Pelosi: I hope Romney is the GOP nominee  —  Mitt Romney has attracted an unlikely supporter in his possible 2016 White House bid: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).  —  Asked if Romney has any shot at defeating Hillary Clinton in 2016, Pelosi told The Hill, “No, no. I mean, he might be a nice person …

TRANSIT: EXCLUSIVE: Subways will run empty overnight during snowstorm, source says  —  Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynPaper.com.  —  The Brooklyn Paper  —  Ghost trains are running under Brooklyn tonight.  —  Gov. Andrew Cuomo's move to shut off …

Koch-backed network aims to spend nearly $1 billion on 2016 elections  —  RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — A network of conservative advocacy groups backed by Charles and David Koch aims to spend a staggering $889 million in advance of the next White House election, part of an expansive strategy …

Gay Alabama Lawmaker Threatens To Expose Colleagues' Marital Infidelities  —  WASHINGTON — Alabama's only openly gay legislator is putting her anti-gay colleagues on notice: If they keep espousing family values rhetoric as a reason to oppose marriage equality, she'll start making their marital infidelities public.

U.S. Spies on Millions of Cars  —  DEA Uses License-Plate Readers to Build Database for Federal, Local Authorities  —  WASHINGTON—The Justice Department has been building a national database to track in real time the movement of vehicles around the U.S., a secret domestic intelligence-gathering program …

Pence state-run news outlet will compete with media  —  Gov. Mike Pence is starting a state-run taxpayer-funded news service that will provide pre-written news stories to Indiana news outlets, as well as sometimes break news about his administration, according to documents obtained by The Indianapolis Star.

Bernie Sanders flips the script with ‘deficits’ plan  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is flipping the script on the GOP with a seven-step plan to address national “deficits” through increases in spending.  —  Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, said lawmakers must address deficits …

Hunkerin' down: Tens of millions brace for worst as historic blizzard pummels northeast  —  Tens of millions across the northeast and New England hunkered down Monday to ride out an historic blizzard, while power crews across the region anticipated massive outages amid hurricane-force winds and plunging temperatures.

Criticism of Netanyahu's planned US speech mounts in Israel  —  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing growing criticism in Israel for a planned speech to the U.S. Congress about Iran, accused by his political rivals of damaging ties with Washington to promote his election campaign.

Report: Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to Be Charged for Desertion — Here Are the Details  —  Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was reportedly held captive by Taliban militants for five years, will be charged with desertion for leaving his post, according to sources of retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer.

Everybody Hates Chris Christie  —  We're a long way from knowing who will be the Republican nominee for president in 2016.  Early polling data, however, can give us a sense for who fits the profile of past nominees, and who doesn't.  —  Since 1980, two types of candidates …

Supreme Court Rules Against Retirees in Health Benefits Case  —  Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a chemical company may be able to cut the health benefits of its retired workers, unanimously reversing an appeals court ruling that said the benefits had vested for life.

Will the next attorney general stand for the rule of law?  —  On Wednesday, Loretta Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, will raise her right hand in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and swear to tell the whole truth to lawmakers during her nomination hearing for attorney general of the United States.

Russians charged with plotting to recruit NYC co-eds as spies  —  Anna Chapman and a drawing of Igor Sporyshev in court with his lawyer.  —  A Russian espionage ring tried to recruit college co-eds and other New York City women to serve as intelligence sources following the stunning arrest …

Obamacare program costs $50,000 in taxpayer money for every American who gets health insurance, says bombshell budget report  — Stunning figure comes from Congressional Budget Office report that revised cost estimates for the next 10 years  — Government will spend $1.993 TRILLION …