The DNC's Deceptive Message on Louisiana | Rothenberg

I wasn’t surprised to get an email recently from a regional Democratic National Committee press secretary seeking to tarnish the credentials of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

DCCC Unveils Final 2014 Recruits for Jumpstart Program

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee unveiled its final wave of Jumpstart candidates for the 2014 cycle on Thursday, giving the seal of approval to one final set of recruits before the election year begins.

Democrats Ignore Leaders to Pass Pediatrics Research Bill

House Democrats bucked their leaders Wednesday to join Republicans in voting for a contentious suspension bill that would authorize taking $12.5 million from political conventions and giving it to pediatric medical research.

VA Lobotomized Military Veterans | Topic A

“The U.S. government lobotomized roughly 2,000 mentally ill veterans—and likely hundreds more—during and after World War II, according to a cache of forgotten memos, letters and government reports unearthed by The Wall Street Journal. Besieged by psychologically damaged troops returning from the battlefields of North Africa, Europe and the Pacific, the Veterans Administration performed the brain-altering operation on former servicemen it diagnosed as depressives, psychotics and schizophrenics, and occasionally on people identified as homosexuals.”

• More From Topic A: Defense

Pelosi Fundraises for John Tierney

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi attended a fundraiser Wednesday evening for Rep. John F. Tierney, D-Mass., according to an invitation obtained by CQ Roll Call.

'Price Is Right' Legend Endorses Jolly in Florida Special Election

Updated 5:12 p.m. | Former game show host Bob Barker will endorse GOP lobbyist David Jolly in a television ad on Thursday that will air during a special episode of “The Price is Right.”

Battle of the Juicy Lucys

This column typically functions by having you, my devoted readers, send me out in search of that which your taste buds simply can’t live without, but today I’m taking the initiative.

Little Evidence of Major GOP Revolt on Budget Deal

There wasn’t much of evidence of a major revolt against the budget deal brewing among House Republicans Wednesday morning, despite some opposition from those in the party’s right wing to an increase in fees on air travel and letting up even a little on the sequester spending cuts.

• Some Democrats Holding Out for Unemployment Benefits
• Democrats Holding Back
• Boehner Blasts Groups Opposing Deal

Iran Briefing Unable to Blunt Sanctions Push

Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew failed to convince senators not to pursue a new round of sanctions against Iran at a closed briefing Wednesday — although any floor action would likely be delayed until January.

Time Looks Back on Cruz's Freshman '13 (Video)

It’s been a whirlwind year for Sen. Ted Cruz, and while he didn’t finish first as Time’s Person of the Year in 2013, the magazine’s editors thought enough of the tea party favorite to compile the “highlights” in a video.

Opportunities Now and Later in North Carolina

It’s a good cycle to be a congressional hopeful in North Carolina — but that doesn’t mean there won’t be more prime opportunities soon.

Berg's 'Wilson': A Warts-and-All Portrait

A. Scott Berg’s “Wilson,” a biography of the 28th president, covers what everybody knows about Woodrow Wilson: He was an academic wunderkind, educational and political reformer, governor, president, statesman, visionary. Berg also includes what’s less well-known: probable racist.

State, Local Hiring Are Finally Joining the Recovery

The latest employment numbers show a job market that is still in slow recovery, but one underlying trend suggests the economy may have finally turned a corner, raising hopes for broader improvement in 2014.

Gary Lytle Begins Long Goodbye | Downtown Moves

Gary Lytle is the kind of lobbyist whose informal “references” include a bipartisan duo of former members of Congress.

Timing for Sexual-Assault Bills Still Up in Air

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has been promised a vote on her bill to remove the prosecution of violent crime in the military from the chain of command, but when that vote will happen remains unclear.

U.S. ‘Nowhere Near’ Afghanistan Pull Out Decision | Topic A

Reuters reports that “the Obama administration is ‘nowhere near’ deciding to pull out all troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2014, a top U.S. official said on Tuesday, despite mounting frustration President Hamid Karzai has not signed a security deal allowing the military to remain there after next year.”

• More From Topic A: Defense

Scalise Forces Top RSC Aide to Resign Over Leaks

The longtime executive director of the conservative Republican Study Committee has been asked to resign by first-term Chairman Steve Scalise, R-La.

7 Things to Know About Katherine Clark

State Sen. Katherine M. Clark, a Democrat, seized victory Tuesday in the special election for Massachusetts’ 5th District.

• Clark Wins Massachusetts Special Election

Daschle World Is Back at a Zenith, 5 Years Later

For the Washington fantasists who like speculating about what might have happened in policy and politics “if only,” one of the most interesting questions at the moment is this: How would the administration be faring now if only Tom Daschle had properly paid his taxes.