Cruz: I didn't want to throw GOP under bus  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Wednesday that he did want to throw any of his colleagues under the bus by forcing a 60-vote threshold on a bill to increase the debt ceiling earlier this month.  —  Cruz said in a CNN interview that he heard …

McNider and Christy: Why Kerry Is Flat Wrong on Climate Change  —  It was the scientific skeptics who bucked the ‘consensus’ and said the Earth was round.  —  In a Feb. 16 speech in Indonesia, Secretary of State John Kerry assailed climate-change skeptics as members of the “Flat Earth Society” …

Emails link Scott Walker to secret email system  —  By Patrick Marley, Daniel Bice, Bill Glauber and Kevin Crowe of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison — Thousands of documents unsealed Wednesday revealed the closest links yet between Gov. Scott Walker and a secret email system used in his office when he was Milwaukee County executive.

CPAC Welcomes Gay-Rights Groups After Years of Exclusion  —  Meet the kinder, gentler Conservative Political Action Conference.  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, snubbed last year after palling around with President Obama, is coming.  So is GOProud, the gay-rights group that was banned …

The Clear Benefits of a Higher Wage  —  Republicans sputtered with outrage when the Congressional Budget Office said that immigration reform would lower the deficit, strengthen Social Security and speed up economic growth.  They called for the office to be abolished when it dared to point …

The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking  —  Since publishing “The Secret,” in 2006, the Australian author Rhonda Byrne has been writing self-help manifestos based on the idea that people who think positive thoughts are rewarded with happiness, wealth, influence, wisdom, and success.

New Confederate license plate brings skirmishes  —  Georgia's new license plate commemorating the Sons of the Confederacy features the Confederate battle flag more prominently than in the prior design.  The emblem, incorrectly referred to in popular culture as the “Confederate flag,” …

Dems press Holder on secret FBI letters  —  Two House Democrats are calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to make changes to secret letters that the FBI uses to get information.  —  In a letter on Wednesday, the lawmakers demanded answers about the FBI's National Security Letters …

Senate battle in Michigan: Whiskey and sled rides  —  Part of an occasional series on the hottest races of the 2014 midterm election.  —  MARQUETTE, Mich. — Braving sub-zero temperatures at the annual dog sled race here, Democratic Senate candidate Gary Peters happily indulged …

Rep. Jared Wright leaves loaded handgun in House committee room  —  In the moments after lawmakers and visitors cleared a committee room Feb. 6 following a debate on concealed handgun permits, Rep. Jonathan Singer found a black canvass bag under the table where lawmakers sit.

Release Detail  —  February 20, 2014 - Clinton Sweeps 2016 Ohio Field As Christie Drops, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Obama Approval Goes From Terrible To Bad  —  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sweeps the 2016 presidential field in Ohio as New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie …

A blue Georgia  —  Demographic changes are inevitably driving Texas and Arizona into purple — and eventually blue — territory.  The growth of the Latino population is poised to overwhelm predominantly conservative white voters in both states, absent a genuine and successful rebranding by the Republican Party.

Four Reasons The GOP Has A Huge Advantage In The 2014 Elections  —  For all their internal divisions and long-term worries as a party, political scientists and historical trends give Republicans a clear edge in the upcoming 2014 congressional elections.  —  Forget Obamacare …

What's Happening in Kiev Right Now Is Vladimir Putin's Worst Nightmare  —  I will not explain to you what is happening in Kiev tonight other than to say that it is Vladimir Putin's worst nightmare.  —  The last time that this many people came out to the Independence Square (the Maidan) …

Joe Biden: Obamacare enrollment may miss mark  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that it would be a good start for the federal health care law if 5 million to 6 million people sign up by the end of March, an acknowledgement that enrollments might fall significantly short …

Law and Politics  —  I first read about Robert A. Dahl's death earlier this month in the Yale Daily News.  Why would the editors of a student newspaper publish a Page 1 obituary of a 98-year-old political science professor who had retired from teaching well before any of today's undergraduates were born?

Exclusive: Mega-donors plan GOP war council  —  Sources say the genesis for the American Opportunity Alliance can be traced to a late September meeting in New York City.  That gathering, which drew roughly 20 major donors whose views spanned the GOP political spectrum, was organized by Singer, Ricketts and energy executive Joe Craft.

Wendy Davis fundraising off Ted Nugent  —  Texas gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott might be making waves with his Ted Nugent tour this week, but his opponent Wendy Davis is making money.  —  Specifically, her campaign is seeking to harness the controversial rocker's presence on the trail …

Judge throws out Nebraska pipeline law, complicating Keystone XL plans  —  LINCOLN, Neb. — A Nebraska judge has declared unconstitutional a 2012 law that gave the governor and state environmental regulators the authority to approve oil pipeline routes, throwing yet another obstacle in the path of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry to return to Iowa next week  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry is returning to Iowa.  —  Perry, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, will be in Des Moines and Davenport on Feb. 27th and 28th.  —  He will be sitting down with business leaders to discuss a wide range of issues …