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:

Rand Paul discusses cutting government help for unwed mothers who continue having kids  —  During a Lexington luncheon Thursday, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul discussed the possibility of cutting government benefits for unwed mothers who have multiple children, though the potential Republican candidate …

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.

HSBC tightens cash withdrawal rules  —  HSBC customers requiring large cash withdrawals may be asked what they want the money for  —  Some HSBC customers have been prevented from withdrawing large amounts of cash because they could not provide evidence of why they wanted it, the BBC has learnt.

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 …

Progressive Kristallnacht Coming?  —  I would call attention to the parallels of Nazi Germany to its war on its “one percent,” namely its Jews, to the progressive war on the American one percent, namely the “rich.”  —  Regarding your editorial “Censors on Campus” (Jan. 18) …

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.”

Poll finds little faith in nation's leaders  —  President Obama will speak to the nation Tuesday night with approval ratings lower than for any of his previous State of the Union addresses and with Americans broadly pessimistic that he or lawmakers of either party will make good decisions …

Free Crack Pipes Urged To Slow Spread Of HIV In SF, Leaders Balk At Idea  —  SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) - Brows were raised and eyes rolled back when needle exchange programs were first implemented to stop the spread of disease.  Giving away free and clean syringes to heroin users seemed preposterous to many.

U.S braces itself for coldest month of the century with yet another Arctic blast as fears grow for Super Bowl Sunday  — Meteorologists are forecasting yet another snow storm for the East Coast, which will arrive on Monday  — The Midwest will be hit with a blast as well between Friday and Saturday …

GOP Rep. Surprised ‘Middle Eastern’ Man Not Patted Down At Airport  —  Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) suggested surprise in describing how a man who appeared “middle eastern” was not given a pat down at the airport while others were stopped by the Transportation Security Administration.

Three people killed in shooting at the Columbia Mall  —  The Howard County Police have confirmed that three people have been killed in a shooting at the Mall in Columbia.  —  Police reported on Twitter at 12:38 that they are in the mall to clear people out safely.

Huckabee Spills the Beans  —  It's not often we think about Mike Huckabee.  True, he has a talk show.  But so does half the world.  Kelly Ripa has a talk show.  Geraldo Rivera has a talk show.  How often do they come up in conversation?  —  Now, Huckabee is suddenly in the news …