Rand Paul: Parents ‘own’ children, not the state  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) doubled down on his position that most vaccines should be voluntary, suggesting Monday that mandated immunization is an example of government overreach.  —  “The state doesn't own your children,” Paul said in an interview with CNBC's “Closing Bell.”

Obama supports vaccines now — but pandered to anti-vaxxers in 2008  —  Chris Christie has come under fire for remarks suggesting that parents should have a choice in which vaccines their children do and don't receive.  Those remarks got fierce pushback from public health officials …

Uber Opening Robotics Research Facility In Pittsburgh To Build Self-Driving Cars  —  Driver-on-demand service Uber is building a robotics research lab in Pittsburgh, PA to “kickstart autonomous taxi fleet development,” sources close to the decision have confirmed to TechCrunch.

Welp, So Much for Young People  —  In recent years many progressive political thinkers have focused on the views of so-called millennials.  They are more pro-gay rights, more racially inclusive and generally have more progressive political views on a host of issues.

Nancy Reagan Turned Down Rock Hudson's Plea For Help Nine Weeks Before He Died  —  On a Sunday evening in July 1985, just hours after arriving in Paris from Los Angeles, Rock Hudson collapsed shortly after checking into the famed Ritz hotel.  —  Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor in ‘Giant’, 1956.

‘KKK’ Graffiti At South Carolina High School: ‘Happy Ni**er Month’  —  Pictures have surfaced on social media of racist graffiti at a South Carolina high school on the first day of Black History Month.  —  According to Raw Story, officials at South Pointe High School in Rock Hill confirmed …

In Net Neutrality Push, F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating Internet Service as a Utility  —  The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission this week is widely expected to propose regulating Internet service like a public utility, a move certain to unleash another round …

A Discredited Vaccine Study's Continuing Impact on Public Health  —  Vaccines: An Unhealthy Skepticism Vaccines: An Unhealthy Skepticism  —  An outbreak of measles that started at Disneyland has turned a spotlight on those who choose not to vaccinate their children.

U.S. forces declassify data on Afghan troops after watchdog dispute  —  (Reuters) - The U.S.-led force in Afghanistan is to make recently classified data on the Afghan security forces available to the public after a U.S. government watchdog complained about undue secrecy surrounding reconstruction efforts.

The GOP: Still the Party of Stupid  —  That Scott Walker speech was great?  It was shallow, tedious, and wrong.  In other words, it struck the perfect chord for today's GOP voters.  —  Mitt Romney definitely had his down sides as a candidate: the retread factor, and, as I noted two weeks ago …

In Christie's Career, a Fondness for Luxe Benefits When Others Pay the Bills  —  As Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey waited to depart on a trade mission to Israel in 2012, his entourage was delayed by a late arrival: Mr. Christie's father, who had accidentally headed to the wrong airport.

Mike Huckabee Mocks ‘Bizarre’ Michael Sam Call, Fears Gay ‘Economic Terrorism’  —  Mike Huckabee appeared last week on Dave Garrison's “Faith & Liberty” radio show, where he spoke about his new book, “God, Guns, Grits and Gravy.”  Garrison told Huckabee that he was upset about how Right Wing Watch …

Sneak peek: ‘Frozen’ returns in ‘Frozen Fever’  —  Even in the middle of winter, the world is yearning for a new Frozen.  And it's here.  —  The filmmakers who brought us the animated hit musical Frozen in November 2013 have created a seven-minute short centered around Princess Anna …

Lawmakers try again on FOIA reform  —  Less than two months after a bill to reform the Freedom of Information Act died in the House, four lawmakers announced Monday that they're taking another shot at improving the often frustrating process through which journalists, activists and other citizens can request federal government records.

Court Sets Up a Hurdle, Not a Barrier, for Insider Trading Cases  —  It is interesting to see how a few words in a judicial opinion can mean so much.  One sentence in the recent appeals court decision in United States v. Newman that overturned the convictions of two hedge fund traders …

Obama's Secret Iran Strategy  —  The president has long been criticized for his lack of strategic vision.  But what if a strategy, centered on Iran, has been in place from the start and consistently followed to this day?  —  President Barack Obama wishes the Islamic Republic of Iran every success.