How the Ukraine crisis ends  —  Henry A. Kissinger was secretary of state from 1973 to 1977.  —  Public discussion on Ukraine is all about confrontation.  But do we know where we are going?  In my life, I have seen four wars begun with great enthusiasm and public support …

Bernie Sanders: ‘I Am Prepared to Run for President of the United States’  —  Bernie Sanders says he is “prepared to run for president of the United States.”  That's not a formal announcement.  A lot can change between now and 2016, and the populist senator from Vermont bristles at the whole notion of a permanent campaign.

McCain Least Popular Senator in Country  —PPP's newest Arizona poll finds that John McCain is unpopular with Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike and has now become the least popular Senator in the country.  Only 30% of Arizonans approve of the job McCain is doing to 54% who disapprove.

Army's top sex assault prosecutor suspended after assault allegation … WASHINGTON — The top Army prosecutor for sexual assault cases has been suspended after a lawyer who worked for him recently reported he'd groped her and tried to kiss her at a sexual-assault legal conference more than two years ago.

Dalai Lama Opens Senate Session With Prayer  —  By DONNA CASSATA Associated Press And on Thursday, the Dalai Lama prayed in the U.S. Senate.  —  With dozen of lawmakers listening raptly, the Nobel laureate from Tibet opened the session with his favorite prayer and words of advice.

How Nate Silver Hires  —  Forget H.R. The ESPN stats star uses a graph to measure his future employees  —  Read about Nate Silver and his plans for FiveThirtyEight at ESPN in the March 17 issue of TIME.  —  Since joining ESPN in late July, Nate Silver has spent an estimated 90% …

McConnell gets lukewarm CPAC reception  —  Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) received a lukewarm reception from conservatives gathered for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday, despite delivering a speech full of conservative red meat.  —  The Senate minority leader's …

Why most conservatives are secretly liberals  —  A couple months ago, a Gallup poll recorded a small uptick in the percentage of Americans who identify as “liberal” — to 23 percent, or what Gallup, eliding the margin of error in the poll, called a “new high.”

Kirsten Gillibrand's sexual assault bill derailed  —  Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand came up short Thursday in her yearlong campaign to overhaul military sexual assault policies, falling five votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster.  —  The New York Democrat's bill that would have removed …

The Next Ailes: Newsmax's Chris Ruddy Preps TV Rival to Fox News  —  Christopher Ruddy, 49, the chief executive officer and founder of conservative media company Newsmax Media, is giving a tour of his neighborhood in an Acura driven by his chauffeur, Hector.  The car heads south on I-95 from West Palm Beach to Boca Raton.

Fury Erupts Over Racially-Charged Tweets After Westchester High School Basketball Game  —  MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Some high school students in Westchester County were under fire Wednesday evening, after their basketball team lost a close game.  —  As CBS 2's Don Champion reported …

Why I can't stand white belly dancers  —  Whether they know it or not, white women who practice belly dance are engaging in appropriation  —  Google the term “belly dance” and the first images the search engine offers are of white women in flowing, diaphanous skirts, playing at brownness.

Former IRS Official Lerner Gave Interview to DOJ  —  A former Internal Revenue Service official who declined to answer questions at a congressional hearing, citing the Fifth Amendment, gave a full interview to the Justice Department, her lawyer said.  —  That's raising questions among Republican lawmakers …

Dems slam Darrell Issa in resolution  —  House Democrats offered a motion on Thursday slamming Rep. Darrell Issa for cutting off Democrats during a hearing on Wednesday, their latest political assault on the controversial California Republican.  —  Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) …

National Council of La Raza abandons smart immigration strategy  —  You could almost hear a crack in the immigration-activist universe as Janet Murguia, president of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), called President Obama the “deporter-in-chief.”  —  Murguia has been on the front lines fighting for immigration reform for years.

Paul Ryan: Free School Lunch Means Poor Parents Don't Care About Kids  —  Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Thursday that liberals don't understand disadvantaged students would rather have parents who care for them than a free lunch at school.  —  Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference …

It's Time to Increase the Size of the House  —  “Our founders put the first amendment first for a reason.  It protects all Americans' right to free speech, regardless of political affiliation or views.”  This statement was made by former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) in 2007 …

Herald Radio  —  N.H. voters sour on Scott Brown, new Suffolk-Herald poll shows  —  Photo by:  —  Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has slipped in a new Suffolk University-Boston Herald poll when put up against New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.  —  By:  —  Joe Battenfeld