Poll: Blame for DHS shutdown would fall to GOP  —  Jennifer Agiesta, CNN Director of Polling  —  Boehner tells the Senate to pass DHS funding 00:27  —  Washington (CNN)Republicans in Congress would shoulder the blame for a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security if they are unable …

Islamic State militants ‘burn to death 45 in Iraq’  —  Jihadist militants from Islamic State (IS) have burned to death 45 people in the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, the local police chief says.  —  Exactly who these people were and why they were killed is not clear …

State Dept. Spox on ISIS: “We CANNOT win this war by killing them”  —  State Department Spokesperson Marie Harf told Chris Matthews tonight that we cannot win this war with ISIS by killing them.  She said we have to get to the root cause of why people are attracted to Jihad — you know like poverty, jobs, etc...

Hillary Clinton, One on One, Curried Elizabeth Warren's Favor  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton held a private, one-on-one meeting with Senator Elizabeth Warren in December at Mrs. Clinton's Washington home, a move by the Democrats' leading contender in 2016 to cultivate the increasingly influential senator …

Krispy Kreme Hull drops ‘KKK Wednesdays’ name over Ku Klux Klan blunder  —  KKK Wednesday was advertised at Krispy Kreme in Hull.  —  Krispy Kreme branch st St Stephen's shopping centre in Hull  —  UPDATED: Doughnuts chain Krispy Kreme has apologised after causing a stir on social media by branding its new kids' club “KKK”.

Religious hate suspected in Southfield bus stop stabbings  —  A man asked two people whether they were Muslims before stabbing them at a Southfield bus stop on Saturday, the victims told police.  —  A 52-year-old Detroit man was stabbed five times; once in the face, once in the neck …

Debbie Wasserman Schultz considering 2016 Senate bid  —  Democratic insiders say the Florida rep. and DNC chair would seek Marco Rubio's seat.  —  Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chair, is strongly considering a bid for U.S. Senate …

Oklahoma Lawmakers Vote Overwhelmingly To Ban Advanced Placement U.S. History  —  Students protest proposed changes to U.S. history curriculum in Colorado  —  An Oklahoma legislative committee overwhelmingly voted to ban Advanced Placement U.S. History class, persuaded by the argument …

Pioneer Press apologizes for calling President Obama an ‘assclown’  —  This morning, the Pioneer Press created some waves by calling President Obama an “assclown.”  —  The off-color remark came in the context of the PiPress's “Loop Ten” feature, which is a slideshow that serves …

The most surprising gay marriage poll we've seen in a while  —  Everyone wants to know whether Jeb Bush can survive his support for Common Core and comprehensive immigration reform in today's Republican Party.  —  One deal-breaker that might surprise people, though: His opposition to gay marriage.

Rep. Alday publicly apologizes for race-tinged remarks  —  (Video by C. Todd Sherman / The Clarion-Ledger)  —  State Rep. Gene Alday, R-Walls, publicly apologized Tuesday for controversial statements he made in a Clarion-Ledger article that had sparked outrage among legislators.

Peter Oborne resigns, saying Telegraph's HSBC coverage a ‘fraud on readers’  —  Ex-chief political commentator launches blistering attack on paper, saying it put bank's interests before readers to save ad contract  —  Peter Oborne, the Daily Telegraph's chief political commentator …

Axelrod: No “Major Scandal” In Six Years Proves Obama Administration's Ethics  —  “I'm proud of the fact that basically you have had an administration in this place for six years in which there hasn't been a major scandal.  And I think that says a lot about the ethical strictures of this administration.”

Joe Biden takes ‘being Biden’ to new heights (or depths)  —  We've been here so many times with Joe Biden, the world's most powerful close talker, that it hardly seems worth commenting on.  But we couldn't help noticing this photo from Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony of Ashton Carter, the new Secretary of Defense.

Vandals set fire at Florida church, write ‘Allahu Akbar’  —  Melbourne police investigate possible hate crime  —  Author: Daniel Dahm, Managing Editor of ClickOrlando.com, ddahm@clickorlando.com … A possible hate crime is under investigation after a fire was set at a Central Florida church and “Allahu Akbar” was written nearby.

Russian researchers expose breakthrough U.S. spying program  —  (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives made by Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba and other top manufacturers, giving the agency the means to eavesdrop …