Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill on Refusal of Service to Gays  —  PHOENIX — Ending a day that cast a glaring national spotlight on Arizona, the state's Republican governor, Jan Brewer, decided late Wednesday to veto a bill that would have given business owners the right to refuse service to gays and lesbians on religious grounds.

Insurers become O-Care foot soldiers  —  Insurance companies are serving as foot soldiers for ObamaCare with a multimillion-dollar ad campaign intended to push customers into the insurance exchanges.  —  Though the companies are reluctant to publicize their role in the unpopular law …

Bradley A. Smith: Connecting the Dots in the IRS Scandal  —  The ‘smoking gun’ in the targeting of conservative groups has been hiding in plain sight.  —  The mainstream press has justified its lack of coverage over the Internal Revenue Service targeting of conservative groups because there's been no …

Most Americans disappointed in Obama's presidency, poll says  —  Shares -  —  Amid continued pessimism about the economy and direction of the country, 59 percent of Americans say they are disappointed in Mr. Obama's presidency (including 37 percent who are very disappointed); 40 percent are satisfied.

Republicans flip-flop on ‘judicial activism’  —  There was a time not too long ago when Republicans decried “activist judges.”  Now they're lamenting that judges are not being activist enough.  —  “Unfortunately, the courts have been reluctant to exercise their constitutionally conferred power …

Ukraine leader warns Russia after armed men seize government HQ in Crimea  —  (Reuters) - Armed men seized the regional government headquarters and parliament in Ukraine's Crimea on Thursday and raised the Russian flag, alarming Kiev's new rulers, who urged Moscow not to abuse its navy base rights …

UK spy agency intercepted webcam images of millions of Yahoo users  —  • Optic Nerve program collected Yahoo webcam images in bulk  —  • 1.8m users targeted by GCHQ in six-month period alone  —  • Yahoo: ‘A whole new level of violation of our users’ privacy'

Was Bush Really a Champion of Democracy?  —  For five years now, it's happened again and again.  A dictatorship somewhere wobbles, protesters crowd the streets, and the Obama administration strikes a careful tone, urging respect for human rights while trying to safeguard various American interests.

Generic Ballot Model Shows Senate Control at Tipping Point  —  Look for more partisan conflict and polarization in new Senate  —  Crystal Ball Senior Columnist Alan Abramowitz's discussion of his Senate elections model not only confirms how close we expect the 2014 Senate campaign will be …

Federal Judge Strikes Down Texas' Ban on Same-Sex Marriage  —  HOUSTON — A federal judge in Texas struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage on Wednesday, ruling that the laws restricting marriage to a man and a woman violated the United States Constitution and handing gay-rights advocates …

Obama's Pipeline  —  WASHINGTON — WHEN I was elected to Congress in 2002, George W. Bush was president and big business wrote environmental policy.  We all remember Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force — a who's who of mining and oil interests — and the administration's constant questioning of climate science.

New F.D.A. Nutrition Labels Would Make ‘Serving Sizes’ Reflect Actual Servings  —  WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration for the first time in two decades will propose major changes to nutrition labels on food packages, putting calorie counts in large type and adjusting portion sizes to reflect how much Americans actually eat.

De Blasio's school fight: Column  —  New York disagreement over charter schools spotlights Democrat vs. Democrat battle.  —  Most non-New Yorkers know only two things about Bill de Blasio, the city's new progressive mayor: He eats pizza with a knife and fork, and Al Roker attacked him for sending students to school in a snowstorm.

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.

Joe Biden in winter  —  “The only thing I know is I ain't changing my brand.  I know what I believe.  I'm confident in what I know.  And I'm gonna say it.  And if folks like it, wonderful.  If they don't like it, I understand.”  —  Vice President Joe Biden and I were riding the Amtrak to Philly on a frigid February day.

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, a political bombshell that is expected to alter Colorado's political landscape.

Standard Life could quit Scotland  —  Standard Life is putting in place contingency plans to relocate funds, people and operations to England if Scottish people vote for independence and what it regards as material uncertainties about money and regulation are not sorted to its satisfaction.