Independent Catania Prepares for D.C. Mayoral Campaign

“We are literally living in the 10th anniversary of the month in which I knew I would be leaving the GOP,” D.C. Councilmember David Catania said on a February afternoon in his office on the fourth floor of the John A. Wilson Building.

• 'Uncle Earl' Plea Details Secret Money to 28 Local and Federal Candidates
• D.C. Businessman Tied to 2010 Mayoral Campaign, Federal Candidate Faces Corruption Charges

Washington Jewish Film Festival Moves Forward

No rest for the weary! The 24th annual Washington Jewish Film Festival just wrapped this past weekend, but planning for next year’s festival is already under way.

Next Nasty Nomination Fight for Obama: Michael Boggs on the Hot Seat

After Republicans and seven Democratic defectors teamed up to sink the president’s pick to head the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division last week, some of the president’s allies are redoubling their efforts to claim a scalp of their own: Michael P. Boggs, a nominee for the District Court bench in Georgia.

Florida Tossup Tests Patterns for Special Elections

Whatever the outcome of Tuesday’s tight congressional contest in Tampa Bay, this footnote is assured: The winner will become the 64th person in the current House first sent to the Capitol by a special election. That’s an astonishing 15 percent of the membership.

Senate Conservatives Fund Endorses House Candidates

Senate Conservatives Fund — an organization that has traditionally supported conservative Senate hopefuls — has backed five House candidates.

Record Year for U.S. Solar | Topic A: Energy

Solar was the second-largest source of new electricity generating capacity in the U.S., exceeded only by natural gas.

Two Democrats Running for Virgin Islands' Delegate Seat

The Virgin Islands’ non-voting delegate to Congress, Donna M.C. Christensen, announced Saturday that she will run for governor, opening a seat she has safely held for nearly 20 years.

Barack Obama’s Turn on ‘Between Two Ferns’

With the March 31 deadline looming to shepherd as many of the uninsured as possible underneath the umbrella of the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama has turned to Hollywood for a little help, appearing on Funny or Die’s parody talker, “Between Two Ferns.”

Pentagon Tracking Movements of Another World Leader | Topic A: Defense

“A Pentagon program that analyzes the body movements of world leaders to predict their actions is scheduled to issue a report on an unnamed leader in the fall,” USA Today reports.

Vulnerable Democrats Missing From All-Night Climate Change Debate

Notably missing from the extensive roster of speakers at the Senate all-nighter on climate change were moderate Democrats, especially those up for re-election in 2014.

Is Negotiating Political Agreement a Lost Art? | Procedural Politics

Voters often complain that members of Congress “can’t seem to agree on anything.” You know people are on to something when their own representatives in Washington echo the same complaint — one of the few bipartisan sounds emanating from the capital, if not in perfect harmony.

Farenthold at SXSW: Geeks Like Me

Rep. Blake Farenthold might have the most geek cred in Congress.

Hey There, Awkward

It’s no news — to anyone — that Capitol Hill’s close quarters and young staffers produce some intraoffice dating scenarios. It’s only newsworthy when the congressman’s involved, but what happens when it’s just two lonely legislative assistants, quietly getting together after hours? Hill Navigator has some advice for everyone involved — bystanders included.

CDC Plans to Map DNA of Disease-Causing Viruses

Many public health experts see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the premier disease detection agency not just for the United States but for the entire planet.

• Will Next Disease Detection System Be Faster, Cheaper?

Iowa GOP Chairman Leaves, Causing More Chaos

Iowa Republicans are on the hunt for a new leader after their controversial chairman, A.J. Spiker, stepped down from his position over the weekend.

Unemployment Insurance Plans Duel in Senate

The partisan stalemate over restoring lapsed emergency unemployment insurance benefits is expected to continue after Senate Republicans, skeptical of the offset in a new Democratic plan, unveiled their own proposal last week.

Prosecutors Allege Gray Personally Solicited 'Uncle Earl' for Shadow Campaign

Mayor Vincent Gray knew about businessman Jeffrey E. Thompson’s shadow campaign to help fund his 2010 campaign, and personally asked for funds, federal prosecutors alleged on Monday.

• D.C. Businessman Tied to 2010 Mayoral Campaign, Federal Candidate Faces Corruption Charges
• 'Uncle Earl' Plea Details Secret Money to 28 Local and Federal Candidates

Elizabeth Warren Campaign Staffers Talk Strategy at SXSW

AUSTIN, Tx. — Staffers from Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s 2012 campaign gave an inside look at the strategies that helped the Massachusetts Democrat clinch victory at a South By Southwest panel Monday.

Erica Elliott, Passionate About Derivatives and Kazimir Malevich | Downtown Moves

It’s rare to find someone who is equally passionate about derivatives and modern art in the public policy world. Erica Elliott, formerly communications director for House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and most recently policy adviser at Crowell & Moring’s public policy group, is that rare person.

The Mountainous Question of Jessie Benton Fremont and Renaming Yosemite's Mammoth Peak

A proposal by California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock to rename Yosemite’s Mammoth Peak after Jessie Benton Fremont might not be the most important legislation Congress will consider this year. But it could be the most enlightened.

Gridiron Club Jokes: Congressional Edition

Ted Cruz apparently doesn’t have a problem with being openly mocked. Even when he’s being called a ”Flintstone Cowboy” by reporters dressed up like the cartoon characters — with a full-sized pink Dino the Dinosaur — presenting the Texas Republican as straight out of the Stone Age.