —  Justice Scalia calls the demonstrators “counselors” who are comforting women.  That's not what I found at one New Jersey clinic.  —  “Be a man-stop your woman from killing your baby!”  —  “Mommy, don't kill me!”  —  “You are going to be the father of a dead baby!”

WikiLeaks, Drought and Syria  —  In the 1970s, I got both my bachelor's and master's degrees in modern Middle East studies, and I can assure you that at no time did environmental or climate issues appear anywhere in the syllabi of my courses.  Today, you can't understand the Arab awakenings …

Trooper gives sex lesson  —  Sandusky County prosecutor Stierwalt: No crime in highway patrolman's sexual encounter with pre-teen  —  An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper with a history of domestic violence won't face charges related to alleged sexual encounters involving a boy, Sandusky County Sheriff's Deputy Sean O'Connell said.

Grand jury asks for lesser charge for officer accused in shooting  —  In a rare and unexpected move, a grand jury declined to indict Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Randall Kerrick for voluntary manslaughter Tuesday, instead asking prosecutors to submit a lesser charge.  —  The defense claimed victory.