As the Latest Christie Story Evolved, The Times Should Have Noted a Change  —  In the digital age, news evolves before our very eyes.  A story breaks and goes online with perhaps a few rough paragraphs.  Soon after, more details are added, new angles explored and writing is tuned up.

First on CNN: Conservative group pushes to topple GOP leaders in Congress  —  Washington (CNN) - A conservative group is launching a new campaign which calls on “the GOP leadership in both the House and the Senate to step aside.”  —  ForAmerica told CNN that it's putting six figures behind its …

Trick Websites Dupe Democrats Into Donating To Republicans  —  The National Republican Congressional Committee has set up a number of websites that look like they could be a Democratic candidate's campaign page, unless you read the fine print.  They may even violate a Federal Election Commission regulation …

Bridget Kelly invokes Fifth Amendment, declines to produce subpoenaed documents  —  Governor Christie's former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly, will not turn over documents in response to a legislative subpoena, her lawyer said Monday, making her the second person to invoke constitutional protections against self-incrimination.

Mississippi Most Religious State, Vermont Least Religious  —  Average religiousness of states continues to range widely  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Religiousness across the U.S. in 2013 remained similar to previous years.  With 61% of its residents classified as very religious …

Sandra Fluke files in California for congressional bid  —  Women's rights activist Sandra Fluke appears to be moving forward with a run for Congress.  —  Fluke has filed with the California state Democratic Party to seek its endorsement in the race for retiring Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-Calif.) …

California man points gun at Girl Scout at his door to sell cookies  —  A California man was taken into custody over the weekend after he allegedly pulled a gun on a young Girl Scout who was selling cookies.  —  A press release from the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's office that the father of the girl …

Olson and Boies, Legal Duo, Seek Role in 2 Cases on Gay Marriage  —  WASHINGTON — Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, the star legal duo who defied skeptics by successfully challenging California's ban on same-sex marriage, are seeking to play a central role in the next round of marriage cases …

Ted Cruz makes nice  —  At a GOP lunch last week, Sen. John McCain noted that “some crazy guy from Texas” stormed out during President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.  —  “Hey,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz chimed in, “I didn't walk out of the State of the Union.”  —  The packed room erupted in laughter.

Cancer ‘tidal wave’ on horizon, warns WHO  —  The globe is facing a “tidal wave” of cancer, and restrictions on alcohol and sugar need to be considered, say World Health Organization scientists.  —  It predicts the number of cancer cases will reach 24 million a year by 2035, but half could be prevented.

Carper: US should ‘lead way’ in Bitcoin regulation  —  Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) called on the U.S. to “lead the way” on regulation of Bitcoin after a new study found most countries do not have rules in place to address virtual currencies.  —  “The United States may not be as far behind …

State police cite 44 for trespassing after ‘Add the Words’ protest blocks Senate  —  Frustrated after eight years of rejection, a group of Add the Words supporters blocked the entrance to the Idaho State Senate chamber at the Capitol in Boise Monday morning.

Rob Andrews to retire  —  Longtime New Jersey Rep. Rob Andrews will announce that he is leaving Congress, according to multiple senior Democrats.  —  Andrews has represented the heavily Democratic Philadelphia area suburbs since 1990.  —  Andrews has been under investigation …

Big Tech puts ‘down payment’ on connecting schools  —  Private companies are getting behind President Barack Obama's new push for increased access to high-speed Internet access and technology — to the tune of what they say is more than $750 million in services, training and hardware.

Scenes from the GOP Civil War  —  Republicans are supporting Democratic colleagues' Senate candidacies, while others, like Barry Goldwater, Jr., are embracing subsidies for clean energy—all small steps across old battle lines.  —  The U.S. Senate is a clubby place, so it shouldn't be all that surprising …

Senate Set to Send Farm Bill to Obama  —  Congress is poised to send a massive, five-year farm bill that provides food for the needy and subsidies for the nation's farmers to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature.  —  The Senate was expected to pass the almost $100 billion …

Joan Mondale dies at 83  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. — Joan Mondale, who burnished a reputation as “Joan of Art” for her passionate advocacy for the arts while her husband was vice president and a U.S. ambassador, died Monday.  She was 83.  —  Walter Mondale, sons Ted and William and other family members …

Eight U.S. states have policies similar to Russia's ban on gay ‘propaganda’  —  Eight states limit speech about homosexuality in ways similar to, though not as far-reaching as, the Russian ban that has received international criticism ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

“Paranoid Libertarianism” Is Just As Mainstream As Modern Liberalism  —  The specter of “paranoid libertarianism” continues to haunt American liberals.  Hot on the heels of Sean Wilentz's recent fretting in The New Republic that Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, and Julian Assange have undermined …