FROM THE BLOGS:

The GOP's lose-lose proposition on race
The Washington Free Beacon's Sonny Bunch thinks that Republicans will always be criticized for making concerted efforts to reach out to ethnic minorities.

Remembering Iraq's liberation without revisionism
Commentary's Michael Rubin argues that a few of the Iraq War's critics are finding fault with its positive aspects.

Americans for Tax Reform call chained CPI a middle-class tax increase
Fire Dog Lake's Jon Walker writes that some Republican opposition to chained-CPI could help protect Social Security.

The president's morning after
The American Prospect's Jaclyn Friedman discusses President Obama's predicament in deciding whether or not to abide by a court ruling that says emergency contraception must be made available over the counter and without age restrictions.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

McConnell campaign says FBI has 'good leads' in bugging probe
The Senate Majority Leader's campaign office is continuing its investigation into how recordings regarding Ashley Judd were leaked from his office, The Hill's Alexandra Jaffe reports.

Man angry about regulations threatens to bomb White House
Pennsylvania native Krzystzof Wasik was arrested after telling a White House guard he had a bomb in his truck, The Hill's Julian Hattem reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Obama budget in bipartisan hellfire
The Daily Beast’s John Avlon argues that a controversial budget is probably a sign of a good one.

Your children vs. the NRA
The Wall Street Journal opinion page weighs in on how Obama is framing the gun control debate.

Bloodlines get a free pass on gun control background checks
Slate’s David Weigel examines a compromise on background checks for gun purchasers that Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) unveiled Wednesday.

Texting with Anthony Weiner
The Daily Beast’s Michael Daly dissects former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D-N.Y.) recount of the infamous texting scandal.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama fought military-base closures in budget
Obama's budget calls for closing a number of military bases, reports The Hill's Jeremy Herb.

Future OMB head escapes hearing unscathed
The president's nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget appears likely to be confirmed soon, according to The Hill's Vicki Needham.

MORNING READ:

Dear Senators: Stop listening to the NRA
Alec Macgillis at The New Republic says senators are getting cowed by a relatively small but influential lobbying group instead of listening to their constituents.

Obama making a stand for guns while McConnell hides behind filibuster

Crooks and Liars blogger Karoli says Obama is acting nobly on guns while Republicans are coming off as obstructionists.

Does the GOP have the votes to filibuster Reid’s gun-control bill?
Hot Air blogger AllahPundit explains why it might not be in the GOP's best interest - or even possible - to filibuster gun control legislation.

Administration's focus on cyber security and patents is backwards
Neil Stevens of Red State says that the Obama administration's America Invents Act is just a way to take money from programs that work to fund the president's "socialist" pet projects.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Obama calling senators to talk guns vote
The Hill's Amie Parnes reports on Obama's attempts to reach out to the Upper Chamber about gun legislation.

Ayotte: ‘I don’t support a filibuster’ for gun-control legislation
The Hill's Jonathan Easley reports on Sen. Kelly Ayotte's (R-N.H.) opposition to the planned gun-control legislation filibuster.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Mitch McConnell's campaign fundraises off secret audio
Mother Jones's Tim Murphy reports on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's reelection campaign is fundraising off of the release of a secret recording of a meeting of the Kentucky Republican's campaign staff. 

Huntsman: Our political culture is a national security risk
The American Conservative's Daniel McCarthy argues that Republicans have lost their way on foreign policy.

The war against the young
Victor Davis Hanson of National Review Online wonders whether President Obama building a conservative youth movement?

Obama's second-term agenda stalls
Howard Kurtz of The Daily Beast believes that Obama's agenda on guns, immigration, and the debt could all be danger.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Gang of Eight aiming to unveil immigration bill by Thursday
The so-called Senate Gang of Eight is planning to release its comprehensive immigration reform proposal on Thursday, according to The Hill's Alexander Bolton.

GAO finds billions in wasteful, duplicative spending
Fragmented, overlapping and duplicative executive branch agency programs are costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars in unnecessary expenses annually, a new government study found, Ben Goad of The Hill reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Minority view: Why is black unemployment so high?
Human Events' Walter Williams seeks out the reasons behind the unemployment gap between races.

How America got past the anti-gay politics of the 90s
Garance Franke-Ruta of The Atlantic discusses how citizens can come to terms with politicians who have "evolved" on their view of gay marriage over the past 20 years.

Taxing quotations
Thomas Purcell of Right Wing News ruminates on the meaning behind famous tax quotes on the IRS' website.

Why women's rights are moving backwards as gay rights advance
AMERICAblog's John Aravosis analyzes the successes and failures of the women's rights movement and the same-sex rights movement.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Newtown relatives to join Obama lobbying on gun control measures
The Hill's Amie Parnes reports that relatives of some of the slain children will travel to D.C. with the president as the White House looks to launch a week of gun-control talks and actions.

Obama running short of time to burnish legacy in second term
The next few weeks are crucial to the president's long term agenda on issues like immigration and gun control, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Not for turning
The Wall Street Journal's editorial board praises the life and legacy of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who passed away earlier today.

Why Republicans don't fear public opinion on guns
The Washington Post's Greg Sargent says that many Americans are not aware of the fact that guns can be obtained without going through a background check.

'There are now states where it's not safe to be a woman'
The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel argues that new anti-abortion measures in states like North Dakota and Arkansas are too harsh.

When naivete clashes with the real world: North Korea proves benefits of missile defense
The Foundry's Michaela Dodge writes that North Korea's string of provocative actions demonstrates why having a strong missile defense system is critical.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

White House dodges questions on Beyonce, Jay-Z trip to Cuba 
The legality of the Hollywood couple's tourist trip to Cuba has come under some scrutiny, The Hill's Pete Kasperowicz reports.

Senate confirms White to lead SEC
The former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York was confirmed by unanimous consent, The Hill's Peter Schroeder reports.

FROM THE BLOGS:

How to talk about a woman's looks
Salon.com's Irin Carmon thinks President Obama's comments about California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) were unnecessary.

US Army training manual: Catholics = al-Qaeda
Peter Kirsanow of National Review writes about how the Army Reserve's equal opportunity training brief associates Catholicism with religious extremism.

Show me da money
Talking Points Memo's Josh Marshall questions whether or not money has played a role in the decision by multiple Senate Democrats to come out in support of same-sex marriage.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

White House promises Obama budget will 'blow your mind'
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Friday that President Obama's soon-to-be unveiled budget will be far more detailed than the Republican counterproposal, reports The Hill's Amie Parnes.

Federal judge lifts restrictions on sale of morning-after pill
A federal judge has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to lift restrictions on sales of the morning-after pill, according to The Hill's Elise Viebeck.

FROM THE BLOGS:

Oklahoma lawmaker only worried about potential before birth
Kaili Joy Gray from Wonkette takes a satirical approach to Oklahoma state Rep. Mike Reynolds' belief that every fetus has unfathomable potential... until that fetus is born, at which point "their potential to society is irrelevant." 

New York Times piece mistakes projected cost of dementia
Dean Baker of Beat the Press describes how The New York Times' recent piece on dementia is an example of how "the Washington elite" continually "highlight and exaggerate costs associated with an aging population."

Obama Administration deviates from North Korean playbook
Hot Air's Allahpundit debates the best way for the United States to respond to North Korea's most recent threats. 

The view from the border: The Gang of 8 offer a failed plan
RedState blogger Repair_Man_Jack says that when it comes to immigration reform, the Gang of 8 needs guidance from "the people who actually enforce the border."

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Inhofe: Prepare pre-emptive strike 'right now' on North Korea
The Hill's Justin Sink reports on Sen. James Inhofe's (R-Okla.) immense distrust of the "deranged" Kim Jong Un.

Obama 'optimistic' on immigration reform; gun control 'tougher'
The Hill's Amie Parnes reports on a speech Obama gave to donors in Atherton, Calif., in which he expressed his optimism in passing immigration reform and his concerns on gun control.

FROM THE BLOGS

The Tea Party's next bogeyman: Obama's Common Core conspiracy
Mother Jones's Tim Murphy reports on conservatives' view of new national education standards.

Blame income inequality?
Bloggers at The Foundry caution readers against making hasty assumptions about income inequality.

Rand Paul and the politics of paranoia
The Plum Line's Greg Sargent argues that Republicans should resist the far right on gun legislation.

North Korea is far from suicidal
At CNN, Sung-Yoon Lee argues that Americans should take threats by North Korea more seriously.

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

After killings, Cornyn wants prosecutors allowed to carry guns into court
The Hill's Daniel Strauss reports that Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) wants to allow federal officers to carry concealed weapons in court facilities.

Stephen Colbert rips Joe Scarborough
Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert poked fun at the MSNBC host over his support for former Gov. Mark Sanford (R), The Hill's Cameron Joseph reports.