U.S. Rep. Rogers will not seek re-election, heading to radio  —  House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (Jacquelyn Martin / AP)  —  U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, the 50-year-old chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who has represented Michigan in Congress since 2001 …

President Obama reflects on his first meeting with Pope Francis  —  Shares -  —  President Obama, in an interview in Rome with “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Scott Pelley, said Russia must take steps now to reduce tensions over Ukraine.  —  “It's well known and well acknowledged …

POLL: OBAMA HEALTH LAW FAILS TO GAIN SUPPORT  —  You are here  —  Home » AP Party » Poll: Obama health law fails to gain support  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Public support for President Barack Obama's health care law is languishing at its lowest level since passage …

Evangelical leader shows how GOP can finesse gay marriage  —  GAY MARRIAGE REPUBLICAN PARTY RELIGION  —  In 2008, both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain supported defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  In 2012, only Republican Mitt Romney supported traditional marriage …

Obama's Anemic Speech in Europe  —  LONDON — Having pivoted to Asia and done the de rigueur minimum over several years to keep the trans-Atlantic alliance off life-support, Barack Obama awakened with a jolt to Europe this week and, on his first visit to Brussels as president, spoke of …

Cassidy clarifies comments that uninsured are ‘less educated’  —  Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the GOP front-runner to take on Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) this cycle, sought to clarify comments he made characterizing the uninsured as “relatively less sophisticated, less comfortable with forms, less educated.”

Racist ‘joke’ has people calling for Comedy Central to #CancelColbert; Update: Tweet deleted … Is this supposed to be a joke?  Stephen Colbert thought so.  He was attempting to satirize Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder and his launch of the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation, but his joke didn't quite fly.

GOP gripes about ‘bull—  ’ vote  —  Angry House conservatives denounced the Republican leadership for abruptly ramming through a fix to Medicare doctor payments on Thursday without a full roll call vote.  —  “Outrageous,” Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) told The Hill after complaining about the maneuver to a colleague.

A Whitewash for Gov. Christie  —  Lawyers hired by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey at public expense issued their findings Thursday on the traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge in September, apparently engineered as a bizarre form of political revenge.

DGA hits GOP governors on heading to Vegas for Adelson meeting—Osborn ad pitches him as ‘true conservative’ in Neb. primary—Pryor web ad hits Cotton on equal pay—Friday standings  —  By Emily Schultheis (eschultheis@politico.com; Twitter: @emilyrs) and Jose DelReal (jdelreal@politico.com; Twitter: @jdelreal)

Hobby Lobby's secret agenda: How it's quietly funding a vast right-wing movement  —  Exclusive: How entities related to the company are quietly pumping tens of millions into a mélange of fringe causes  —  Hobby Lobby says it's just trying to protect its religious freedom.

US appeals court upholds new Texas abortion rules … AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld Texas' tough abortion restrictions that have forced the closure of nearly 20 clinics around the state, saying the new rules don't jeopardize women's health.