Federal Charges Against Jesse Jackson Jr. End Dreams of a Dynasty

February 16, 2013 The special election for Jesse Jackson Jr's seat pits a NRA-supported Democrat against gun-control advocates. The NRA's favored candidate could...

Are 65 Percent of Employers Really Struggling to Find Workers?

By Jody Brannon

February 15, 2013 America’s small businesses claim they can’t find employees, an economic poll says, but amid the 65 percent of prospective employers who claim...

Federal Charges Against Jesse Jackson Jr. End Dreams of a Dynasty

By Jill Lawrence

February 15, 2013 Jesse Jackson Sr. and Jesse Jackson Jr. were building an African-American political dynasty with the White House in its sights. That dream ended...

A Look at the Homicide Rate in Obama’s Hometown of Chicago in 3 Charts

By Matt Vasilogambros

February 15, 2013 President Obama traveled back to Chicago, his hometown and a city on track to become the murder capital of the United States.

Infographics Highlight Portrait of Hispanic Population in 2011

By Doris Nhan

February 15, 2013 Pew Research Hispanic Center has released an updated statistical portrait of the U.S. Hispanic population based on 2011 data, showing...

Who's In and Who's Out in Obama's Cabinet

By Catherine Hollander

February 15, 2013 President Obama has chosen many of the candidates for his second-term Cabinet, but he still has eight positions left to fill . Here's a look at...

The Little-Known Man Behind ExxonMobil in Baghdad

By Steve LeVine, Quartz

February 15, 2013 A bit of media attention has been drawn to ExxonMobil’s hiring of some of America’s most seasoned foreign policy hands as advisers abroad,...

Want to Know When to Expect the Next City-Killing Asteroid? Don't Ask a Scientist

By Christopher Mims, Quartz

February 15, 2013 The coincidence of today’s dramatic meteor hit in Russia and tonight’s near-miss by an asteroid, dubbed 2012 DA14, raises an important...

See More Stories »

Today's Blog Posts

President Obama got religion on early childhood education last week, proposing for the first time in his State of the Union address that all four-year-olds have access to high quality preschool.... Read more »

Hotline On Call

Drink It Up: Rubio's Response Earns a 'B' From GOP Insiders

8:00 a.m.

There's been a low bar for the opposition response to the State of the Union in recent years. By that standard, Sen. Marco Rubio , R-Fla., got a passing grade from both Democratic and Republican... Read more »

Hotline On Call

Insiders Grade Obama on State of the Union

February 16, 2013

National Journal 's Political Insiders of different parties had drastically different views of President Obama 's State of the Union address. Asked to grade his performance, nearly all of the... Read more »

Hotline On Call

Why Democrats Think They Can Retake the House in 2014

February 15, 2013

In a memo sent to House Democrats on Friday, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel said the caucus is in a stronger political position to start the 2014 campaign... Read more »

see all blogs »

Columns

Ronald Brownstein: Political Connections

Courting the Twenty-Somethings

February 14, 2013

With nods to entitlement reform, climate change, and college costs, Obama's second-term agenda aims at millennials. Read more »

Charlie Cook: The Cook Report

Death of the Swing Seat

February 14, 2013

Fewer than one-fourth of House districts are competitive. That's bad news for Democrats. Read more »

Josh Kraushaar: Against the Grain

How 'House of Cards' Gets the Biggest Thing About Washington Wrong

February 13, 2013

Power structures in Washington aren't what they used to be. Read more »

Major Garrett: All Powers

John Boehner Talks Foreplay and Immigration Reform

February 12, 2013

Speaker waxes about everything from ‘foreplay’ and immigration to poker games and the sequester. Read more »

see all columns »

Photo of the Day

.media-gallery { display: block; } .media-gallery { display: none; }

President Barack Obama comforts Mary Jo Copeland, who founded Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis, as he presented her with the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

House Speaker John Boehner when asked by a reporter what he had for his wife for Valentine's Day, Boehner responded with a playful pucker of his lips. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Secretary of State John Kerry shake hands with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, during their joit news conference at the State Department in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Jacob Lew, President Barack Obama's choice to be treasury secretary, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, before the Senate Finance Committee's confirmation hearing. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, right, joined by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, pauses as he testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the potential effects of the looming cuts to the defense budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Pope Benedict XVI leaves after attending a meeting of Vatican cardinals where he read a document in Latin in which he announced his resignation, at the Vatican, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano)

People pause for a picture while digging out their cars in Boston, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast, he said he hopes they can maintain the morning's bipartisan spirit a little longer. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Secretary of State John Kerry, with his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry, during his ceremonial swearing-in, at the State Department, Feb. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Julian Castro (foreground), San Antonio mayor, testifies on immigration before the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 5, 2013. His identical twin, Rep. Joaquin Castro is behind him to the right. (Richard A. Bloom)

San Francisco 49ers punter Andy Lee (4) looks on during a power outage in the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on the field before the Super Bowl game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens, Feb. 3, 2013, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar)

On her final day, Hillary Rodham Clinton bids farewell to employees at the State Department lobby in Washington, Feb. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Former Sens., from left, John Warner, Chuck Hagel and Sam Nunn testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the confirmation hearing for Hagel as secretary of defense. (Chet Susslin)

Mark Kelly (left) holds his wife Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee January 30, 2103. (Richard A. Bloom)

President Barack Obama waves as he arrives to speak about immigration at Del Sol High School, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)