Republican leaders look for escape plan on immigration  —  Republican leaders in the House and Senate are boxed in on immigration and searching for a way out.  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) are struggling to find a way to fund the Department …

Clinton willing to testify before Benghazi panel, Democrat says  —  Hillary Clinton is willing to testify before the House Select Committee that is investigating the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, according to the panel's top Democrat.  —  Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) …

Obama drops proposal to cut tax benefits of 529 college savings plans  —  President Obama on Tuesday abandoned a proposal to end a major tax benefit of popular college savings accounts used by millions of American families after the White House faced mounting criticism from lawmakers and parents.

Koch donors give Marco Rubio early nod  —  Straw poll at donor summit rates 5 GOP hopefuls.  —  Getty  —  The Koch brothers' conservative network is still debating whether it will spend any of its massive $889-million budget in the Republican presidential primaries, but the prospect …

Sheldon Silver to resign as Assembly speaker  —  Scandal-scarred Sheldon Silver Tuesday night agreed to resign as the powerful Assembly speaker.  —  Silver's decision to quit — amid calls from fellow Democrats to do so — came less than a week after being busted by the feds for allegedly using …

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: January 2015  —  Bianca DiJulio, Jamie Firth, and Mollyann Brodie … The Public's Views Of King V. Burwell And Exchanges  —  The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case, King v. Burwell, in March about whether the health care law says people in all states …

Michelle Obama's uncovered head draws Saudi Twitter critique  —  First lady Michelle Obama faced backlash from Twitter users in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for not wearing a head covering during her brief visit there with the president.  —  Obama wore loose-fitting clothes including a long blue jacket …

Mike Huckabee complains of ‘trashy’ women at Fox News  —  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said in a recent radio appearance that while in New York for his Fox News show, he experienced significant culture shock from all the “trashy” women swearing in a professional setting.

The Netanyahu Disaster  —  Benjamin Netanyahu, making friends and influencing people (Reuters/The Atlantic)  —  Benjamin Netanyahu believes he has just one job, and that is to stop Iran from getting hold of nuclear weapons.  He might argue that this description of his mission …

The importance of being Ernst  —  The just-elected Iowa senator aims to be a player in 2016.  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — Sen. Joni Ernst hasn't been in office a month, but she's already delivered the GOP response to the State of the Union.  And now the Iowa Republican is looking to parlay …

Indiana Governor to Expand Medicaid Coverage  —  Move Comes After Securing a Key Concession From Obama Administration  —  Indiana on Tuesday announced plans to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act after securing concessions from the Obama administration that could pave …

Anti-tank missile fired at Israeli military vehicle on Lebanon frontier: army  —  (Reuters) - An anti-tank missile was fired at an Israeli military vehicle near the Lebanon border on Wednesday, wounding four soldiers, a military source said.  —  The incident came several hours after Israel launched …

New All-Female ‘Ghostbusters’ Cast Chosen  —  The Paul Feig-directed reboot is eyeing a summer shoot in New York.  —  Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy  —  The all-new, all-female Ghostsbusters are here.  —  Melissa McCarthy, who was already in talks for one of the leads …

Apple's Earnings: The Staggering Numbers - The Numbers  —  Profit  —  Apple posted net of $18.0 billion for its fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 27, up 38% from $13.1 billion in the same period a year earlier.  —  Earnings Per Share  —  48%  —  Earnings per share rose more sharply …

Rick Perry loses second request to dismiss case against him  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Perry has long insisted he was exercising his line item veto authority.  —  Rick Perry was indicted for abusing his powers in the veto threat of the Public Integrity Unit.

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore says he will continue to recognize ban on same-sex marriage  —  Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has released a letter to Gov. Robert Bentley saying that he intends to continue to recognize the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and urging the governor to do so.