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.

Not waiting for Clinton, Md. Gov. O'Malley prepares for possible presidential bid  —  Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is moving ahead with preparations for a possible presidential bid and said in an interview that if he's going to lay the groundwork for a national campaign …

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 …

The Middle Class Is Steadily Eroding.  Just Ask the Business World.  —  In Manhattan, the upscale clothing retailer Barneys will replace the bankrupt discounter Loehmann's, whose Chelsea store closes in a few weeks.  Across the country, Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants are struggling …

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 …

Betrayed by the President and ObamaCare  —  ObamaCare was supposed to help me.  —  That's all I could think as I sat in the House of Representatives last Tuesday night as the guest of my congresswoman, only a few hundred feet away from President Obama as he gave his State of the Union address.

U.S. Abortion Rate Hits Lowest Level Since 1973  —  2008-2011 Decline Spans Almost All States, Suggesting State-level Restrictions Are Not the Cause  —  Early Medication Abortion Makes Up an Increasing Proportion of All Abortions  —  The U.S. abortion rate declined to 16.9 abortions per …

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.

Senators: Kerry Admits Obama's Syria Policy Is Failing  —  In a closed-door meeting, two senators say, the Secretary of State admitted to them that he no longer believes the administration's approach to the crisis in Syria is working.  Peace talks have failed, he conceded …

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.

Kentucky Senate: McConnell (R) 42%, Grimes (D) 42%  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell runs dead even with Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes in Rasmussen Reports' first look at the 2014 U.S. Senate race in Kentucky.  But McConnell's GOP primary rival Matt Bevin leads Grimes by six points.

Here, Let Ezra Explain  —  What is D.C.'s most famous young policy wonk doing leaving the Washington Post?  Trying to start a news organization he thinks could one day eclipse it.  —  On January 24, at five in the morning after his final day at the ­Washington Post …

How Obamacare killed immigration reform  —  Barack Obama has all but conceded his lame-duck status.  His State of the Union address was bereft of big ideas.  And his declaration that he will use his “pen and a phone” to issue a raft of executive orders is an admission of political impotence …

Police capture killer after prison break  —  (CNN) — Escaped Michigan convict Michael David Elliot was captured Monday in LaPorte County, Indiana, authorities said.  —  His capture ended a manhunt that kicked into overdrive after a woman abducted by Elliot managed to call 911.

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.

Coca-Cola's Multicultural Super Bowl Ad Really Angered Conservatives  —  Not many people expected the Seattle Seahawks to steamroll the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl on Sunday.  Less surprising was the right-wing outrage over an ad featuring a patriotic hymn performed in multiple languages.

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 …