Will Chelsea Clinton's Pregnancy Become Another Right Wing Conspiracy?  UPDATED  —  It's a plot!  —  On Thursday, Chelsea Clinton made the happy announcement that she was with child: … That's wonderful news.  My niece's baby girl Millie just celebrated her first birthday and my sister …

Vladimir Putin must be called to account on surveillance just like Obama  —  I questioned the Russian president live on TV to get his answer on the record, not to whitewash him  —  On Thursday, I questioned Russia's involvement in mass surveillance on live television.

Obama Is Wrong.  Democrats Shouldn't Pivot From the Obamacare Fight.  —  The obvious inspiration for President Obama's Thursday press conference was to announce that the Affordable Care Act has eclipsed new milestones—8 million private exchange enrollees the most significant among them.

This Wily Gatecrasher at the White House Is a Red Fox  —  Elusive Fox Marked His Territory During Government Shutdown; Rose Garden Stroll  —  There's a red fox living on the grounds of the White House.  The elusive critter has called the presidential residence home since last fall, and no one's been able to catch him.

This Unsent Shade-Filled Letter From Clinton Staffers To A '90s Radio Host Is A Goddamn Masterpiece  —  A gem of a letter to Don Imus from the latest Clinton library document dump.

Deadbeat on the Range  —  Imagine a vendor on the National Mall, selling burgers and dogs, who hasn't paid his rent in 20 years.  He refuses to recognize his landlord, the National Park Service, as a legitimate authority.  Every court has ruled against him, and fines have piled up.

Salvation Gets Cheap  —  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which pools the efforts of scientists around the globe, has begun releasing draft chapters from its latest assessment, and, for the most part, the reading is as grim as you might expect.  We are still on the road to catastrophe without major policy changes.

Princeton Study: U.S. No Longer An Actual Democracy  —  A new study from Princeton spells bad news for American democracy—namely, that it no longer exists.  —  Asking “[w]ho really rules?” researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page argue that over the past few decades America's political system …

Pentagon Moves to Block Russian Spy Plane in American Skies  —  Russian surveillance planes already fly over America, thanks to a long-standing treaty.  But a new, ultra-sophisticated spy plane has U.S. military and intelligence bosses spooked.  —  The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. military …

Which states get screwed worst by the Electoral College?  —  The answer might surprise you  —  N  —  ew York state recently signed on to the National Popular Vote movement, an interstate compact designed to do an end run around the Electoral College, which as everybody knows …

Americans Think People Are Poor Because Of Bad Breaks, Not Because They're Losers: Poll  —  WASHINGTON — Conservatives often say the poor and jobless got that way because of their own personal failings, but Americans tend to blame the plain old free market.

The Debate Will Be Over When the American People Say It's Over  —  Shortly after the Supreme Court's decision on Obamacare, the CBO projected that 9 million people would buy Obamacare-compliant insurance through newly established government-run exchanges.  Now, after an enrollment period …

Dems' midterm strategy: Triage  —  House Democrats, battered by Koch brothers ads and facing a grim outlook for the midterms, are providing the clearest indication yet of how they plan to respond: By shoring up imperiled incumbents and only the most promising challengers …

First on CNN: Amy Kremer resigns from Tea Party Express  —  (CNN) - Amy Kremer, the Tea Party Express chairman who's played a major role in elections for the past five years, is resigning.  —  “This has been a really difficult decision for me, but the time has come for me to leave Tea Party Express,” Kremer said Friday.

Obama administration pushes back Keystone decision  —  Washington (CNN) - The Obama administration announced Friday that it is extending the comment period on the State Department's Keystone XL pipeline report - a move that could delay a final decision on the project indefinitely.

Merely Rich and Superrich: The Tax Gap Is Narrowing  —  Will this be the year that the superrich finally pay higher taxes than the very rich?  —  This is not, I admit, something that many people are worried about.  —  But it is an interesting fact that our current tax system assures that …

Why atheism doesn't have the upper hand over religion  —  There are certain experiences that atheism simply cannot explain  —  I  —  n my last column, I examined some of the challenges facing religion today.  Those challenges are serious.  But that doesn't mean that atheism has the upper hand.