CBO: O-Care slowing growth, contributing to job losses  —  The new healthcare law will slow economic growth over the next decade, costing the nation about 2.5 million jobs and contributing to a $1 trillion increase in projected deficits, the Congressional Budget Office said in a report released Tuesday.

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 …

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.) …

Greens warn base will sit out election  —  Environmental groups are warning President Obama that his liberal base might stay home on Election Day if he approves the Keystone XL oil pipeline.  —  Proponents of the $5.4 billion Canada-to-Texas pipeline say their case is buoyed …

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.

Obama Aides Doubt Clinton Strategy  —  “She doesn't need this,” says Benenson.  —  Mike Theiler / Reuters  —  Top advisers and former aides to Barack Obama say Hillary Clinton is repeating the mistakes she made in 2008, building a machine in lieu of a message and lumbering toward …

Source: Rob Andrews to leave Congress  —  WASHINGTON — South Jersey Congressman Rob Andrews will resign from Congress later this month to take a job with a prominent Philadelphia law firm, a source close to the situation said Tuesday morning.  —  Andrews, a Democrat in his 24th year in the House …

The Case for Socialized Law  —  Inequality has bent American justice.  Here's a radical way to fix it.  —  Maintain and refine, maintain and refine.  That's how progressives talk about the welfare state these days.  After nearly a century of expanding government with programs like Social Security …

Ruth Wisse: The Dark Side of the War on ‘the One Percent’  —  Stoking class envy is a step in a familiar, dangerous and highly incendiary process.  —  Two phenomena: anti-Semitism and American class conflict.  Is there any connection between them?  In a letter to this newspaper …

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 …

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.

LEGISTORM PRO  —  Two weeks of unlimited access to our valuable  —  service.  See what people are talking about.  —  DISCLOSURES  —  From our files  —  Lawmakers and their staff broke a record for taking the most privately funded trips since 2007, when reforms came into effect after a major lobbying scandal.

RNC Launches Black History Month Ad Campaign  —  WASHINGTON - In recognition of Black History Month, the Republican National Committee today announced a series of paid advertisements placed with black media outlets in urban markets.  It is a first of its kind ad buy recognizing the accomplishments …

New York Times Fires Back At ‘Morning Joe’ Over Christie Scandal Coverage  —  The New York Times on Tuesday defended its recent coverage of the George Washington Bridge scandal amid steady criticism from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) most vocal allies in the media.

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.

What accounts for declining abortion rates?  —  “The abortion rate in the United States dropped to its lowest point since the Supreme Court legalized the procedure in all 50 states, according to a study suggesting that new, long-acting contraceptive methods are having a significant impact …

New York City public school kids getting new Muslim, Lunar New Year holidays  —  Mayor de Blasio said Monday that he'd move forward with closing schools for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, two Muslim holy days, and for Lunar New Year.  But he was hesitant regarding Hindu festival Diwali.