Ted Cruz assails fellow Republicans senators for ‘trickery’  —  Beaumont, Texas (CNN) - Sen. Ted Cruz accused his own Republican leadership of “trickery” in trying to force a “show vote” on raising the debt ceiling last week, warning Republicans will get “clobbered in the polls” for not standing up for principle.

Truce crumbles amid gunfire in Ukraine, protesters claim 100 dead  —  Are you in Ukraine?  Send us your photos and experiences but please stay safe.  —  Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) — A shaky truce crumbled Thursday as gunfire erupted at Independence Square, the center of anti-government protests …

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” …

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 …

How Likely Are Democrats to Lose the Senate?  —  A few weeks ago, I produced two Senate analyses.  One focused on the relationship between the president's job approval, the fate of Senate Democrats during the 2010 and 2012 elections, and what that would mean if this relationship continues through 2014.

Arizona Senate: Business owners can cite religion to refuse service to gays  —  PHOENIX — State senators voted Wednesday to let businesses refuse to serve gays based on owners' “sincerely held” religious beliefs.  —  The 17-13 vote along party lines, with Republicans in the majority …

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 …

The Dark Power of Fraternities  —  A yearlong investigation of Greek houses reveals their endemic, lurid, and sometimes tragic problems—and a sophisticated system for shifting the blame.  —  One warm spring night in 2011, a young man named Travis Hughes stood on the back deck …

All Cities Are Not Created Unequal  —  In December 2013, President Obama gave a speech on economic mobility, in which he called income inequality and lack of upward mobility “the defining challenge of our time.”  —  That challenge is front and center in America's big cities today.

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 canvas bag under the table where lawmakers sit.

Robin Wright: D.C. reporters sleep with sources  —  Actress Robin Wright has apparently gained much insight into the inner workings of Washington through her research into her “House of Cards” character - the malevolent Second Lady Claire Underwood.  —  For instance, she gleaned this little gem …

19F - The Night Venezuela Finally Imploded  —  Tonight, Venezuela is seeing a spasm of violence that's unlike anything the country has experienced since 1989.  Information is fragmented, since an almost complete media black-out is in place, but you don't need the media to hear your neighbor's screams.

Four Numbers That Explain Why Facebook Acquired WhatsApp  —  WhatsApp Co-Founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton  —  Earlier today, Facebook announced its acquisition of WhatsApp for $16 billion.  It's a spectacular milestone for the company's co-founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton, and their remarkable team.

Here's Why Obama Can't Get Democrats To Back His Trade Deal  —  WASHINGTON — The veal pen is becoming a dangerous place.  —  U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman — President Barack Obama's top trade official — ventured into it Tuesday evening, meeting with a group of liberal leaders …

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 …

Start-Up Site Hires Critic of Wall St.  —  Matt Taibbi, who made a name as a fierce critic of Wall Street at Rolling Stone magazine, has joined First Look Media, the latest big-name journalist to leave an established brand to enter the thriving and well-financed world of news start-ups.