Steve Rattner: Jonathan Gruber was ‘the man’ on Obamacare  —  Obama has since noted Gruber was never on the White House's staff.  —  Jonathan Gruber was “the man” behind Obamacare, according to a former adviser to President Barack Obama.  —  “The problem is not that Gruber helped …

Obama in Winter  —  They say failure can be a good teacher, but, so far, the Obama administration is opting out of the course.  The post-midterm period has been one of the most bizarre of the Obama presidency.  President Obama has racked up some impressive foreign-policy accomplishments …

Keystone at Senate tipping point  —  Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and other supporters of the Keystone XL oil pipeline are stuck at 59 votes — one vote shy of the supermajority they need to move their bill forward on Tuesday.  —  Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) …

Incredible Audio Of Gov. Jay Nixon Bumbling Through An Answer About Ferguson  —  Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) has declared a state of emergency and activated the state national guard in anticipation of a grand jury decision in the shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson.

Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt On Journalists  —  Senior vice president Emil Michael floated making critics' personal lives fair game.  Michael apologized Monday for the remarks.  —  Emil Michael, senior vice president of business for Uber, in July.  —  David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Questions About Sharpton's Finances Accompany His Rise in Influence  —  The Rev. Al Sharpton, who came to prominence as an imposing figure in a track suit, shouting indignantly at the powerful, stood quietly on a stage last month at the Four Seasons restaurant, his now slender frame wrapped …

In Mr. Obama's own words, acting alone is ‘not how our democracy functions’  —  DEMOCRATS URGING President Obama to “go big” in his executive order on immigration might pause to consider the following scenario:  —  It is 2017.  Newly elected President Ted Cruz (R) insists he has won a mandate to repeal Obamacare.

Democrats lash out at Pelosi  —  House members go on the record with rare open criticism of their leader.  —  The discontent with Nancy Pelosi is breaking out in the open.  —  Democrats in the House have quietly grumbled about Pelosi since suffering devastating losses on Election Day …

The New Republican Plan To Rig The 2016 Presidential Election  —  Last week, Michigan state Rep. Pete Lund (R) revealed a plan that would rig the Electoral College to ensure Republican victories in 2016 and beyond if it were enacted in a sufficient number of states.

A Crucial Vote on the Surveillance Bill  —  The Republican Party is so badly fractured that it is impossible to tell what steps it will take on domestic surveillance once it assumes control of Congress in January.  Its rising libertarian wing wants to crack down on abuses of Americans' privacy …

Four Rabbis Are Killed in Jerusalem Synagogue Attack  —  JERUSALEM — Two Palestinians armed with a gun, knives and axes stormed a synagogue complex in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of West Jerusalem on Tuesday morning and killed four rabbis in the middle of their morning prayers, the Israeli police said.

NFL suspends Vikings RB Adrian Peterson without pay for remainder of the season  —  He will not be considered for reinstatement before April of 2015.  The NFL Players' Association said in a statement that it will appeal Peterson's suspension and is demanding a neutral arbitrator handle the appeal.

Why is Obama ignoring the experts on illegal immigration?  —  There are some important voices that have been starkly absent as President Obama gets ready to issue an executive order that would usurp federal immigration law in the coming days.  —  “We're all pretty much ticked,” …

Democrats press Obama to wait on immigration executive action  —  President Obama has a tough decision to make on the timing of an executive order to freeze deportations of illegal immigrants.  —  Senate Democrats want him to wait to give them time to pass an omnibus spending bill …

The Long Shot  —  Martin O'Malley ought to be a Democrat's dream candidate.  In two terms as the governor of Maryland, he's ushered in a sweeping liberal agenda that includes gay marriage, gun control, an end to the death penalty, and in-state college tuition for undocumented immigrants.

Peter Kassig's Powerful Silence Before ISIS Beheaded Him  —  The former Army Ranger did not address the camera.  —  It's tough to take any solace when the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria commits a murder, as it made clear yet again on Sunday it had done with the release of a video …

First on CNN: Rand Paul hires Ted Cruz's digital guru  —  (CNN) — Vincent Harris, Ted Cruz's top digital operative, is leaving the Texas senator's team to work for Sen. Rand Paul's political operation, as the jostling for staff ramps up ahead of the 2016 GOP presidential primary contest.