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.

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 …

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 …

Clinton endorses looking at Obamacare fixes, but defends law  —  Orlando (CNN) - Hillary Clinton backed efforts to alter Obamacare on Wednesday, but also used her remarks to a health care group in Florida to offer a full defense of the sweeping and controversial law.

Bill Clinton's rescue ride  —  Springtime is coming, baseball teams have reassembled for training, Robert Redford is back on cable playing Roy Hobbs in “The Natural” and Bill Clinton has begun his ride to rescue Democrats in the 2014 midterm elections.  —  In politics, the trick …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

GOP loves tax reform, in theory.  In reality?  Not so much  —  Washington (CNN) - Republicans, who have spent years clamoring for tax reform, were much less enthusiastic Wednesday when faced with a sweeping tax overhaul plan in an election year, reticent to discuss whether the proposal …

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 …