WATCH: Rand Paul Says Jimmy Carter Was Better on the Budget Than Ronald Reagan  —  The Kentucky senator has been hailing Reagan lately.  But a few years ago, Paul routinely knocked the Republican icon as a fiscal failure.  —  As Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) ponders a presidential bid …

An Orwellian dissent from a muddled ruling.  —  You might have heard that the Supreme Court ruled 6-2 today that states have the right to ban racial preferences, euphemistically known as “affirmative action,” in public-university admission, but that's not quite right.

Poll Shows Tight Senate Races in Four Southern States  —  Four Senate races in the South that will most likely determine control of Congress appear very close, with Republicans benefiting from more partisan intensity but a Democratic incumbent, once seen as highly vulnerable, holding a surprising edge …

D'Souza Case Is Political, Lawyer Says  —  When the conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza was charged in January with illegally using straw donors to contribute to a 2012 New York Republican Senate campaign, his lawyer denied that he had acted with any corrupt or criminal intent.

Up in Arms: Georgia Governor To Sign Controversial Gun Bill Wednesday  —  Opponents, like Stephanie Stone of Atlanta, argue the law misinterprets the Second Amendment and will promote a culture of guns.  —  “I think this bill is reckless,” she said.  “I think it's dangerous and irresponsible.”

Jihadists Now Control Secretive U.S. Base in Libya  —  A camp on the Libyan coastline meant to train terror-hunters has instead become a haven for terrorists and al Qaeda.  —  A key jihadist leader and longtime member of al Qaeda has taken control of a secretive training facility set …

Photo Of Obama In Conservative Attack Ad Is Photoshopped From Hospital Trip After Aurora Shooting  —  Conservative group Americans For Prosperity cut out the hospital and the governor of Colorado to show President Obama and Democratic Sen. Mark Udall looking sad together for a negative campaign ad.

Meet The Militia Rushing To Cliven Bundy's Defense  —  James Yeager is calling from Cliven Bundy's front yard, where he's one of several (he won't say how many) providing 24-hour security to the Bundy family.  He and his friend packed up “a full medical kit and a camera” …

Attitudes About Mandated Coverage of Birth Control Medication and Other Health Benefits in a US National Sample  —  FREE ONLINE FIRST  —  Michelle H. Moniz, MD1; Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP2; Tammy Chang, MD, MPH, MS3  —  JAMA.  —  Tables  —  References

How Lindsey Graham outmaneuvered the tea party  —  Part of an occasional series on the hottest races of the 2014 midterm election.  —  SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — Sen. Lindsey Graham recognized the threat years before it had a chance to form — and knew immediately what he had to do.

Thomas Piketty Is Right  —  Everything you need to know about ‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’  —  Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, translated by Arthur Goldhammer (Belknap Press)  —  Income inequality in the United States and elsewhere has been worsening since the 1970s.

Missouri legislature will begin impeachment proceedings against governor  —  A Missouri state House committee will hold hearings Wednesday into three proposed articles of impeachment against Gov. Jay Nixon (D), whom some Republicans say has committed offenses worthy of being removed from office.

New Records: IRS Targeted Progressive Groups More Extensively Than Tea Party  —  A series of IRS documents, provided to ThinkProgress under the Freedom of Information Act, appears to contradict the claims by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and his House Oversight and Government Reform Committee …

Call of Duty loser calls in SWAT team hoax on kid who beat him  —  Long Island police dispatched helicopters, emergency vehicles and an army of cops to a home where someone called in a bloody rampage on Tuesday.  —  They arrived with guns drawn and ready for war — only to find out the call …

Jeb Bush: I'm ‘thinking about’ 2016 run  —  Jeb Bush on Wednesday was the most vocal he's been about considering a run for the White House in 2016.  —  The Republican told a crowd of about 200 people at a Catholic Charities fundraiser in New York that he is “thinking about running for president,” according to an attendee.

Obama's Last Shot  —  The president came into office promising to make fighting climate change a priority.  Now, he finally seems to be getting serious about it … President Obama is not even halfway through his second term yet, but you can almost feel the cement hardening around his feet.