Good-bye, Public Life  —  Alec Baldwin, photographed by Steve Schofield.  —  As told to Joe Hagan.  —  I flew to Hawaii recently to shoot a film, fresh on the heels of being labeled a homophobic bigot by Andrew Sullivan, Anderson Cooper, and others in the Gay Department of Justice.

Harold Ramis, Chicago actor, writer and director, dead at 69  —  Best-known as an actor for ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘Stripes’, writer/director for ‘Caddyshack’, ‘Groundhog Day’  —  Chicago Tribune reporter Mark Caro reflects on the career of Harold Ramis, who passed away at the age of 69.

Michigan's John Dingell to retire from Congress after 58 years  —  Rep. John Dingell is leaving the Congress he's served for longer than anyone else in United States history.  —  At a luncheon Monday in his beloved Downriver, the Dearborn representative says he will announce he won't seek re-election …

Pentagon Plans to Shrink Army to Pre-World War II Level  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel plans to shrink the United States Army to its smallest force since before the World War II buildup and eliminate an entire class of Air Force attack jets in a new spending proposal …

Samantha Power Dives Deep...Into Incoherence  —  Yesterday U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power delivered the Daniel Pearl Lecture at UCLA and met with Pearl's parents.  Afterward, she unburdened herself of this tweet: … I saw this on Twitter late last night and pondered it for a while.

UT/TT Poll: Abbott Holds 11-Point Lead Over Davis … UT/TT Poll, February 2014: Summary UT/TT Poll, February 2014: Methodology  —  After what are shaping up to be easy primary wins in March for the leading gubernatorial candidates, Republican Greg Abbott starts the general election race …

Obama lauds nation's ‘practical’ govs  —  President Barack Obama on Monday again held up governors as examples of pragmatic public servants who aren't quite as self-interestedly political as those representing their states in Congress.  —  “You want to do right by your people …

Fewer Americans Think Obama Respected on World Stage  —  Slim majority still think world views U.S. favorably  —  PRINCETON, NJ — For the first time, more Americans think President Barack Obama is not respected by other world leaders than believe he is.  Americans' opinions have shifted dramatically …

Pierce wants Brewer to veto denial of service bill  —  Arizona Sen. Steve Pierce of Prescott is joining several gubernatorial candidates in calling for Gov. Jan Brewer to veto a controversial piece of legislation that would allow business owners to refuse to serve gays by citing their religious beliefs.

Health Care Horror Hooey  —  Remember the “death tax”?  The estate tax is quite literally a millionaire's tax — a tax that affects only a tiny minority of the population, and is mostly paid by a handful of very wealthy heirs.  Nonetheless, right-wingers have successfully convinced many voters …

Piers Morgan and CNN Plan End to His Prime-Time Show  —  There have been times when the CNN host Piers Morgan didn't seem to like America very much — and American audiences have been more than willing to return the favor.  Three years after taking over for Larry King, Mr. Morgan has seen the ratings for …

The right's sociopathic new scam: Using Americans to harm their own health plans  —  GOP-aligned groups are now exploiting innocent people who need Obamacare — by having them campaign for its demise  —  Every time an enemy of the Affordable Care Act promotes a new Obamacare “horror story …

Spy Chief James Clapper: We Can't Stop Another Snowden  —  President Obama's Director of National Intelligence spent his life protecting secrets.  Then came the biggest leak of all.  —  Every morning at around 4:30 a.m., James Clapper wakes up and prepares for the worst job in Washington.

Virginia Republican Says A Pregnant Woman Is Just A ‘Host,’ Though ‘Some Refer To Them As Mothers’  —  Steve Martin Virginia State Senate Steve Martin Virginia Steve Martin Host Steve Martin Pregnant Woman Host Pregnant Women Hosts Pregnant Woman Host Steve Martin Pregnant Women Virginia Abortion Rights Virginia GOP Politics News

4 Ways A Majority Leader McConnell Could Make Obama's Life Miserable  —  Republicans have a leg up in the Senate races in 2014, and election forecasters say they have a real chance of winning the six seats necessary to take the majority.  —  In that scenario, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will probably be the next majority leader.

Enough with the Gay Mania  —  It's one thing to be tolerant of what once were known as “alternative lifestyles.”  It's another thing to be asked to celebrate them, as the exuberant mythologizers of Michael Sam and Johnny Weir ask us to do.  And it is way beyond the pale to hold forth …

MSNBC's Ed Schultz Cancels Address At Democratic Fundraiser  —  NEW YORK — MSNBC host Ed Schultz has backed out of speaking at a Florida Democratic fundraiser next month, according to a network spokeswoman.  —  Schultz was slated as the keynote speaker at the Broward County Democrats Unity Dinner …