Rep. Grimm Threatens NY1 Reporter Following State of the Union … Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm physically threatened NY1 political reporter Michael Scotto at the conclusion of an interview in the Capitol Rotunda following Tuesday night's State of the Union address.

Bush speechwriter: Obama plagiarized Bush  —  President George W. Bush's former speech writer said that President Barack Obama plagiarized his former boss in Tuesday's State of the Union address.  —  Speaking to Fox News's Megyn Kelly, Marc Thiessen, the lead writer on Bush's 2007 State …

Ted Cruz: The Imperial Presidency of Barack Obama  —  In the nation's history, there is simply no precedent for an American president so wantonly ignoring federal law.  —  Of all the troubling aspects of the Obama presidency, none is more dangerous than the president's persistent pattern of lawlessness …

The State of the Union: Make it stop  —  Blame Woodrow Wilson, who broke a century-old presidential tradition of delivering the State of the Union message only in writing.  Blame Harry Truman, the first chief executive to make the address on television, or Lyndon Johnson, the first to do so in prime time.

Poll: Huckabee Is Now The GOP's Top Choice For 2016 After Libido Remark  —  Uncle Sugar has apparently provided Mike Huckabee with a polling bounce.  —  The latest survey from Democratic PPP released Wednesday showed the former Arkansas governor surging among Republican voters nationwide …

ANALYSIS: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers comes through for GOP in SOTU response  —  Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) had one of the more difficult tasks in politics on Tuesday, delivering the official Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address.

Holder on Obama's pot comments: Any drug is ‘potentially harmful’  —  (CNN) - The nation's chief law enforcement officer said Wednesday that any drug, including alcohol, “is potentially harmful.”  Attorney General Eric Holder comments follow an interview where the commander in chief appeared …

For Christie, Politics Team Kept a Focus on Two Races  —  His campaign called them “the Top 100,” the swing towns that Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey wanted to win as he prepared for a re-election campaign.  Capturing these towns, sometimes referred to as mini-Ohios or mini-Floridas …

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in December indicates that growth in economic activity picked up in recent quarters.  Labor market indicators were mixed but on balance showed further improvement.  The unemployment rate declined but remains elevated.

Why Kerry Is Scary  —  TEL AVIV — It is pretty clear now that Secretary of State John Kerry will either be Israel's diplomatic salvation or the most dangerous diplomatic fanatic Israel has ever encountered.  But there isn't much room anymore for anything in between.

Marshall scientist found formaldehyde in Charleston water  —  CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Marshall University environmental scientist and member of the state Environmental Quality Board said today that he has found formaldehyde in local water samples and that the continued lack of data on the chemical …

EXCLUSIVE: Obama's high school pot dealer who he thanked for the ‘good times’ was beaten to death with a hammer by his gay lover after fights over flatulence and drugs  — Raymond Boyer was known as ‘Gay Ray’ to Obama and his marijuana smoking ‘Choom Gang’ of privately-educated kids at Hawaiian high school

GOP ready to surrender on debt ceiling  —  House Republicans are getting ready to surrender: There will be no serious fight over the debt limit.  —  The most senior figures in the House Republican Conference are privately acknowledging that they will almost certainly have to pass what's called …

FACT SHEET: Opportunity for All: Securing a Dignified Retirement for All Americans  —  Creating the “myRA” - a Simple, Safe, and Affordable Starter Savings Account to Help Millions of Americans Start Saving for Retirement  —  To build lasting economic security, the President will act on a set of specific …

Comparing Obamacare to Its Alternative  —  FROM the moment the ink dried on March 23, 2010, Republicans said they intended to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act.  They have voted more than 40 times to wipe the law from the books.  But Republicans have never gotten around to describing …

The Case Against Early Voting  —  To the delight of anyone who's ever waited in line to cast a vote, a bipartisan election commission convened by President Barack Obama concluded last week that states across the country should increase their use of early voting.

Not as Many U.S. States Lean Democratic in 2013  —  Parties now about equal in state party leanings, 17 to 14  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Blue states outnumbered red states in the U.S. last year, 17 to 14, according to Gallup Daily tracking of party preferences.  That three-state advantage …

Graham Says World ‘Literally About to Blow Up’  —  After praising President Barack Obama on immigration, South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham blasted the foreign policy portion of the State of the Union speech.  —  “The world is literally about to blow up,” Graham said, saying he completely disagrees with Obama on Iran policy.

Report: Hundreds of Patch employees laid off  —  I'm told that hundreds — two tipsters claim two-thirds of the editorial staff — have been laid off by Patch's new owner, Hale Global.  I have asked the company for confirmation.  (It bought Patch from AOL on January 15.)