Fire Valerie Jarrett  —  If Obama really wants to shake things up, his closest adviser should be the first to go.  —  Almost since the start of Barack Obama's presidency, people who have actual, real duties in the West Wing of the White House—the working, executive part of the government …

Health Care Reform Imperiled  —  Will five Supreme Court justices eliminate essential health care subsidies for more than four million lower-income Americans, based on a contorted reading of four words?  —  It sounds inconceivable, but that would be the effect of a ruling in favor …

Sen. Rob Portman's upstream paddle toward a 2016 White House bid  —  Jonathan Karl, Richard Coolidge and Jordyn Phelps  —  When Sen. Rob Portman found himself in the middle of a river in Chile, unable to swim following a kayaking accident that dislocated his shoulder, he had one thought: Mel Gibson.

Emails Show Holder's Anger During ‘Fast and Furious’ Probe  —  WASHINGTON - Newly revealed emails show Attorney General Eric Holder trying and failing to contain his temper over the botched Fast and Furious probe, at one point saying “some people can kiss my a—” if they think he was too hard …

Poli Sci Experiment Takes Heat For Asking If Blacks Are ‘Too Demanding’  —  Like their peers across the country, when some South Carolina voters walked out of the polling station this week, they were asked to take an exit poll.  But some of the questions were a little different — things like …

Obama to Send 1,500 More Troops to Assist Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama has authorized the deployment of an additional 1,500 American troops to Iraq in the coming months, doubling the number of Americans meant to train and advise Iraqi and Kurdish forces.

Police: 4 teens accused of videotaping sex with intoxicated 15-year-old girl  —  KANNAPOLIS, N.C. —  A 16-year-old and two 15-year-olds face charges after deputies said they videotaped themselves having sex with a 15-year-old who was intoxicated.  —  Police arrested a fourth teenager Friday afternoon.

Cover Story: Obama's Elephant Problem  —  “I hope Obama finds some way to maneuver around this situation,” Liniers, the Argentine artist behind next week's cover, “The Elephant in the Room,” says.  —  “In my first draft, I had the elephant sitting on Obama's head,” he says.  “This version is a bit more subtle.”

How Much Did Your Vote Cost?  Spending Per Voter in the 2014 Senate Races  —  Totaling more than $111,000,000.00, the 2014 North Carolina Senate contest between Kay Hagan and Thom Tillis is the most expensive Senate election in the nation's history (not adjusted for inflation).

Peters widens lead over DeMaio  —  Registrar updates tally; number of uncounted ballots quickly dwindling  —  SAN DIEGO — Democratic Rep. Scott Peters widened his lead over Republican Carl DeMaio on Friday afternoon from 861 votes to a seemingly insurmountable 4,491 votes …

The Wendy Davis Experiment  —  I mentioned the Texas Democrats' gubernatorial nominee in passing in my immediate post-election post, but I can't let the week disappear without saying a bit more about the Davis candidacy's epic failure ... one that's been featured prominently in discussions …

Does Obama Even Know How to Negotiate?  —  Like many of you, I watched President Barack Obama's press conference yesterday to see how he would approach Republicans, and an electorate that just sent him a pretty harsh “Dear John” letter.  Like many of you, I was surprised at his approach.

Harvard Researchers Used Secret Cameras to Study Attendance.  Was That Unethical?  —  A high-tech effort to study classroom attendance at Harvard University that used secret photo surveillance is raising questions about research ethics among the institution's faculty members.

Report: Iran Nuclear Program More Advanced than Previously Believed  —  Iran's illicit nuclear program could be more advanced than previously believed, according to new information released Friday by an Iranian dissident group that raises new questions about what Tehran has been hiding from nuclear inspectors.