‘Vote No, Hope Yes’ Defines Dysfunction in Congress  —  WASHINGTON — After the shutdown, the filibusters and years of stalled bills, it was the actual passage of legislation this week that revealed the true depth of congressional dysfunction.  —  The House vote to raise the debt limit …

Before O-Care debacle, Sebelius made many trips to White House  —  Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was in frequent contact with President Obama and senior White House aides before the disastrous launch of the federal ObamaCare exchange last year.

Comcast Set to Acquire Time Warner Cable for $45 Billion  —  Comcast will announce a deal to acquire Time Warner Cable in an all-stock deal worth more than $45 billion that will unite the biggest and second largest cable television operators in the country, according to people briefed on the matter.

Former New Orleans mayor guilty of bribery, money laundering, fraud  —  (CNN) — Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, whose desperate pleas for help during Hurricane Katrina drew national attention, walked silently out of a courthouse Wednesday after a jury convicted him of federal corruption charges.

Bill de Blasio lifts the left  —  On great matters of income inequality and social justice for what is called the 99 percent, a new star is born from the streets of New York, who has lifted the spirits of progressives everywhere.  The election of Bill de Blasio as mayor of New York City creates …

The Secularist Menace  —  Maybe I just travel in different circles from my old buddy Damon Linker.  But as a Man of the Left who is also a Christian, I just don't see the “broader, troubling trans-Atlantic trend of secular liberalism steamrolling competing, non-liberal visions of the good” that he laments at The Week.

Gary Miller to Retire From Congress (Updated) (Video)  —  California Rep. Gary G. Miller announced Wednesday he will not seek re-election.  —  “It has been a great honor to spend so many years in public service, striving to make a difference for Southern California families,” Miller said in a statement.

Rand Paul and Ken Cuccinelli accused of stealing NSA lawsuit  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been caught using purloined passages in several of his speeches.  Now the aspiring presidential candidate stands accused of filing a lawsuit stolen from its author.  —  Since December …

Sid Caesar, Comedian of Comedians From TV's Early Days, Dies at 91  —  Sid Caesar, a comedic force of nature who became one of television's first stars in the early 1950s and influenced generations of comedians and comedy writers, died on Wednesday at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 91.

Gay Republican Candidate's Ad Poses Test for Party  —  Carl DeMaio is one of three openly gay Republicans running for Congress this year, and he would be at least the third to serve in the House if he wins.  But Mr. DeMaio on Thursday will take a step that none of them has …

Wendy Davis backs 20-week abortion ban that defers to women  —  Wendy Davis said Tuesday that she would have supported a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, if the law adequately deferred to a woman and her doctor.  —  Davis, a Fort Worth senator and the likely Democratic nominee for governor …