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 …

‘Ridiculous’: Administration punts on Keystone, Obama faces Dem revolt  —  FILE: February 17, 2012: Protestors rallied in front of the Lamar County courthouse before a hearing on the Keystone pipeline in Paris, Texas.REUTERS  —  The Obama administration once again has punted on a final decision …

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.

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.

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.

Obama signs bill blocking Iranian envoy  —  President Obama on Friday signed legislation aimed at stopping Hamid Aboutalebi, Iran's would-be U.N. ambassador, from entering the United States.  —  The bill, offered by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and passed unanimously in both chambers of Congress …

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 …

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.

Peoria Mayor Sends Police to Track Down Twitter Parodist  —  Politicians can be a thin-skinned bunch.  You'd think they'd let insults roll off their backs given how much power they have over the lives and livelihoods of others.  But if you have all that power, why bother letting insults roll …

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.

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.

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch on Obamacare's election toll: It'll bury Dems  —  Dem sees Obamacare crisis  —  Video of U.S. Rep Stephen Lynch talks ObamaCare on Boston Herald Radio  —  By:  —  U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, the lone member of the Bay State delegation to vote against Obama­care four years ago …

U.S. ground troops going to Poland, defense minister says  —  Poland and the United States will announce next week the deployment of U.S. ground forces to Poland as part of an expansion of NATO presence in Central and Eastern Europe in response to events in Ukraine.

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 …

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 …