Gaining Ground: Americans' Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care After the Affordable Care Act's First Open Enrollment Period  —  A new Commonwealth Fund survey finds that in the wake of the Affordable Care Act's first open enrollment period, significantly fewer working-age adults …

Pundits Collectively Lose It Over A Quote Obama Didn't Even Say  —  Many pundits on Thursday were shocked by the gall of President Obama to say that he doesn't “do photo-ops,” a mere day after glossy, White House-sanctioned shots surfaced of him sipping beer and shooting pool with the Colorado governor.

Boehner Goes Off On Obama Over Immigration Crisis  —  “When is he going to take responsibility for something?” the speaker said of the president Thursday.  —  BOEHNER: 'THIS IS A PROBLEM OF THE PRESIDENT'S OWN MAKING'  —  “This is a problem of the president's own making,” Speaker John Boehner said during his weekly press briefing.

Todd Akin's only regret  —  “Doubt me?  Google 'stress and infertility,” Akin writes of his rape comments.  AP Photo  —  Close  —  Todd Akin takes it back.  —  He's not sorry.  —  Two years after the Missouri Republican's comments on rape, pregnancy and abortion doomed his campaign and fueled a …

Germany asks CIA station chief to leave over spying allegations  —  The German government ordered the CIA's top officer in Berlin to leave the country Thursday in an extraordinary escalation of a conflict between the two allies over American espionage.  —  The move amounts to a high-profile expression …

Jill Abramson Talks Obama Secrecy and Her New York Times Firing  —  Two months after her abrupt exit from the Gray Lady, the former executive editor delivered a speech about how different Obama is from Bush—and why she was dismissed from her post.  —  Aside from her unceremonious firing …

Bloomberg dismisses Colo. Springs, Pueblo as roadless, rural backwaters … DENVER — Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is popping off about Colorado in a new Rolling Stone interview and Republicans here, who have been blasting Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper for taking cues …

Have the Anti-Obamacare Ads Backfired?  —  According to the recent report of nonpartisan analysts Kantar Media CMAG, ACA opponents have spent 450 million dollars on anti-Obamacare ads so far.  Spending on negative ads outpaced positive ones by more than 15 to 1.  This map shows the spending on negative ads in each state.

Major Union Drops Partnership With United Negro College Fund Because Of The Kochs  —  “This was a betrayal of everything the UNCF stands for,” AFSCME president says.  —  Shannon Stapleton / Reuters / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — One of the nation's largest public-sector unions is severing …

The Gaza Rules  —  Israel, unlike Hamas, isn't trying to kill civilians.  It's taking pains to spare them.  —  According to many critics, Israel is slaughtering civilians in Gaza.  It's “purposefully wiping out entire families,” says an Arab member of Israel's parliament.

Justice declines to pursue allegations that CIA monitored Senate Intel staff  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has decided not to pursue accusations that the CIA spied on the Senate Intelligence Committee and allegations that committee staff slipped classified documents from a secure agency facility, McClatchy has confirmed.

Washington man first to buy legal weed in Spokane is fired after spotted on news  —  Mike Boyer, 30, was canned Tuesday after waiting 20 hours to buy pot and immediately going home to smoke.  He was called up for urine analysis after he was spotted on TV buying the pot.  Boyer told The News he ‘regrets nothing.’

Israel Under Attack, Obama Remains Silent  —  Israel is under attack by the terrorist group Hamas.  Hundreds of rockets have fallen on its cities and towns.  Millions of Israelis run, and must pull their children, into shelters each day.  —  Prime Minister Netanyahu has discussed …

McDaniel backers killing his political future  —  By continuing the fight over the primary, Chris McDaniel and his supporters are risking a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, not to mention McDaniel's own political future.  —  CONNECT  —  Chris McDaniel, candidate for the U.S. Senate …

IRS worker suspended for urging Obama re-elect  —  An IRS help line worker has been suspended for 100 days without pay for urging callers to reelect President Barack Obama in 2012, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel announced on Thursday.  —  The employee, who was not named …