Gay Marriage Cleared by U.S. High Court to Start in Alabama  —  (Bloomberg) — The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex weddings to start in Alabama, letting the number of gay-marriage states climb in advance of a constitutional showdown that may mean legalization nationwide.

Brian Williams, Retreading Memories From a Perch Too Public  —  For some time now, there have been two versions of Brian Williams.  One is an Emmy-winning, sober, talented anchor on the “NBC Nightly News” and the other is a funny, urbane celebrity who hosts “Saturday Night Live,” …

Obama on American politics and economy: the Vox conversation  —  In his 2007 book The Audacity of Hope, then-Sen. Barack Obama laid out his theory of America's political and policy problems as it stood on the eve of his first presidential campaign.  He worried, he said, about …

Huckabee: Muslims Are The Only Group To Have Obama's ‘Undying’ Support  —  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) said Monday that Barack Obama's National Prayer Breakfast speech proved that Muslims are only religious group that has the President's “undying” support.

Professor Marco Rubio  —  Inside the classroom, the Florida Republican gives clues about his political future.  —  MIAMI — Without notes and seemingly without taking a breath, Marco Rubio tears through a data-heavy speech about the “fault lines” in America's politics and what he calls “the middle-class trap.”

TV host asks Holder to quack like a duck  —  Attorney General Eric Holder on Sunday refused an unusual request during an interview, declining to quack like a duck.  —  At the end of an interview that touched on the Voting Rights Act and use of force by police, MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry asked …

11 Democrats who could help themselves by challenging Hillary  —  As far as the Democratic primaries are concerned, Hillary Clinton is assembling a huge campaign organization to run against ... nobody.  A presidential contender needs an opponent, a workout, a challenge to be in shape …

Is Texas ‘Crazy’ or Is It the Real America?  —  Last week, everywhere I went in Washington it seemed as if the country's cultural and ideological divisions came down to a debate over the state of Texas and whether or not it was “a crazy state” or the “place that is still most like America.”

ISIS recruiter, once freed from Gitmo by U.S., killed in drone strike in Afghanistan  —  Story highlights  —  (CNN)He was a Taliban commander captured by the United States and held at Guantanamo Bay.  But he was let go and returned to Afghanistan.  Mullah Abdul Rauf went on to become a recruiter for ISIS in Afghanistan.

The Rand Paul Debate Society  —  New York Rep. Pete King knows he's a long shot for the GOP presidential nomination.  He has little national following, no campaign organization, and must constantly remind people he's considering a run to keep his name in the mix at all.

University of California student government passes resolution to divest - FROM AMERICA  —  The University of California Student Association board - which represents all 233,000 students enrolled in the UC system's 10 campuses - approved a resolution on Sunday that calls on the system's leaders …