Officials ‘convinced’ two communications systems on missing jet were deliberately shut off 14-minutes apart as it emerges aircraft DID keep ‘pinging’ for hours after vanishing at 35,000 ft  — U.S. official said two separate communication systems were shut down ‘deliberately’ shortly after take-off

Pelosi: O-Care won't hurt Dems  —  Republicans are “wasting their time” using ObamaCare as an electoral issue, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said Thursday.  —  Days after the healthcare law was seen as a decisive issue in her party's special election loss in Florida …

ELECTION 2014: Lindsey Graham challenger calls SC senator “ambiguously gay”  —  COLUMBIA, SC — Four of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham's announced challengers in June's Republican primary pledged support for each other Thursday if any of them end up in a runoff with the Seneca incumbent.

Fear of Wages  —  Four years ago, some of us watched with a mixture of incredulity and horror as elite discussion of economic policy went completely off the rails.  Over the course of just a few months, influential people all over the Western world convinced themselves and each …

Ezra Klein's Queer New Hire  —  Brandon Ambrosino (Photo Courtesy of Media Matters)  —  On Tuesday, former Washington Post pundit (and Prospect alum) Ezra Klein sent a shock wave through the gay community by announcing he had hired gay anti-gay apologist Brandon Ambrosino to join him at Vox Media …

John McCain cites Ronald Reagan, slams GOP on Ukraine aid  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) ripped fellow Republicans on Thursday for objecting to a package of aid and sanctions to respond to the Ukrainian crisis, calling himself “embarrassed” and telling his GOP colleagues: “Don't call yourself Reagan Republicans.”

Warnings From the Ukraine Crisis  —  A new century's dangers begin to come into focus.  —  What has been happening in Ukraine is not a wake-up call precisely but a tugging at the attention, a demand to focus.  —  There's a sense that in some new way we are watching the 21st century take its shape and express its central realities.

A Short Guide to the Internet's Biggest Enemies  —  Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its annual “Enemies of the Internet” index this week—a ranking first launched in 2006 intended to track countries that repress online speech, intimidate and arrest bloggers, and conduct surveillance of their citizens.

A Carter Could Turn Georgia Blue  —  Dramatic population shifts put Georgia on the path to joining North Carolina and Virginia in the electoral toss-up column.  Jason Carter, Jimmy's grandson, wants to lead the way.  —  As Wendy Davis's campaign for Texas governor flounders …

EXCLUSIVE: FBI blocked in corruption probe involving Sens. Reid, Lee  —  Agents quietly working with Utah prosecutors to make case in DOJ absence  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)  —  FBI agents working alongside Utah state prosecutors …

Missed Alarms and 40 Million Stolen Credit Card Numbers: How Target Blew It  —  The biggest retail hack in U.S. history wasn't particularly inventive, nor did it appear destined for success.  In the days prior to Thanksgiving 2013, someone installed malware in Target's (TGT) …

Why It's So Hard for Obama to Be Tough on Russia  —  It is not uncommon for second-term presidents to turn more of their attention and focus to foreign policy.  Domestic politics and policy become increasingly frustrating, as the president's partisans in Congress hunker down in preparation …

The paradox of the “Ban Bossy” campaign.  —  It's a five-letter word beginning with B, and if Sheryl Sandberg and Anna Maria Chavez have their way, it will never again be used in polite company in reference to a woman, or especially a girl.  The word, of course, is “bossy.”

Number of U.S. millionaires hits new high  —  It looks like the rich have finally shaken off the recession.  —  The number of U.S. households with a net worth of $1 million or more, excluding primary residence, rose to 9.63 million in 2013, according to a new report from Spectrem Group, a consulting and research firm.

Resurrecting Republican Populism  —  If you want to cut to the heart of what's gone wrong in the Republican Party over the last two presidential cycles, you could do worse than start with this post from the liberal blogger Kevin Drum, lamenting the weakness of his own party's pitch to working and middle class voters:

Cease and desist: making false claims about the gateway effect  —  I am totally exasperated by nonsensical spin about the so-called gateway effect from pseudo-scientists, misguided officials, prohibitionists and propagandists.  —  Unable to take any more, I decided to write to Professor Stanton Glantz …

John Kerry: Russia has until Monday to reverse course in Ukraine  —  JOHN KERRY RUSSIA PENNAVE FOREIGN POLICY EUROPE UKRAINE EU CRIMEA  —  Secretary of State John Kerry warned of serious repercussions for Russia on Monday if last-ditch talks over the weekend to resolve the crisis in Ukraine failed …

Sen. Landrieu Steps Up Pressure on Kerry to Clear Keystone XL Pipeline  —  Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana intensified the pressure on Secretary of State John Kerry, a former Senate colleague, to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline.  —  During a hearing on the State Department's 2015 budget …