Court stops Utah gay marriages (UPDATED)  —  UPDATE 1:16 p.m. State officials said on Monday that they are evaluating the legal fate of Utah same-sex couples who already have been married.  A total of 950 marriage licenses have been issued in the state to gay and lesbian couples …

Rachel's Show  —  MSNBC, the left-leaning cable-news network, has settled on one solution to its recent problems.  It now has an executive reviewing scripts before they go on the air.  The role, which has fallen to Rich Stockwell, a former executive producer of The Ed Show and Countdown …

Sasheer Zamata Joins ‘Saturday Night Live’ As New Cast Member  —  EXCLUSIVE: Three years after she graduated from the University of Virginia, Sasheer Zamata is landing a very big break — the young comedy performer has been selected to join Saturday Night Live as a new cast member.

How global warming can make cold snaps even worse  —  The cold air pushing toward America's heartland is of a duration and magnitude rarely seen since record-keeping began in the 1870s.  In Minneapolis, forecasters warned that all-time wind chill records could be broken, with a stunning -65ºF predicted for Monday morning.

Breaking: Rep. Gerlach Will Not Seek Reelection  —  PA-6 Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-Chester) will not seek reelection in 2014.  —  “Nearing the end of my sixth term in the House and following 12 years of public service in the Pennsylvania House and Senate, it is simply time for me to move …

The Agony of Frank Luntz  —  Frank Luntz does not want the buffet.  We are on the top floor of the Capitol Hill Club, the members-only Republican hangout a block from the Capitol, where a meaty smell is emanating from steam trays.  Today's main course is ham, and Luntz shakes his head.

EXCLUSIVE: Republicans set to deliver big statement on abortion  —  Winter meeting to be delayed so members can attend March for Life on the National Mall  —  In an unprecedented show of opposition to abortion, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is delaying the start …

The Smartest Nerd in the Room  —  Why Melissa Harris-Perry is America's foremost public intellectual, and what she means  —  On Saturday, Melissa Harris-Perry apologized on air for segment that made light of the Romney clan's adoption of a young black boy.

Ready ... aim ... point ... talk  —  Handgun used as laser pointer by state official reportedly rattles foreign delegates  —  Jerome M. Hauer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's director of homeland security, took out his handgun and used the laser sighting device attached to the barrel as a pointer …

The Cleantech Crash  —  Despite billions invested by the U.S. government in so-called “Cleantech” energy, Washington and Silicon Valley have little to show for it  —  The following is a script from “The Cleantech Crash” which aired on Jan. 5, 2014.  Lesley Stahl is the correspondent.

Sorry, Comrade, But You Didn't Just Discover The Secret To Making Communism Work  —  If you're a Millennial who loves bread lines, prison camps, forced famines, and abject human misery, then you'll love the latest offering from Rolling Stone.  Over the weekend, Jesse Myerson …

CNN Poll: Support for legal marijuana soaring  —  Washington (CNN) - In a major turnaround from past decades, a majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana, according to a new poll.  —  The CNN/ORC International survey released Monday also indicated that the number of people who say smoking pot is morally wrong has plunged.

Liz Cheney Abandons Uphill Fight in Wyoming Senate Race, Citing Family Health Problems  —  Liz Cheney announced today that she was withdrawing from the Senate race in Wyoming, abruptly ending her Republican primary fight against Sen. Mike Enzi, a three-term incumbent who became a far …

How Obamacare Actually Paves the Way Toward Single Payer  —  Last week the liberal documentary-maker Michael Moore prompted indigestion across the progressive wonk community by pronouncing Obamacare “awful.”  In a New York Times op-ed, he bemoaned the way the president's law preserved …

Senate candidate suggests moving federal capital from Washington  —  One of the men seeking the GOP nomination for Nebraska's open Senate seat is proposing moving the capital from Washington to his home state, saying it would be an effective way to cut out the lobbyists and special interests …

The unbeatable Roger Ailes  —  The Fox News chief continues to crush his cable news competitors.  —  Why would you work in the cable news business?  Does anybody look their best in cable news?  The people in front of the camera look extreme, demented, desperate or vapid.

When a (Partial) Tweet Becomes an Ad, What Are the Rules?  —  The media world gets weirder every day, but this moment still stands out as something of a stunner - the kind of thing that merits a place on the eternal timeline of “How the Internet Flipped the Media World on Its Head.”  —  Picture it:

Afghanistan girl, 8, wearing suicide vest detained  —  An eight-year-old Afghan girl wearing a suicide vest has been detained by police in southern Afghanistan.  —  She was held on Sunday night in Helmand province, as she tried to carry out an attack against border police wearing a suicide jacket …

PA leader: Stages plan to eliminate Israel is basis of PA policy  —  PA leader: Stages plan to eliminate Israel  —  is basis of PA policy  —  Abbas Zaki, close associate of Mahmoud Abbas, says a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders is only first stage in the PA's program because “the inspiring idea cannot be achieved

How Al Qaeda Terrorized Its Way Back in Iraq  —  As the country edges closer to civil war, much of the blame goes to Prime Minister Maliki—and the White House.

An interview with former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, the Democrat most likely to challenge Hillary Clinton in 2016.  —  The last time he appeared on a ballot, then-Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer filmed a TV ad that consisted entirely of him shooting clay pigeons.

Chicago Ban on Gun Sales Within City Struck Down by Judge  —  A Chicago law prohibiting the sale of guns within the third-most populous U.S. city was struck down as unconstitutional by a federal judge.  —  “Chicago's ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers …