Some Republicans See Racism As a Factor in Immigration Stalemate  —  “I hate to say this, because these are my people — but I hate to say it, but it's racial,” says a Republican congressman.  —  Jason Reed / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — For more than a year House Republican leaders have insisted …

Will Nancy Pelosi Be the Next to Retire?  —  Waxman's retirement is the latest in a line of Pelosi lieutenants stepping down from the House.  She's likely to be next.  —  With Rep. Henry Waxman's retirement announcement, many of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's top lieutenants are abandoning ship.

BREAKING: Here are the Republican Principles for #Immigration Reform-to be formally announced by @SpeakerBoehner at 4:30 pm ET  —  Standards for Immigration Reform  —  PREAMBLE … Border Security and Interior Enforcement Must Come First  —  It is the fundamental duty of any government …

Lunches seized from kids in debt at Salt Lake City elementary  —  Education » School officials cite unpaid balances on students' meal accounts.  —  | The Salt Lake Tribune  —  Up to 40 kids at Uintah Elementary in Salt Lake City picked up their lunches Tuesday …

MSNBC Fires Employee Responsible for Cheerios Tweet  —  “The tweet was outrageous and unacceptable,” says MSNBC president Phil Griffin.  —  MSNBC has fired the employee who sent out a controversial Tweet involving a Cheerios commercial that features a biracial family.

Why I Was Wrong About Chris Christie  —  He wasn't so smart or post-partisan, and may pay the price as a presidential hopeful.  —  A year ago, I wrote: “The smartest move in politics today is to move against Washington and the two major parties.  And the smartest man in politics may be Chris Christie.”

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: January 2014  —  January 1st may have been a monumental date for those working on and closely following the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds little change in the public's knowledge and views of the law.

Jed Udall, son of Sen. Mark Udall, arrested on heroin, vehicular-trespassing charges  —  Sheriff: Udall, 26, broke into cars in Eldorado Springs  —  Jed Udall, the 26-year-old son of Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, was arrested Wednesday after Boulder County sheriff's deputies say he broke …

Liberal vituperation makes our letter writer's point.  —  Five days on, the commentariat continues to drop anvils on Tom Perkins, who may have written the most-read letter to the editor in the history of The Wall Street Journal.  The irony is that the vituperation is making our friend's point …

U.S. Is Seeking Death Penalty in Boston Case  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Thursday that it would seek the death penalty against Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, the man accused of killing and maiming people with homemade bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line last year.

CNN exclusive: Obama says Walmart, Apple, others to help jobless  —  Program note: Watch the entire exclusive interview with President Barack Obama on CNN's “New Day” Friday at 6 a.m. ET and “The Lead With Jake Tapper” at 4 p.m. ET  —  (CNN) — The White House has secured commitments …

Is Blogging Unscholarly?  —  The political science blogosphere has erupted in protest after the International Studies Association unveiled a proposal to bar members affiliated with its scholarly journal from doing just that — blogging.  —  “No editor of any ISA journal or member …

This is the best scam they can come up with?  —  Dud Con II: Immigration reform watchers have been waiting to see how the GOP leadership tries to package legislation to trick anti-amnesty conservatives into voting for what in essence is an amnesty.  ** Curiosity grew after House Judiciary …