Politico

politico.com — If four federal agencies closed their doors, would anyone notice? This is no philosophical experiment Friday when, thanks to sequestration, the IRS, EPA, HUD and OMB turn a normal workday into an unpaid holiday for nearly all of their employees. In all, about 115,000 people - roughly 5 percent of the federal workforce - won’t be on...

politico.com — President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are getting back together for another tour of the Jersey Shore. Obama will travel to New Jersey on Tuesday to inspect the Shore’s recovery from Hurricane Sandy, a White House official said Thursday. While in New Jersey, Obama will deliver remarks about “expanding economic opportunity...

politico.com — Hillary Clinton beats Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in potential 2016 match ups in Iowa, according to a new poll Friday. Clinton, a Democrat, would best Rubio 48 percent to 37 percent and she runs ahead of Paul 46 percent to 42 percent, the Quinnipiac University poll found.

politico.com — Buck McKeon’s family is getting into the defense lobbying game. A firm run by the California Republican’s brother and nephews has landed five lobbying clients, according to newly filed disclosure forms. Each one lists “defense” as an issue area. As chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, McKeon has major influence over...

politico.com — Paula Broadwell says she has “remorse” for her role in the scandal that rocked Washington about six months ago. “I have remorse for the harm that this has caused, the sadness it has caused my family and other families,” Broadwell, the former mistress of ex-CIA director David Petraeus, told ABC’s Charlotte affiliate WSOC...

politico.com — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s gun-control group is following through with its pledge to air ads against Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, who Democrats see as one of their most vulnerable incumbents in a tough 2014 climate. A source tracking media spending told POLITICO the group has bought $350,000 worth of broadcast and cable air time starting...

politico.com — Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner revamped his campaign website’s homepage with a picture of the Big Apple’s skyline after the site had been displaying a photograph of Pittsburgh. Weiner’s website initially featured a photograph of Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente bridge, according to a CBS New York report....

politico.com — The super PAC created by San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer is preparing a new offensive in the Massachusetts Senate race. The PAC, known as the NextGen Committee, is launching a campaign to paint Republican candidate Gabriel Gomez as a “lightweight version of Mitt Romney,” according to a memo obtained by POLITICO.

politico.com — Some bittersweet news today: Jonathan Martin, better known as J-Mart, is leaving POLITICO after nearly seven years to serve as national political correspondent for The New York Times, a great and very much deserved opportunity. Martin will know take on what Times political editor Carolyn Ryan rightly described as "a storied and special" job...

politico.com — The Dept. of Justice has announced plans to meet with media organizations as part of an effort to review the guidelines of its leak investigations: As the President stated in his speech today, Attorney General Eric Holder will conduct a review of existing Department of Justice guidelines governing investigations that involve reporters.

politico.com — Former 2012 presidential candidate Jon Huntsman is forming a new PAC dedicated to helping elect like-minded Republican candidates across the country. Huntsman says he’s undecided on his future plans and the 2016 race, but the new Red Rock PAC will give him a perch from which to speak and travel - as well as give him access to a network...

politico.com — Direct payments are dead. Long live King Crop Insurance. If there’s a single theme to the farm debate before Congress, it’s this transition from cash subsidies to an ever-expanding risk-management system that requires producers to put some skin in the game but can still cost taxpayers dearly.

politico.com — Sarah Palin says President Barack Obama is either a “liar or a hugely incompetent CEO” in regard to his handling of the recent controversies surrounding his presidency. “For the president to deny any knowledge of what was brewing [with the IRS] and to claim to know nothing about the Benghazi cover-up or anything about anything White...

politico.com — A heckler briefly interrupted President Barack Obama while he was arguing with himself on Thursday. Days after Obama told reporters he makes “no apologies” about surveillance of Associated Press reporters, the president summoned his inner Constitutional law professor to prioritize civil liberties and human rights after four years of aggressive...