The Effects of a Minimum-Wage Increase on Employment and Family Income  —  Increasing the minimum wage would have two principal effects on low-wage workers.  Most of them would receive higher pay that would increase their family's income, and some of those families would see their income rise above the federal poverty threshold.

President Obama Pens Personal Apology to an Art Historian  —  Art historian Ann Collins Johns of the University of Texas at Austin (image used with permission)  —  Professor Ann Collins Johns at the University of Texas at Austin was just as peeved as many people were about President Barack Obama's knock on art history majors.

Obamacare changes may include extension of risk corridors  —  CONGRESS OBAMACARE HEALTH CARE PENNAVE  —  The Obama Administration may extend beyond 2016 a federal reimbursement program for health insurance companies that lose money by participating in the newly created health care exchanges.

Ex-Rep. Baca bashes ‘bimbo’ Negrete McLeod, won't run for seat  —  Former Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) won't switch districts to run for Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod's (D-Calif.) seat.  —  “No, I'm running for the 31st Congressional seat,” Baca told The Hill when reached by phone shortly …

It's True: Liberals Like Cats More Than Conservatives Do  —  Preferences for pets or particular kinds of food can accurately predict partisanship, research from more than 200,000 TIME readers shows  —  In January, TIME ran a 12-question quiz that guessed your politics based on things …

Rand Paul's Republican revolution  —  DALLAS — It's 7 a.m. on a Saturday, Rand Paul is exhausted and airport security has just confiscated his morning joe.  —  “The TSA took away my coffee,” the libertarian-leaning senator, Houston-bound for a day of events with GOP activists, complains of the federal agency he's proposed abolishing.

Poll: 71% of Obama voters, 55% Democrats ‘regret’ voting for his re-election  —  WASHINGTON SECRETS BARACK OBAMA HILLARY CLINTON POLLS 2012 ELECTIONS 2016 ELECTIONS CAMPAIGNS MITT ROMNEY  —  Over seven in 10 Obama voters, and 55 percent of Democrats, regret voting for President Obama's reelection in 2012 …

Michael Dunn Compares Himself To Rape Victim In Newly Released Calls From Jail  —  CREDIT: AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Bob Mack, Pool  —  In newly released audio of phone calls made by Michael Dunn while in jail, the man who shot 17-year-old Jordan Davis after a loud music dispute claiming self-defense …

Kiev Protesters Set Square Ablaze to Thwart Police  —  KIEV, Ukraine — With hundreds of riot police officers advancing from all sides after a day of deadly mayhem here in the Ukrainian capital, antigovernment protesters mounted a final desperate and seemingly doomed act of defiance late on Tuesday evening …

Teachers could spank harder under bill pending in KS Legislature  —  A Kansas lawmaker wants to give school teachers and caregivers more power to spank children.  —  Kansas House member Gail Finney, D-Wichita, said the bill is designed to restore parental rights.

Holt, Science Advocate From New Jersey, Won't Seek Re-election to Congress  —  Representative Rush D. Holt Jr. of New Jersey, a research physicist who became Congress's chief advocate for scientific research over eight terms, announced on Tuesday that he is not seeking re-election this year.

Melvin Reynolds arrested in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean official says  —  HARARE, Zimbabwe — Former U.S. Rep. Melvin Jay Reynolds has been arrested in Zimbabwe, said a Zimbabwean immigration official.  —  The official, Ario Mabika, told The Associated Press Tuesday that Reynolds is being investigated.

Joe the Plumber gets a new job  —  A lot of folks are having fun with the news that “Joe the Plumber,” the Ohio man who famously tangled with Obama over his “spread the wealth” comment back in 2008, has now gotten himself a union job with Chrysler Group LLC.

After comment to Gov. McCrory, food store cook fired in Charlotte  —  CHARLOTTE — An employee at a Myers Park gourmet food store was fired after Gov. Pat McCrory's security detail complained Sunday about a comment the worker made to the governor.  —  On Sunday afternoon …

Newt Gingrich calls for John Kerry to resign  —  Newt Gingrich tweeted on Monday calling for Secretary of State John Kerry to resign because of Kerry's recent comments on climate change. … He said his wife, Callista, pointed out he had misspelled Kerry's name, as if he were related to former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Nev.).

Financier Plans Big Ad Campaign on Climate Change  —  A billionaire retired investor is forging plans to spend as much as $100 million during the 2014 election, seeking to pressure federal and state officials to enact climate change measures through a hard-edge campaign of attack ads against governors and lawmakers.

Snowden Documents Reveal Covert Surveillance and Pressure Tactics Aimed at WikiLeaks and Its Supporters  —  Top-secret documents from the National Security Agency and its British counterpart reveal for the first time how the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom targeted WikiLeaks …

Black Boy Interrupted  —  On the unfinished life of Jordan Davis  —  I got up at 5 a.m. today in hopes of making the gym before my train to D.C. I handled business and with some time to spare, walked over to my favorite bakery for a touch of that summer love, now lost to my life upon these shores.

James Piereson: The Truth About the ‘One Percent’  —  The typical ‘rich’ person works for a salary.  Only 18% are in the financial industry.  —  'Income inequality" has emerged as the issue du jour in national politics, threatening to displace the unpopular health-care law and the slow-growing economy this election year.

LRC employee fired for appearing in Grimes video  —  FRANKFORT, KY. — Charles Booker, a legislative employee who appeared in an online video of Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes' campaign for the U.S. Senate, was fired Monday for violating a staff policy against partisan political activity.

Noose Found Around The Neck Of Statue Honoring Civil Rights Icon At Ole Miss  —  Police at the University of Mississippi are investigating a racially inflammatory incident involving a statue depicting a civil rights icon.  —  According to The Daily Mississippian, the student-run newspaper at Ole Miss …

Members of Pussy Riot released in Sochi  —  Sochi, Russia (CNN) — Two members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot were detained briefly Tuesday in central Sochi, after apparently being considered suspects in a theft at their hotel, and then released.  —  “A survey in connection with the theft …