Top Items:


House elects John Boehner to third term as Speaker — Ohio Republican John Boehner beat back a conservative rebellion on the House floor Tuesday, winning a third and possibly final term as Speaker of the House of Representatives. — But on the opening day of the new Republican-controlled Congress …
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Monthly and The PJ Tatler
RELATED:


WHIP LIST: Boehner opposition grows — A small but growing number of Republicans say they will vote Tuesday to deny John Boehner a third term as Speaker of the House. — But ousting a sitting Speaker is a difficult feat, and a group of a dozen defectors failed two years ago to depose Boehner, the powerful Ohio Republican.

Republicans have a historic opportunity in this Congress. We can pass significant legislation and push President Obama to the bargaining table for the first time in his presidency. We can uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law. We can expand liberty and economic freedom for all Americans.
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, Hit & Run, Patterico's Pontifications and National Review


Boehner ‘no’ votes pile up
Discussion:
Rush Limbaugh, Bloomberg Politics, New York Times, RedState, NPR and Washington Post

Republicans quietly set to approve continuation of controversial Benghazi committee
Discussion:
Daily Kos

Boehner survives leadership challenge from conservative members
Discussion:
Power Line, Outside the Beltway and Daily Kos

Boehner could face biggest speaker revolt since 1923
Discussion:
Politico, Daily Signal, National Journal, TIME, Daily Kos, BarbWire.com, National Review, Booman Tribune and Hot Air

Republicans take the reins — It's game time for Mitch McConnell and John Boehner.
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Politico, Sky Dancing and ThinkProgress

Steve Scalise: Damaged goods?
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Salon, Daily Kos, PoliticusUSA, Bloomberg View and US News


White House threatens Keystone veto — The White House said on Tuesday that President Obama would veto legislation that approves construction of the Keystone XL pipeline if it passes Congress. — “If this bill passes this Congress the president won't sign it either,” …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, DeSmogBlog, PoliticusUSA, Weasel Zippers and The Moderate Voice
RELATED:


Most diverse Congress in history poised to take power
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Washington Post


Christie Faces Scrutiny Over Gifts From Cowboys Owner — Governor's Aides Said Gifts Acceptable Under State Policy — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie accepted a plane ride to Dallas and a seat at a Cowboys playoff football game in a luxury suite from team owner Jerry Jones …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Business Insider, ThinkProgress, CBS Dallas, New Jersey Online, Newsday, TVNewser, Daily Kos, The Scoop Blog, Mediaite, New York Magazine and CBS New York
RELATED:


Chris Christie Pushed Port Authority To Give Contract To Jerry Jones' Firm — Less than two years before Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones paid for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's tickets and travel to NFL games, government documents show Christie personally pushed the Port Authority to approve …

This post shamelessly uses Frederick County (Md.) Council Member Kirby Delauter's name without authorization — Kirby Delauter, a Frederick County (Maryland) Council Member threatens a local journalist (Bethany Rodgers) for ... using his name without permission in a newspaper article. No, really:
Discussion:
Free State Notes, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, Poynter, Power Line, Twitchy and Washingtonian, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:


Cop wounded in shootout not happy about de Blasio's visit — One of the cops wounded in a wild Bronx shootout didn't appreciate a hospital sympathy visit from Mayor Bill de Blasio, the wounded officer's dad told The Post on Tuesday. — The mayor accompanied NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton …
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Hit & Run, TPNN, Fox News, The Right Scoop, Hinterland Gazette, Weasel Zippers, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit


This Letter Could Restart The Case Against Darren Wilson — The NAACP Legal Defense Fund* wrote an open letter to Missouri Judge Maura McShane asking her to investigate Ferguson prosecutor Bob McCulloch and his team for misconduct. The NAACP notes that, under Missouri law …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Daily Kos, Liberal Values and St. Louis Public Radio

State Dept. Can't Explain Why Cuba Isn't Fulfilling Promises Made in Obama Deal — State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki repeatedly refused to answer questions this afternoon about the 53 political detainees Cuba promised to release as part of a deal with President Obama to normalize relations with the United States.
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler, The Daily Caller, Power Line, VodkaPundit, Hot Air and Wall Street Journal
RELATED:


Rev. Al Sharpton's Viagra prescription found in Sandy Rubenstein's home during probe that cleared famed lawyer of rape accusation: police source — The 70-year-old lawyer was accused of preying on an unconscious 42-year-old woman, a top official in Al Sharpton's National Action Network, in his Upper East Side apartment in October.
Discussion:
John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Daily Mail, TPNN, Weasel Zippers, The Right Scoop, The Daily Caller and New York Times


Last Slide — Less than a year ago, Joni Ernst wasn't famous much beyond the Iowa town of Red Oak. These days, she's making world news. — Yet Ernst, one of the most high-profile politicians to come out of Iowa, has kept a decidedly low profile in her transition from little-known state senator …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Political Wire, Hullabaloo and TheBlaze.com


Two Plainclothes Officers Are Shot in the Bronx — Two plainclothes New York City police officers were shot in the Bronx on Monday night after they tried to stop a car, the police said. — One officer was shot in the back, and another officer was shot in the arm, police officials said.
Discussion:
CBS New York, Associated Press, Gawker, Politico, Addicting Info, Washington Monthly, NPR and Washington Free Beacon
RELATED:


Apple Watch launch expected in March, retail training set for mid-February — Apple is finishing up work on the Apple Watch's software, and sources familiar with the product's development say that the device is currently on track to ship in the United States by the end of March.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Business Insider, Mashable and The Verge


Conservatives Know the Latest Obamacare Challenge Is Weak—That's Why They're Trying to Spin John Roberts — Because the stakes are so enormous, the pending conservative Supreme Court challenge to Affordable Care Act subsidies in three dozen states generates a lot of handwringing and ideological conflict.
Discussion:
Salon, GazetteXtra, ThinkProgress, bizjournals, Daily Kos and Politico


The Changing Face of America's Electorate — Political Implications of Shifting Demographics — Appendix available in the PDF and Scribd versions of this issue brief. — In the wake of the 2012 presidential election, Republican elected officials and conservative political pundits publicly bemoaned …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, American Prospect and Washington Post


I'd Love To Help My Wife Do The Dishes, But I'm Trapped Under Something Heavy — Previously, from the same author. — When my employer called me into his office and granted me paternity leave on the birth of my first child, I had no idea what I was in for.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES