During a “Global Townterview,” Clinton promises a memoir. Rebuffs the inevitable 2016 questions.

Australian comedy duo Hamish and Andy asked Clinton a series of questions at the town hall.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she plans to write a memoir after leaving office during a "Global Townterview" event on Tuesday morning in which she took questions from people around the world.

"Yes, I will write a memoir," Clinton said. "I don't know what I will say in it yet."

Clinton said her immediate plans after leaving involve "catching up on about 20 years of sleep deprivation." Asked if she would run for president in 2016, Clinton laughed it off, saying she's "not thinking about anything like that right now."

This wouldn't be her first memoir; her first, Living History, came out in 2003. Bill Clinton's own memoir, My Life was released the next year.

A spokesman for Clinton didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the memoir.

Leading conservative voice for immigration reform also says it's too soon to tell how LGBT couples will be treated under pending bill.

Image by Alex Wong / Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Sen. Marco Rubio today bluntly warned that if President Barack Obama's immigration speech in Las Vegas this afternoon results in a "bidding war" to create the quickest pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers, it could doom efforts to pass immigration reform this year.

In a brief interview with BuzzFeed just hours before Obama was expected to give his immigration speech, Rubio — one of the architects of a Senate bipartisan set of reform principles — cautioned the president that he must be careful.

"I think he's the president and people want to know his opinion on it. I think if the president comes out today and says there's this bipartisan consensus on a series of principles, I think that's positive," Rubio said.

But, "If the early reports are true and the president is going to come out today and try to start a bidding war to see who comes up with the quickest way and fastest process to get to a green card, I think that's detrimental," the Republican lawmaker warned.

"Because we're trying to arrive at a solution here, and to find a solution we need a bill that will pass a Republican House and a Democratic Senate with 60 votes. And a bidding war is not going to do that."

As for Obama's expected call for LGBT couples to be given equal protections under any comprehensive reform plan, Rubio was less direct, noting that no details have been fleshed out so far in terms of how to implement the principles and that lawmakers will need to consider "what it means for [other] federal law[s], how it overlaps with the debate on DOMA and other issues" as they begin crafting legislation.

One of the architects of immigration reform might pull out if the border isn't secured first. But the White House may disagree.

Image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP

In an interview with Rush Limbaugh aired Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio said he wouldn't support a bill granting a pathway to citizenship to undocumented immigrants unless it first addressed border security.

Limbaugh speculated that Democrats didn't actually want secure borders, because Hispanic voters have overwhelmingly supported their candidates in recent years.

The current framework laid out by a bipartisan group of Senators this week, including Rubio, states that most of the reforms will not go into effect until action is taken to secure the border. But there have been indications that the White House will try to pursue reform without a so-called "enforcement trigger."

"To the point of them not wanting to do the security, look, all I can tell you is that that's a big issue for me," Rubio responded. "That's why I'm involved in this process. I have no reason to believe it won't happen. But if it doesn't, I'll come back to you and say look, it didn't happen. We tried, they put that in the principles, but then they drafted a bill and I couldn't support it."

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The Court's most outspoken jurist offered a frank assessment of the Constitution's status as a living document while promoting his new book, Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Text.

Scalia also told a Southern Methodist University audience, “The judge who always likes the results he reaches is a bad judge.”

Via: livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com

“It's the anchorman from Channel 8.”

Twenty years ago, John Kerry was one of several Massachusetts politicians to do a cameo on the popular show Cheers — Kerry, Michael Dukakis, and Tip O'Neill all did it at one point.

In this clip from 1992, two men mistake Kerry for a local TV anchorman.

"No, I'm John Kerry. Senator Kerry? From Massachusetts?"

Kerry also appeared in 1993 on a telecast from a pub in Boston the night the show went off the air, hosted by Jay Leno, that Leno later called a "mistake" because it had been ruined by the presence of the entire drunken cast of "Cheers."

"All those celebrities got there early and started drinking early," Leno reportedly said at the time. "And with the exception of Sen. (John) Kerry (D-Mass.), everybody was really drunk."

In a speech, the president mostly backs the bipartisan framework on the Hill with two key exceptions: treatment of same-sex couples, and the inclusion of a border security “trigger.”

Image by Jason Reed / Reuters

LAS VEGAS — President Barack Obama largely backed Senate efforts to bring about comprehensive immigration reform Tuesday, saying he was "encouraged" by the recent agreement struck by a bipartisan group of lawmakers — but departing from the framework in some key ways.

"The time has come for common-sense comprehensive immigration reform," Obama said in a crowded Nevada school gymnasium as the audience broke into chants of "si se puede."

"Yesterday, a bi-partisan group of Senators announced their principles for comprehensive immigration reform, which are very much in line with the principles I've proposed and campaigned on for the last few years," Obama said. "At this moment, it looks like there's a genuine desire to get this done soon. And that's very encouraging."

Obama's remarks, designed to raise public awareness about the need for immigration reform, largely avoided the details of the his plan and instead focused on making an emotional argument about the need for reform.

"Most of 'us' used to be 'them,'" Obama said. "Unless you were one of the first Americans — a Native American — you came from someplace else," he added, listing off waves of immigrants. "All of those folks — before they were 'us,' they were 'them.'"

Obama's proposal, laid out in a fact sheet distributed by the White House, differs in two ways from the congressional one: it treats same-sex couples the same way as straight couples, and doesn't include a "trigger mechanism" to make reform contingent on stricter border security efforts. Both are potential deal-breakers with congressional Republicans, though neither earned a direct mention from Obama in his remarks.

"Unless there's real enforcement triggers, we're not going to have a bill that moves on," Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said Tuesday in an interview with radio host Rush Limbaugh.

"Any solution should be a bipartisan one, and we hope the President is careful not to drag the debate to the left and ultimately disrupt the difficult work that is ahead in the House and Senate," warned Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner.

A senior administration official sought to downplay the disagreement over the border security mechanism.

"What's important about the Senate framework, as well as the proposal from the administration, is how similar they are," the official said aboard Air Force One before Obama's remarks. "We don't have a lot of details [about what the Senate is ultimately going to put into legislation.]...At the end of the day, we think we know how to get this done in a way that's fair, in a way that provides people with a pathway to full inclusion in our society, but that does so in a way that puts them at the back of the line behind folks who are waiting in line for permanent visas."

White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer said the most important thing is that there be a "credible" path to citizenship as soon as possible, echoing Obama's statement that "it must be clear from the outset that there is a pathway to citizenship." He noted that congressional lawmakers don't yet agree on what the trigger might entail.

"This is what we believe this reform should include, and we know we might not get all of it," added an official, on the same-sex couples component, adding that Obama will press Senate lawmakers to incorporate his ideas.

In his remarks, Obama said if Congress doesn't act "in a timely fashion," he'll send his own bill "and insist that they vote on it right away."

Asked about the timeframe, Pfeiffer wouldn't put a specific deadline on congressional efforts on the bipartisan proposal, saying as long as progress is being made the White House will be supportive of the effort.

FACT SHEET: Fixing our Broken Immigration System so Everyone Plays by the Rules

America's immigration system is broken. Too many employers game the system by hiring undocumented workers and there are 11 million people living in the shadows. Neither is good for the economy or the country.

It is time to act to fix the broken immigration system in a way that requires responsibility from everyone —both from the workers here illegally and those who hire them—and guarantees that everyone is playing by the same rules.

President Obama's commonsense immigration reform proposal has four parts. First, continue to strengthen our borders. Second, crack down on companies that hire undocumented workers. Third, hold undocumented immigrants accountable before they can earn their citizenship; this means requiring undocumented workers to pay their taxes and a penalty, move to the back of the line, learn English, and pass background checks. Fourth, streamline the legal immigration system for families, workers, and employers.

Together we can build a fair, effective and commonsense immigration system that lives up to our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.

The key principles the President believes should be included in commonsense immigration reform are:

· Continuing to Strengthen Border Security: President Obama has doubled the number of Border Patrol agents since 2004 and today border security is stronger than it has ever been. But there is more work to do. The President's proposal gives law enforcement the tools they need to make our communities safer from crime. And by enhancing our infrastructure and technology, the President's proposal continues to strengthen our ability to remove criminals and apprehend and prosecute national security threats.

· Cracking Down on Employers Hiring Undocumented Workers: Our businesses should only employ people legally authorized to work in the United States. Businesses that knowingly employ undocumented workers are exploiting the system to gain an advantage over businesses that play by the rules. The President's proposal is designed to stop these unfair hiring practices and hold these companies accountable. At the same time, this proposal gives employers who want to play by the rules a reliable way to verify that their employees are here legally.

· Earned Citizenship: It is just not practical to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants living within our borders. The President's proposal provides undocumented immigrants a legal way to earn citizenship that will encourage them to come out of the shadows so they can pay their taxes and play by the same rules as everyone else. Immigrants living here illegally must be held responsible for their actions by passing national security and criminal background checks, paying taxes and a penalty, going to the back of the line, and learning English before they can earn their citizenship. There will be no uncertainty about their ability to become U.S. citizens if they meet these eligibility criteria. The proposal will also stop punishing innocent young people brought to the country through no fault of their own by their parents and give them a chance to earn their citizenship more quickly if they serve in the military or pursue higher education.

· Streamlining Legal Immigration: Our immigration system should reward anyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules. For the sake of our economy and our security, legal immigration should be simple and efficient. The President's proposal attracts the best minds to America by providing visas to foreign entrepreneurs looking to start businesses here and helping the most promising foreign graduate students in science and math stay in this country after graduation, rather than take their skills to other countries. The President's proposal will also reunify families in a timely and humane manner.

Continuing to Strengthen Border Security

· Strengthen border security and infrastructure. The President's proposal strengthens and improves infrastructure at ports of entry, facilitates public-private partnerships aimed at increasing investment in foreign visitor processing, and continues supporting the use of technologies that help to secure the land and maritime borders of the United States.

· Combat transnational crime. The President's proposal creates new criminal penalties dedicated to combating transnational criminal organizations that traffic in drugs, weapons, and money, and that smuggle people across the borders. It also expands the scope of current law to allow for the forfeiture of these organizations' criminal tools and proceeds. Through this approach, we will bolster our efforts to deprive criminal enterprises, including those operating along the Southwest border, of their infrastructure and profits.

· Improve partnerships with border communities and law enforcement. The President's proposal expands our ability to work with our cross-border law enforcement partners. Community trust and cooperation are keys to effective law enforcement. To this end, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will establish border community liaisons along the Southern and Northern borders to improve communication and collaboration with border communities, boost funding to tribal government partners to reduce illegal activity on tribal lands, and strengthen training on civil rights and civil liberties for DHS immigration officers.

· Crack down on criminal networks engaging in passport and visa fraud and human smuggling. The President's proposal creates tough criminal penalties for trafficking in passports and immigration documents and schemes to defraud, including those who prey on vulnerable immigrants through notario fraud. It also strengthens penalties to combat human smuggling rings.

· Deporting Criminals. The President's proposal expands smart enforcement efforts that target convicted criminals in federal or state correctional facilities, allowing us to remove them from the United States at the end of their sentences without re-entering our communities. At the same time, it protects those with a credible fear of returning to their home countries.

· Streamline removal of nonimmigrant national security and public safety threats. The President's proposal creates a streamlined administrative removal process for people who overstay their visas and have been determined to be threats to national security and public safety.

· Improve our nation's immigration courts. The President's proposal invests in our immigration courts. By increasing the number of immigration judges and their staff, investing in training for court personnel, and improving access to legal information for immigrants, these reforms will improve court efficiency. It allows DHS to better focus its detention resources on public safety and national security threats by expanding alternatives to detention and reducing overall detention costs. It also provides greater protections for those least able to represent themselves.

Cracking Down on Employers Who Hire Undocumented Workers

· Mandatory, phased-in electronic employment verification. The President's proposal provides tools for employers to ensure a legal workforce by using federal government databases to verify that the people they hire are eligible to work in the United States. Penalties for hiring undocumented workers are significantly increased, and new penalties are established for committing fraud and identity theft. The new mandatory program ensures the privacy and confidentiality of all workers' personal information and includes important procedural protections. Mandatory electronic employment verification would be phased in over five years with exemptions for certain small businesses.

· Combat fraud and identity theft. The proposal also mandates a fraud‐resistant, tamper‐resistant Social Security card and requires workers to use fraud‐and tamper‐resistant documents to prove authorization to work in the United States. The proposal also seeks to establish a voluntary pilot program to evaluate new methods to authenticate identity and combat identity theft.

· Protections for all workers. The President's proposal protects workers against retaliation for exercising their labor rights. It increases the penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers to skirt the workplace standards that protect all workers. And it creates a "labor law enforcement fund" to help ensure that industries that employ significant numbers of immigrant workers comply with labor laws.

Pathway to Earned Citizenship

· Create a provisional legal status. Undocumented immigrants must come forward and register, submit biometric data, pass criminal background and national security checks, and pay fees and penalties before they will be eligible for a provisional legal status. Agricultural workers and those who entered the United States as children would be eligible for the same program. Individuals must wait until the existing legal immigration backlogs are cleared before getting in line to apply for lawful permanent residency (i.e. a "green card"), and ultimately United States citizenship. Consistent with current law, people with provisional legal status will not be eligible for welfare or other federal benefits, including subsidies or tax credits under the new health care law.

· Create strict requirements to qualify for lawful permanent resident status. Those applying for green cards must pay their taxes, pass additional criminal background and national security checks, register for Selective Service (where applicable), pay additional fees and penalties, and learn English and U.S. civics. As under current law, five years after receiving a green card, individuals will be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship like every other legal permanent resident.

· Earned citizenship for DREAMers. Children brought here illegally through no fault of their own by their parents will be eligible for earned citizenship. By going to college or serving honorably in the Armed Forces for at least two years, these children should be given an expedited opportunity to earn their citizenship. The President's proposal brings these undocumented immigrants out of the shadows.

· Create administrative and judicial review. An individual whose provisional lawful status has been revoked or denied, or whose application for adjustment has been denied, will have the opportunity to seek administrative and judicial review of those decisions.

· Provide new resources to combat fraud. The President's proposal authorizes funding to enable DHS, the Department of State, and other relevant federal agencies to establish fraud prevention programs that will provide training for adjudicators, allow regular audits of applications to identify patterns of fraud and abuse, and incorporate other proven fraud prevention measures.

Streamlining Legal Immigration

· Keep Families Together. The proposal seeks to eliminate existing backlogs in the family-sponsored immigration system by recapturing unused visas and temporarily increasing annual visa numbers. The proposal also raises existing annual country caps from 7 percent to 15 percent for the family-sponsored immigration system. It also treats same-sex families as families by giving U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the ability to seek a visa on the basis of a permanent relationship with a same-sex partner. The proposal also revises current unlawful presence bars and provides broader discretion to waive bars in cases of hardship.

· Cut Red Tape for Employers. The proposal also eliminates the backlog for employment-sponsored immigration by eliminating annual country caps and adding additional visas to the system. Outdated legal immigration programs are reformed to meet current and future demands by exempting certain categories from annual visa limitations.

· Enhance travel and tourism. The Administration is committed to increasing U.S. travel and tourism by facilitating legitimate travel while maintaining our nation's security. Consistent with the President's Executive Order on travel and tourism, the President's proposal securely streamlines visa and foreign visitor processing. It also strengthens law enforcement cooperation while maintaining the program's robust counterterrorism and criminal information sharing initiatives. It facilitates more efficient travel by allowing greater flexibility to designate countries for participation in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of designated countries to visit the United States without obtaining a visa. And finally it permits the State Department to waive interview requirements for certain very low-risk visa applicants, permitting resources to be focused on higher risk applicants and creates a pilot for premium visa processing.

· "Staple" green cards to advanced STEM diplomas. The proposal encourages foreign graduate students educated in the United States to stay here and contribute to our economy by "stapling" a green card to the diplomas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) PhD and Master's Degree graduates from qualified U.S. universities who have found employment in the United States. It also requires employers to pay a fee that will support education and training to grow the next generation of American workers in STEM careers.

· Create a "startup visa" for job-creating entrepreneurs. The proposal allows foreign entrepreneurs who attract financing from U.S. investors or revenue from U.S. customers to start and grow their businesses in the United States, and to remain permanently if their companies grow further, create jobs for American workers, and strengthen our economy.

· Expand opportunities for investor visas and U.S. economic development. The proposal permanently authorizes immigrant visa opportunities for regional center (pooled investment) programs; provides incentives for visa requestors to invest in programs that support national priorities, including economic development in rural and economically depressed regions ; adds new measures to combat fraud and national security threats; includes data collection on economic impact; and creates a pilot program for state and local government officials to promote economic development.

· Create a new visa category for employees of federal national security science and technology laboratories. The proposal creates a new visa category for a limited number of highly-skilled and specialized immigrants to work in federal science and technology laboratories on critical national security needs after being in the United States. for two years and passing rigorous national security and criminal background checks.

· Better addresses humanitarian concerns. The proposal streamlines immigration law to better protect vulnerable immigrants, including those who are victims of crime and domestic violence. It also better protects those fleeing persecution by eliminating the existing limitations that prevent qualified individuals from applying for asylum.

· Encourage integration. The proposal promotes earned citizenship and efforts to integrate immigrants into their new American communities linguistically, civically, and economically.

David Smith began at the nation's largest LGBT rights group in 1995. He also worked for Sen. Edward Kennedy.

President Barack Obama has spoken multiple times at the Human Rights Campaign's national dinner.

Image by Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool / Getty Images

NEW YORK CITY — The nation's largest LGBT group announced a major staffing change today, as Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin told board members and staff that HRC vice president of policy and strategy David Smith will be leaving the organization in June.

Smith has been with the organization off and on since the 1990s, leaving at one point to serve as the communications director for Sen. Edward Kennedy.

The move is the second senior staff announcement in recent weeks. Jeff Krehely — currently the vice president of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress — was named HRC's chief foundation officer on Jan. 22.

The changes are the two highest-profile staff moves since Griffin took over the helm of the organization in June 2012.

Griffin and Smith's letters follow:

Good afternoon,
There are few who have done more to advance the cause of LGBT equality than David Smith. Most of you know him best as HRC's Vice President of Policy and Strategy, but his lifetime of service began when the progress we know today was still just a distant dream—a dream urged on a small core of advocates like David.
Today, every lesbian and gay service member openly defending the country they love, every committed LGBT couple that is wed, each hate crime that goes punished and every welcoming workplace, hospital, church and statehouse bears the mark of his labor. Nearly every aspect of the Human Rights Campaign as it currently exists was made possible by his vision, his dedication and his unflinching belief that we should dream big.
That's why it's with a heavy heart and eminent gratitude that I announce David's decision to leave HRC in order to pursue an exciting new chapter in his career at the end of June.
David will leave behind an incredible record of accomplishment. Even before he started at HRC in 1995, David had spent the better part of his career fully engaged in the fight for LGBT equality. During his first tenure at HRC, he coordinated one of our first national television ad campaigns and led our response to the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard—putting hate crimes on the national agenda. He was on the team that established our first National Dinner, where then-President Bill Clinton would be the first sitting president to speak before an LGBT group. His work made HRC a household name.
After a year and a half spent serving as Communications Director to the late Senator Edward Kennedy, David returned to HRC in 2005 as Vice President of Policy and Strategy. Since then, he's overseen our legislative, legal, communications and Foundation programs during a truly incredible period of accomplishment—including the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and the expansion of marriage equality from New York to Washington state.
Those of you who have worked with David directly know him to be incredibly passionate, kind, hard-working and generous. He's been a mentor, a sounding-board, and an advocate for good ideas wherever they emerge. His institutional memory is second to none, and he cares deeply, profoundly and wholly about the work we do.
His words speak best: "I have loved every minute spent at HRC, and when I look around today I see an incredible staff that is making equality a reality nationwide with tireless work, savvy and fresh ideas. I know that I've played a role in building the organization as it now exists, and this fact gives me enormous professional pride. But it also gives me the satisfaction of knowing that the institution is in good hands—that the strength of this organization today gives me the liberty to try something new for myself."
We wish David the very best as he charts this new course in his career. I thank him from the bottom of my heart for his advice as I took on this job last year, and I will be forever grateful for his service to our community.
David's letter to me follows.

Chad

Smith's letter:

January 29, 2013
Chad Griffin
President
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Dear Chad,
One week after a defining moment in the LGBT movement, I'm writing to share with you some thoughts about my professional future. After more than three decades spent serving in our movement for equality—nearly two decades of which were here at HRC—I believe the time has come for me to pursue professional opportunities elsewhere.
I have loved every minute spent at HRC, and when I look around today I see an incredible staff that is making equality a reality nationwide with tireless work, savvy and fresh ideas. I know that I've played a role in building the organization as it now exists, and this fact gives me enormous professional pride. But it also gives me the satisfaction of knowing that the institution is in good hands—that the strength of this organization today gives me the liberty to try something new for myself. So it's with the feelings of a proud parent that I submit my resignation, effective June 30th, 2013.
When I joined this organization in the 1990s, our central goal was to consolidate our political power and to master its effective use. In the last decade, we exercised that power to halt discrimination and to enact federal laws that made a difference in millions of lives. Today, our progress and our public support grow faster every day, and they show no signs of slowing down—so much so that marriage equality soon will be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court.
To have been part of this national transformation has been a profound and humbling privilege. The passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the enactment of marriage equality in New York, and our victories this past November—as well as the remarkable and gifted teams I've worked with and led to help secure these victories—will stay with me forever.
But with the successful election and Inauguration behind us, now is the perfect time to chart the next phase of my career. I hope these next few months will give you ample time to make the decisions you deem necessary with regard to the position I will vacate.
I leave with the highest confidence that you are going to accomplish great things at HRC. Our community could have no greater warrior-general at the helm of its largest civil rights organization, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve with you and others for all these years.
My very best wishes,
David

Congress and the president are debating whether same-sex couples should be a part of immigration reform. But the Supreme Court could change the rules dramatically.

Image by Paul Sancya / AP

President Obama and some Congressional leaders already have parted ways over whether same-sex couples should be included in a broad overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, with some legislators even warning that their inclusion would be a "poison pill" for conservatives.

But both sides will have to keep their eyes on the Supreme Court, which will hear arguments in March on whether the Defense of Marriage Act's federal prohibition on recognizing same-sex couples' marriages is constitutional. The question of whether the non-citizen same-sex spouse of an American can get a green card — currently prohibited by DOMA — could be, for the most part, answered before the end of June.

As Obama addressed immigration reform in Las Vegas Tuesday, Sen. John McCain — one of the four Republican backers of the Senate framework announced Monday — warned that including same-sex couples in the legislation — would be a "red flag."

If the Supreme Court strikes down Section 3 of DOMA, however, the Department of Homeland Security likely would begin recognizing marriages legally entered into by same-sex couples and would then grant green cards where appropriate.

The court ruling is far from certain, though, so LGBT advocates and their congressional supporters are likely to continue to push for the inclusion of same-sex couples in immigration reform legislation as the discussion progresses.

Those who have not expressed support for including same-sex couples in the reform, meanwhile, could be hoping that the Supreme Court saves them from a vote on what many see as a losing position. Sen. Marco Rubio, for instance, told BuzzFeed that lawmakers will need to consider "what it means for [other] federal law[s], how it overlaps with the debate on DOMA and other issues."

Even if the court were to strike down Section 3 of DOMA, though, it is not yet clear how the Department of Homeland Security, in processing green card applications, will handle same-sex couples living in states where same-sex couples cannot marry.

The legislative effort that has been included in past Democratic reform frameworks is the Uniting American Families Act, a bill that does not only apply to same-sex married couples but rather creates a new category, called a "permanent partner," that could include any same-sex couple in a long-term relationship. A fact sheet released by the White House Tuesday states the president's blueprint for reform "treats same-sex families as families by giving U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the ability to seek a visa on the basis of a permanent relationship with a same-sex partner."

Despite all the action this week, though, any move on the issue by Congress in the coming months will need to consider — and could be dramatically altered by — the Supreme Court's consideration.

Palin and Fox News parted ways last week. Here are some suggestions for her next professional move straight from her Facebook page.

"Get in the fight to save the USA!"

Image by Joe Raedle / Getty Images

"You need to be out front MORE Sarah."

Image by : Peter Kramer / Getty Images

"be the peoples GENERAL to lead the fight against the peoples enemy"

Image by Mark Wilson / Getty Images

"Hoping and praying that you have some magic up your sleeves."

Image by : Peter Kramer / Getty Images

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More ratings woes for FNC since Obama's reelection.

January marked Fox News Channel’s lowest 25-54 demo delivery for Monday-Sunday Primetime and Sales Prime (M-Su 7p-2a) since August 2001.

January was also the worst month ever for FNC’s On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren in the 25-54 demo. It was also Fox's lowest total at 10 pm since July '08.

January saw MSNBC up 11% in the 25-54 demo from Jan. 2012.

MSNBC remained #1 with African American viewers during primetime for the 36th consecutive month.

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While the White House tries to take credit for movement on immigration reform, Congress worries he'll just muck it all up. “There's enough friction points already, I just don't want to get into a fight with the president over some of his ideas,” says Graham.

Image by Carolyn Kaster / AP

LAS VEGAS — As the nation inches closer to comprehensive immigration reform than it has been in 20 years, the often tortured relationship between the Obama White House and Capitol Hill remains perhaps the most significant obstacle standing in the way.

In short: President Barack Obama wants to look like a leader, and Congress just wants him to get out of the way.

In the days leading up to the speech, word leaked from sources close to the White House that Obama would break with the Senate in two key areas even as he expressed excitement that immigration reform "is in our grasps."

Obama's plan called for equal treatment for same-sex couples under proposed reforms, and didn't include a "trigger" to make a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants conditional on further border security.

Democrats fretted that his proposal would torpedo their fragile agreement with Republicans. Republicans, who need immigration reform to reach out to Hispanic voters and ensure the survival of their party, simply hoped he would stay out of the way.

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney tried to credit the recent developments on the issue to Obama.

"It's happening because the President has demonstrated significant leadership on this issue," he said.

Flying cross-country Tuesday for four hours just to deliver a 25-minute speech, Obama was trying to project just that, while trying to avoid repeating the sort of sins that have earned him a reputation for being tone deaf when it comes to Congress.

Going into Obama's speech, Republicans and Democrats alike acknowledged they were worried the president would upset the apple cart in both chambers where bipartisan groups of lawmakers have worked for months to come to agreements on comprehensive reform.

"If the president comes out today and says there's this bipartisan consensus on a series of principles, I think that's positive," Sen. Marco Rubio said prior to the speech. But if "the president is going to come out today and try to start a bidding war to see who comes up with the quickest way and fastest process to get to a green card, I think that's detrimental."

Sen. Lindsey Graham said he remains skeptical that a broad deal on a policy issue like immigration reform can actually get done.

"I'm not confident we haven't lost our minds... I'm not so sure we're capable of doing better," he said. "I'm really not — I'm not so sure we have it within our ability here, to do the things we should do for the country as a whole if we can't solve sequestration. If you can't get bipartisanship around the idea of not destroying education and the military, well where are you going to find bipartisanship?"

On Obama's role, Graham argued "the best way to do this is to work together and not have an argument about a left bill versus a right bill versus a middle bill, and get consensus from the get go."

"When you start putting out concepts that are probably not going to be accepted … you create friction," he said. "There's enough friction points already, I just don't want to get into a fight with the president over some of his ideas."

He added that it would be better if members of the House and Senate met with Obama behind closed doors to finish hashing out the details: "I think that would be the smart way to do it. We've got a chance to do it this year, but it could fail."

Graham bluntly warned that not including an enforcement trigger would face "bipartisan opposition" in the Senate and that LGBT language would be a poison pill. "Yeah, I mean, why don't we just put taxpayer funded abortion in there and round it out," Graham said sarcastically.

And though the White House immigration proposal does include provisions for same-sex couples, Obama carefully avoided mentioning it in his speech. Democrats breathed an audible sigh of relief at the president's vague address.

"The President is handling this perfectly," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, one of the architects of the Senate deal. "He is using the bully pulpit to focus the nation's attention on the urgency of immigration reform and set goals for action on this issue. But he is also giving lawmakers on both sides the space to form a bipartisan coalition."

Obama encouraged lawmakers to work quickly to pass legislation, warning — as he has at many times throughout his presidency to limited effect — that if Congress doesn't act he will introduce his own bill.

White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer told BuzzFeed that Obama's threat only applies if Congress abandons negotiations, adding that the administration is "very encouraged" by the efforts on both sides to reach an agreement.

Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner, was nonplussed by Obama's remarks in a statement to reporters, cautioning Obama not to muck up a potential agreement.

"There are a lot of ideas about how best to fix our broken immigration system. Any solution should be a bipartisan one, and we hope the President is careful not to drag the debate to the left and ultimately disrupt the difficult work that is ahead in the House and Senate.

After six years of deadlock, it the White House and Congressional leaders are on the verge of passing compromise immigration legislation. Acting like grownups, getting things done — as long as you're down with legalizing undocumented immigrants.

We can get along!

A bipartisan group of senators announced this week that they have reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws.

Image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Immigration reform.

The deal covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in this country.

Image by John Moore / Getty Images

The President agrees.

But most sensationally, the White House, Democratic and Republican lawmakers are seeming to agree on a key issue that has needed mending for decades.

Image by Jason Reed / Reuters

And New York says:

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Under attack from Bloomberg, Rep. Debbie Halvorson tells BuzzFeed she speaks to both sides of gun debate.

A former Illinois Congresswoman who is under assault from a pro-gun-control super-PAC funded largely by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg distanced herself from the National Rifle Association Tuesday in an interview with BuzzFeed.

Rep. Debbie Halvorson is one of three leading candidates in the race to replace Jesse Jackson, Jr. in Congress. The election, scheduled for February 26, will be the first federal election since the shootings at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Conn. The super-PAC's ads lay out a case against the candidate's "abysmal gun safety record," according to a press release.

"My win will not be a victory for the NRA," Halvorson said. "This will be a big victory for having someone at the table who can speak to both sides of this issue. That's the victory that having me win will be."

"How can it be a victory for NRA when I'm for universal background checks, beefing up the database, going after straw buyers, and making sure we register our guns? These are not things the NRA wants," she said.

One of her opponents is calling for Halvorson to release the NRA questionnaires that have in the past garnered her their "A" rating.

"I haven't filled one out in years, so I don't see how releasing one would make a difference," she said. "I'm not even seeking the NRA's endorsement."

Halvorson has said Chicago should focus on mental health and background checks for gun users.

"I haven't been outspoken for gun rights," she said. "But I have talked about the fact that there is no need to go after law-abiding citizens when there are things we can do right now to get the guns out of the hands of criminals."

She listed universal background checks, gun registration, and improved record keeping among the policies she supports.

"I am thrilled at this national conversation that the president and vice president have started," she said. "That's what my experience will bring. When I win, that experience and understanding of the issues will be a victory for having someone at the table from all sides and to make sure that these mass murders don't happen again."

One of Halvorson's opponents,Sstate Rep. Robin Kelly is asking Halvorson and the other leading candidate, state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, to release the National Rifle Association questionnaires they answered in previous elections.

Hutchinson, who in 2010 was given an "A-" ranking by the NRA, has changed her gun control stance from previous elections. In 2010, Hutchinson was blunt about her support of gun rights in a news release.

"The 2nd Amendment gives an American the right to bear arms to protect themselves and their property," the release stated. "Law-abiding citizens don't need any more infringements on their constitutional right to protect their families and their property."

Hutchinson has now come out in support of a ban on assault weapons.

"We need to ban assault weapons, cop-killer bullets, high-capacity magazines, and high-caliber ammunition," her website states. "We also need to take steps to close the gun-show loophole and ensure that those suffering from mental illness cannot purchase weapons."

Halvorson said her opponent's flip-flop will represent a bigger concern to voters —especially in a congressional district that includes many hunters.

"I don't have time to pay attention to all of my opponents, but it's going to be hard for [Hutchinson]," Halvorson said. "Now, she's more concerned with changing and getting her Chicago vote. If she had spent time like I had talking to people all over the district, she would understand that there are single moms out there who are working two and three jobs coming home at two in the morning who want the ability to own a gun because they're concerned for their safety."

Halvorson charged that her opponent's new views were a response to recent gun dialog.

"A lot of this is a knee-jerk reaction to national public opinion," she said.

The Kelly campaign, meanwhile, hopes to capitalize on the issue and on Bloomberg's intervention.

"The voters deserve to know how Toi and Debbie both earned 'A's' from the pro-gun lobby, which is notoriously known for only issuing 'A's' to its very strongest supporters," Kelly said.

So far, neither candidate has released their NRA questionnaires.

"What we have here is a very clear contrast. We have two candidates, Toi Hutchinson and Debbie Halvorson, who both have lifetime 'A' ratings from the NRA, and have been recipients of NRA support," Kelly's campaign manager, Jon Blair, told BuzzFeed. "Both are refusing to release their NRA questionnaires. On the flip side, we have Robin Kelly, who has spent her career fighting against gun violence, and has a lifetime 'F' rating from the NRA, of which she is very proud."

The president's support will make their case easier.

Image by Jacquelyn Martin / AP

WASHINGTON — Invigorated by President Barack Obama's proposal Tuesday to grant equal immigration privileges to same-sex couples as part of an immigration reform package, some congressional Democrats are preparing to push for such a provision to be added to the bipartisan Senate framework unveiled Monday.

"I think that, in general, the Democrats are going to fight very hard for that inclusion in the comprehensive immigration reform act," Rep. Mike Honda, a California Democrat who has championed immigration reform inclusive of LGBT protections, said in an interview with BuzzFeed.

Republicans have already begun to dismiss the issue as a nonstarter: Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, among the Senate's Gang of Eight on immigration, said sarcastically of the idea, "Yeah, I mean, why don't we just put taxpayer funded abortion in there and round it out?"

It could nevertheless enjoy some prominence, Honda said, because, for one, "the complexion of congress is changing" and there are a greater number of LGBT lawmakers than ever before — including the first openly gay senator, Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

But this particular facet of immigration reform might have garnered scarce attention if not for the president's public support, building off the theme of legal equality in his inaugural address — which has already begun to embolden House Democrats for a fight.

"I think it sets up the parameters for the debate," Honda said.

The president's stance will also grant House Democrats, perhaps more so than their Senate counterparts, a convenient excuse to pursue the issue further.

"The fact that this is the White House position will make House Democrats dig in more than if Obama embraced the Schumer/McCain package and basically told us fall in line," a House Democratic aide said.

After the president delivered his immigration speech in Nevada on Tuesday, in which he unveiled the tenets of his proposal, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi applauded the president's priorities — and paid explicit lip service to immigration reform that would include LGBT couples.

"His proposal seeks to keep LGBT couples together and ensures we attract the best and the brightest in science, technology, engineering, and math to our country," Pelosi said. In the past, Pelosi has also expressed support for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus statement of principles, which includes protections for LGBT immigrants.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did not mention the issue in his own statement praising the president.

Other Democratic senators were not so quiet, including Sen. Patrick Leahy, the chair of the judiciary committee, through which immigration legislation will need to pass. Leahy celebrated multiple parts of the bill, including "the assurance that every family, including binational gay and lesbian spouses, receives equal treatment under the law."

"True reform must address all these issues," Leahy added.

In 2011, Leahy sponsored the Uniting American Families Act in the Senate, which would have done what the president now wants to do. The House version, which was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, received support from more than 140 other lawmakers.

Neither bill came to a vote, but both measures unveiled a strong enough stable of support in each chamber for such a debate.

The House Democratic aide, explaining why this aspect of immigration reform might take hold among Democrats, noted, "Most of them...are on board with the Uniting American Families Act, which is a huge priority for the LGBT community, and this is really just an extension of that."

But it's early yet. Discussions about LGBT protections and other provisions in an immigration reform package will not take place in earnest until legislation has been crafted.

A new bicameral task force will make the case for Republicans to act on climate change. Another cap and trade bill not likely, says Whitehouse.

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), co-chairs of a new task force on climate change, speak at a news conference on January 24, 2013.

Image by Alex Wong / Getty Images

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, one of Congress's few outspoken environmental advocates, is making a new argument for legislative action on climate change: Lawmakers who oppose future measures to reverse global warming, Whitehouse argues, will pay a price — in votes.

Whitehouse, who last Thursday announced the formation of a bicameral task force to address the issue, compared climate change to social issues like gay rights and immigration reform that Democrats claim are moving to the center.

"I'm hoping we can convince Republicans that this is a big generational issue and, like being on the wrong side of immigration and gay rights, there will be a huge political crisis to pay in the future for being on the wrong side of climate change," said Whitehouse, the Democratic junior Senator from Rhode Island, in an interview with BuzzFeed.

"There is absolutely no doubt that climate change is going to be a dominant political issue before long," Whitehouse added. "People who have been recalcitrant servants of the pollutants industry will end up being disgraced and swept out of office."

The question, he said, is "whether or not the timeline for that is soon enough that we can actually do something."

That Whitehouse believes climate change could be a winning electoral issue shows just how far the issue has come since 2006, when former Al Gore was global warming's lone crusader, and Davis Guggenheim's blockbuster documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, was just barely dragging climate change onto the national stage.

But the argument could also be wishful thinking on Whitehouse's part. Polling by the Pew Research Center on global warming indicates that last year only 42 percent of Americans say that "the rise in the earth's temperature has mostly been caused by human activity"; in 2006, that figure stood at 47 percent of Americans.

More recent polling by CNN — conducted after President Obama's Inaugural address, in he said ignoring climate change woud "betray our children and future generations" — casts an even more discouraging picture for climate activists. In the poll, 49 percent of Americans agreed with Obama that global warming was caused by human activity — a figure down seven points since 2007.

Whitehouse said his task force, co-chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, would in part be dedicated to pushing those numbers back up through public awareness. The group will also focus on building a membership across both the House and Senate, and will ultimately try to put together legislation, although Whitehouse says the group is "still working on what the legislation will be."

Taking up another cap and trade bill to limit carbon emissions — similar to the one in 2009 that failed in the Senate — would be near impossible, suggested Whitehouse, because "Republicans have spent so much time opposing it," he said. "It would be one of the harder ones."

But Whitehouse did not rule out a carbon tax as one piece of legislation the task force would consider. The Senator said he would support "any way that we can find to put a tax on carbon, or a price on carbon, that is commensurate with the future costs of carbon pollution. It's basic Econ-101 to put the cost into the price of the product. That's not controversial, unless you apply it to this set of industries that just want to have it their way."

Whitehouse has been a staunch supporter of legislative action on climate change since he assumed office in 2007. He cares about issue so much, he says, in part because he's from Rhode Island, a state that has "a multi-century relationship with the sea." For the past year, Whitehouse has spoken once a week on the floor of the Senate to address the need to pass new legislation and take on his colleagues who refuse to acknowledge climate change as a man-made phenomenon.

"There are two categories of colleagues on the Republican side," he said. "The people whose eyes glaze over on climate change, who don't want to hear about it and go into denial. And then there are the people who know better and are afraid that this is going to be the issue that could take them down in a tea party primary."

"The fear among rational Republicans is a very real problem for progress," said Whitehouse, adding that those members of Congress may make a shift on the issue if they believe it will cost them with constituents.

"If we can make that case," said Whitehouse, "then the door is open a little bit for bipartisan legislation."

“You must act. Be bold, be courageous. Americans are counting on you,” Giffords tells lawmakers.

Image by Chip Somodevilla - Getty

WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Gabby Giffords Wednesday made a surprise appearance at a Senate gun control hearing, making an emotional plea for Congress to quickly tackle the problem of gun violence.

"Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important. Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something," Giffords told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"It will be hard, but the time is now. You must act. Be bold, be courageous. Americans are counting on you. Thank you," Giffords added.

Giffords was not scheduled to speak at the hearing, although her husband Mark Kelly was. Giffords was gravely injured in 2011 when a gunman attacked a community event she was hosting in her district.

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Lots of competition for just 160 positions.

Within 24 hours of posting openings for the majority of their new positions, Al Jazeera America received 5000 applications for open positions, a number that has grown to 8,063 over the past three days, a network source told BuzzFeed.

Al Jazeera caused a stir earlier this month when it was announced that the Qatar-based network had bought the struggling liberal channel Current from Al Gore for $500 million, and would use it to expand into American coverage.

It further stoked speculation in the media world when it posted 160 digital and editorial positions. The ads were placed on Al Jazeera.com and Current.com as well as other prominent job listing sites like the New York Times, Washington Post, and LinkedIn.

Deval Patrick never wanted the fuss.

Governor Deval Patrick introduces Mo Cowan at a press conference in Boston on Wednesday.

Image by Brian Snyder / Reuters

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's appointment of Mo Cowan, his former chief of staff, to the interim Senate seat vacated by John Kerry came as a surprise to many who expected the governor to choose retiring Rep. Barney Frank. But among the Massachusetts political class, the pick wasn't a shock: Frank's campaign never worked on the only person whose vote he needed.

"I predicted Mo Cowan weeks ago," said Mary Anne Marsh, a Boston Democratic operative and political analyst. "I've been hearing it for weeks."

"Here's what happened to Barney," Marsh said. "His campaign peaked too soon and he pissed Patrick off by campaigning."

Frank had been telling reporters he would be open to taking the interim Senate seat made available by Kerry's nomination as Secretary of State, and had built up a sense of momentum among progressive activists. It was a momentum that was more D.C. myth than reality, even despite a boost from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who called Frank an "extraordinary" option for the job and referred to him as "my tutor, my guide."

"The governor had been clear that what he really wanted was a person who would be a caretaker, make sure the clocks run on time, and vote the way Kerry would have," said one Democratic operative in Boston. "Those are all the things Barney would have done, but it's the extra stuff he would have done that, the extra flair he would have brought to things, that the gov didn't want."

"Everything that Mo's going to do has a big stamp on it that says 'approved by Deval Patrick,'" the operative said. "Barney has his own agenda."

"It ended up being two completely closed circles operating: One around the gov making the pick, and then the frenzy around picking Barney. But I don't think it was ever very serious here — to the extent that you can lobby for the job, I don't think Barney really did it."

Patrick has been trying to push a number of policies through in the last two years of his term, and was recently holding multiple press conferences each week, where reporters would inevitably ask him about Frank. The questions were viewed as a distraction that Patrick didn't want. "He doesn't want to have to talk about everything Barney says," said the operative.

Three weeks ago, Doug Rubin, who ran both of Patrick's gubernatorial campaigns and served as his chief of staff before Cowan, tweeted in favor of picking someone other than Frank: "I respect Cong. Frank and what he has accomplished, but there are better options for MA Senate interim appointment," Rubin wrote. The tweet was viewed in Boston as a signal from Patrick's camp that he wouldn't be picking Frank.

Frank could have also become a liability in the upcoming race to fill the Senate seat for real: "While Frank might have been a positive force for the Democrat running this spring, he almost certainly would also have served as a rhetorical whipping boy for the Republican candidate, providing a handy way to rally the conservative base," wrote Jerold Duquette, a political science professor.

At this point in his career, Patrick has nothing to lose politically if he picks who he wants.

"There's no political downside for Patrick in picking Mo because he's not running for reelection," Marsh said.

Democratic activists "will be disappointed," Marsh said, a prediction that's already being borne out: The Progressive Change Campaign Committee released a statement on Wednesday morning that said, "With Social Security and Medicare on the line, Massachusetts needs a senator who will work hand-in-hand with Elizabeth Warren to oppose any cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits. We hope Sen. Cowan will be that strong senator, especially since his actions will reflect back on Governor Patrick."

But regardless, Cowan isn't expected to try to run for the full term this spring.

"This is going to be a very short political career," he told a reporter at a press conference announcing his appointment on Wednesday.

Dick Durbin tells the husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, “There should have been a hearing just like this, right after your wife, one of our own, a member of Congress, was shot point blank in the face.”

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“It's not a game — it's the American economy,” Carney scolds.

Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs reporters at the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013.

Image by Charles Dharapak / AP

WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Jay Carney blamed the unexpected drop in gross domestic product last quarter on congressional Republicans, saying they introduced uncertainty into the economy with fiscal cliff brinkmanship.

"There is more work to do and our economy is facing headwinds," Carney said in response to a government report showing that the economy contracted by 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, "and that is Republicans in Congress."

The Bureau of Economic Analysis preliminary report, released Wednesday morning, showed a sharp decline in defense spending, which administration officials are blaming on mandatory spending cuts to defense under the 2011 debt limit agreement that both sides fought to avert. Congress and Obama face another deadline in a month to avoid those spending cuts after a temporary stop-gap expires.

"It can't be we'll let sequester kick in because we insist tax loopholes remain in place for corporate jet-owners," Carney said, laying the blame on Republicans and pressuring them to avoid another crisis over the next round of talks on the sequester.

"It's not a game — it's the American economy," he said.

"'We should let the government shut down beacuse it's good for member management' – another Republican leader on the record," Carney said, paraphrasing a quote on background given to POLITICO from a GOP leadership aide to try to paint Republicans as willing to "do harm to the economy in the name of acheiving some political objectives here in Washington."

Carney also criticized some Republicans for increasingly saying that the sequester "wouldn't be a bad thing."

"If they've changed their minds, they've changed their minds apparently for nakedly political reasons," he said.

The defense sequester was first proposed by White House officials to be so onerous as to force Republicans to agree to a deal to cut the deficit.

"These arbitrary, automatic cuts were a creation and demand of the White House in 2011," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Speaker of the House John Boehner in response to Carney's comments. "Twice the House has passed legislation to replace them with common sense cuts and reforms. If there was any uncertainty late last year about the sequester, it was because the Democratic-controlled Senate, per usual, never lifted a finger to pass a plan to replace it."

Updated with Boehner office response.