Rand Paul: Clintons should be judged for Bill's ‘predatory behavior’ with Lewinsky  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested Sunday that the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal should give Americans pause when it comes to evaluating the Clinton legacy — and, by extension, Hillary Rodham Clinton's potential presidential campaign.

Why Is the American Dream Dead in the South?  —  Upward mobility has stayed the same the past 50 years despite skyrocketing inequality.  But it's lower in the South (and Ohio) than anywhere else in the U.S.—or the rest of the developed world.  —  The top 1 percent aren't killing the American Dream.

Obama's rough 2013 prompts a new blueprint  —  An internal White House assessment concludes that President Obama must distance himself from a recalcitrant Congress after being badly damaged last year by legislative failures, a government shutdown and his own missteps.

What Drives Success?  —  A SEEMINGLY un-American fact about America today is that for some groups, much more than others, upward mobility and the American dream are alive and well.  It may be taboo to say it, but certain ethnic, religious and national-origin groups are doing strikingly better than Americans overall.

Grammys to Feature On-Air Weddings of 34 Couples  —  LOS ANGELES — At the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, pop's megastars will compete for the music industry's most prestigious trophy, and put on flashy performances that are sure to ricochet through social media.

The Koch Party  —  Only a few weeks into this midterm election year, the right-wing political zeppelin is fully inflated with secret cash and is firing malicious falsehoods at supporters of health care reform.  —  As Carl Hulse of The Times reported recently, Democrats have been staggered …

Vox is our next  —  Early last year, Melissa Bell, Matt Yglesias and I began wrestling with a question that had bugged all of us for a long time: why hadn't the Internet made the news better at delivering crucial context alongside new information?  —  This year, we're founding a new publication …

Mitch McConnell: It's ‘Irresponsible’ Not To Try To Hold The Debt Ceiling Hostage  —  Despite agreeing to a budget this month, it seems Congressional Republicans are not yet done holding the economic fate of the country hostage in order to pass aspects of its agenda.

Tucker Carlson: Young People Don't Know What EntréE To Order So Don't Let Them Vote  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Sunday suggested that 17-year-olds should not be allowed to pre-register to vote because they were not capable of “choosing an entrée at a restaurant.”

Natural gas pipeline explodes near Otterburne, Man.  —  Thousands without heat south of Winnipeg as arctic blast moves in  —  A natural gas pipeline explosion near Otterburne, Man., 50 kilometres south of Winnipeg, has left thousands without heat as temperatures drop to -20 C, or -34 C with the wind chill.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Oct. 11, 2013, upon his return from a two-hour meeting at the White House between President Barack Obama and Republican senators, trying to come up with a bipartisan solution to the budget stalemate.  —  FONT: