No one has understood Valerie Jarrett's role, until now  —  Even at this late date in the Obama presidency, there is no surer way to elicit paranoid whispers or armchair psychoanalysis from Democrats than to mention the name Valerie Jarrett.  Party operatives, administration officials …

Breitbart Issues Best Correction Since Forever  —  I generally don't like harping on other outlets' errors or the always mortifying process of issuing a correction.  It's a mix of ‘there but for the grace of God’ and, in this case, look at the source.  But I think here we may have perhaps …

Rand's grand plan  —  An inside look at the senator's presidential rollout.  —  Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has made key decisions about how to launch his presidential campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination, including a plan to headquarter his effort in Louisville and opting to run …

Billionaires Adelson and Saban, at odds in campaigns, unite on Israel and hit Obama  —  The billionaire political kingmakers planning to bankroll much of the 2016 presidential campaign spoke out together on Sunday with blunt warnings on key issues for their respective parties.

Haley Barbour apologizes after calling Obama's policies ‘tar babies’  —  Haley Barbour called President Barack Obama's policies “tar babies” on a post-election conference call for clients of his lobbying firm, two sources familiar with the call told POLITICO.

Obama doesn't rule out more troops in Iraq  —  President Obama in an interview broadcast on Sunday did not rule out the possibility of sending additional troops into Iraq.  —  The president said, however, the increase in coalition partners might mean that U.S. troop numbers begin to drop.

The Inevitability Trap  —  Hillary Clinton and the drawbacks of being the front-runner. … “I'm sorry—you tapped into something no one cares about.”  —  BUY OR LICENSE »

Couple fined for refusing to host same-sex wedding on their farm  —  Cynthia and Robert Gifford are caught in a same-sex nightmare.  They've been forced to defend themselves against claims that they're lesbian-hating homophobes.  —  “We respect and care for everyone!”  Cynthia Gifford told me.

Examining a racial slur entrenched in American vernacular that is more prevalent than ever.  —  This season, the National Football League is attempting the impossible, a reasoned but dubious mission that has already tripped up an institution as venerable as the National Association …

Cuomo had a secret re-election ‘pact’ with Republicans  —  The state's most powerful Republican secretly worked for months to help Democratic Gov. Cuomo win re-election — in exchange for Cuomo's promise not to aid Senate Democrats in their Long Island races, a top New York GOP leader has charged.

G.O.P. Is Making Progress Toward Presidency but Is Still Playing Catch-Up  —  After five of six presidential elections in which the Republicans have lost the popular vote, this year's midterm elections point toward a plausible Republican path to winning the White House.

Reagan's apology to Thatcher over Grenada revealed  —  A recorded conversation between an apologetic Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher over the invasion of Grenada has been published for the first time.  —  “We regret very much the embarrassment that's been caused to you,” the US leader said during the call.

Lichtgrenze 2014: Commemorating the Fall of the Berlin Wall  —  Numerous events were held this weekend across Berlin, Germany, remembering the November 9, 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall that once divided the city.  A project called “Lichtgrenze 2014” (literally “Lightborder 2014") was erected …