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.

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.

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.

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.

Mississippi news anchor urges the LGBT community to ‘go on a gaycation’  —  WLOX-TV (Biloxi, Mississippi) news anchor Dave Elliott, who advises the LGBT community to take a “gaycation,” is “on the air seven days a week,” according to his bio.  Maybe he's the one who should be taking the break.

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.