Federal judge voids Texas' gay marriage ban, though he delays order from taking effect immediately  —  Mark Phariss of Plano, left, held the hand of partner Victor Holmes, center, as they left the U.S. Federal Courthouse in San Antonio after a hearing earlier this month.

Americans know there's no GOP ‘alternative’ to Obamacare  —  Obamacare is a disaster for Democrats, and a certain winner for Republicans.  That's what we keep hearing, anyway.  —  So why does it look as if the percentage of Americans who favor repeal may have actually shrunk since its rollout problems began?

U.S. REP. CORY GARDNER TO ENTER U.S. SENATE RACE AGAINST MARK UDALL  —  Republican Congressman Cory Gardner is planning to drop his re-election bid and run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Mark Udall, The Denver Post has learned.  —  Gardner is expected to make an announcement in a few days …

IT'S DEAD: Brewer Vetoes Anti-Gay Bill  —  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) announced Wednesday night that she has vetoed the anti-gay bill that has been sitting on her desk since last week.  —  The bill “does not address a specific or present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona,” she said in explaining her decision.

G.O.P., Though Deeply Split, Has Election Edge, Poll Shows  —  Republicans are in a stronger position than Democrats for this year's midterm elections, benefiting from the support of self-described independents, even though the party itself is deeply divided and most Americans agree …

How the Fed Let the World Blow Up in 2008  —  High oil prices blinded the Fed to the growing danger before the crash  —  It was the day after Lehman failed, and the Federal Reserve was trying to decide what to do.  —  It had been fighting a credit crunch for over a year, and now the worst-case scenario was playing out.

Dave Camp: How to Fix Our Appalling Tax Code  —  Every year Americans spend more than six billion hours and $168 billion to file their returns.  —  There have been so many changes to the tax code over the past decade that it is now 10 times the size of the Bible, but with none of the Good News.

Stretch run for Obamacare  —  Four million down.  Two million to go.  Five weeks to get it done.  —  Obamacare enrollment in a nutshell.  —  The White House announced late Tuesday that sign-ups in the federal- and state-run Obamacare insurance exchanges had surpassed the psychologically significant 4 million mark.

Va. GOP official apologizes for genital slang “error”  —  UPDATE: In an email, FitzSimmonds said he thought the word he used had the same meaning as “twaddle,” which is defined as foolish speech.  —  “The minute I found out my error, I deleted the post and apologized,” he told Pilot on Politics.

Supreme Court spectator interrupts justices  —  (CNN) — The Supreme Court was the scene of an unusual disturbance during its public session on Wednesday, when a man interrupted an oral argument.  —  The incident occurred near the end of debate between the nine justices on the bench and counsel …

For Marriage Equality, Religious Liberty, and the Freedom of Association  —  Even though I'm for marriage equality - next week I'll be filing a brief supporting the challenge to the marriage laws of Oklahoma and Utah in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit - I have no problem with Arizona's SB 1062.

Adidas to stop selling Brazil World Cup T-shirts that ‘encourage sexual tourism’  —  Sportswear maker to stop selling T-shirts before World Cup after Brazil's ministry of women's affairs said shirts were offensive  —  Adidas agreed on Tuesday to stop selling two raunchy T-shirts months ahead …

Rand Paul Blocks Surgeon General Nominee For Saying Gun Violence Is A Public Health Threat  —  On Wednesday — two years to the day after George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) placed a hold on President Barack Obama's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy …

Source: NFL begins exploring Super Bowl XLIX relocation options  —  The NFL previously stripped Arizona of a Super Bowl in 1993, relocating the game to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.  —  Even as momentum continues to build against Arizona's controversial bill that would allow businesses …

In Mississippi, 72% of the Babies Aborted Are Black  —  (CNSNews.com) - Although whites outnumber blacks in Mississippi by nearly 2-to-1, 71.67% of the babies aborted in Mississippi are black, while 26.6% are white.  —  Based on data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …

Chuck Hagel turns up heat about U.S. POW  —  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has put one of his top deputies in charge of the Pentagon's efforts to secure the release of a U.S. soldier captured in 2009 by insurgents in Afghanistan, according to a congressional aide.

What Mitch McConnell and a twice-heated biscuit have in common  —  Shortly after wrapping up her event with former President Bill Clinton, Kentucky Senate Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes sat down with me in Louisville to talk about why she thinks she can beat Sen …

Planned Parenthood reveals big 2014 game plan  —  The political arm of Planned Parenthood is preparing to launch its largest campaign offensive ever, targeting more than a dozen states and some of the cycle's top Senate and gubernatorial races to raise the alarm about the stakes …

“Stand Your Ground” Nation  —  America used to value the concept of retreat.  Now we just shoot.  —  Ever since George Zimmerman gunned down Trayvon Martin in his Sanford, Fla., gated community, it's become an article of faith that the rash of lethal shootings in public places …