Stephen Reader

On Friday Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich each addressed the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, DC.

Despite a veto threat from Governor Chris Christie, New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney says the legislature is poised to pass a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the Garden State.

Recap from It's a Free Country.

Welcome to Politics Bites, where every afternoon at It's A Free Country, we bring you the unmissable quotes from the morning's political conversations on WNYC. Today on the Brian Lehrer Show, Frank Rich, New York Magazine writer at large, discussed the Clint Eastwood Super Bowl ad and the politics around it.

California's Proposition 8, a law banning same-sex marriage in the state, has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals panel. Meanwhile, a bill to allow same-sex marriage in Washington state has passed the State Senate and is on its way to the House.

Thousands of pages of Federal Election Commission Filings released at the end of January show that businesses have helped Super PACs raise over $40 million so far. But current disclosure practices ensure there's no way to know how much corporations are really spending on elections, according to a campaign finance reform advocate.

President Obama's "Buffett Rule," requiring at least a 30 percent effective tax rate on millionaires, was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday. Here's what your tax return could look like if he—or any of the other candidates for president—has his way.

New year-end reports filed with the Federal Election Commission trickle out today, and the early word is that Stephen Colbert's Super PAC raised just under $1 million, while former candidates Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann floundered.

While a Suffolk University poll finds Mitt Romney opening up a 20-point lead on Newt Gingrich in Florida, data also show that 40 percent of Republicans in the Sunshine State are still waiting for a savior.

According to a tax expert, Romney's 2010 return is on another planet from his main competition, Newt Gingrich.

Ron Paul has raised over $60,000 in his "End the TSA" money-bomb since yesterday, when the TSA detained his son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, for refusing a pat-down.

Winning Our Future. Boost Our Future. Restore Our Future. Two of these are SuperPACs that have boosted the Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney campaigns during the 2012 election season, and one we made up. It's A Free Country decided to have a little fun with the generic patriotism and meaningless obscurity that SuperPAC names purposefully create by making our own SuperPAC name generator.

Newt Gingrich reminds voters of that time Mitt Romney sang "Who Let the Dogs Out?" and other campaign strategies from the Palmetto State.

While Republican presidential candidates continue to call for smaller government and fewer federal agencies, Barack Obama this morning proposed to consolidate six departments focused on business and trade.

Thanks to a latex pioneer who lived to be 102 years old, the tiny village of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire (pop. 9) is the first community to cast its ballots in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary.

Two hope to keep their surprising momentum going, while a third looks for his big break.

Yes, yes, yes. For those who felt Cain's absence at the debates and campaign stops this winter, a thaw is coming.

President Obama gave a speech today in Cleveland, Ohio, where he introduced Richard Cordray as the new head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and scolded congressional Republicans for failing to confirm the former Attorney General sooner.

Following her sixth place finish in the Iowa Caucuses last night, in which she only got five percent of the vote, Michele Bachmann announced this morning that she's ending her campaign for president.

Recap from It's a Free Country.

Welcome to Politics Bites, where every afternoon at It's A Free Country, we bring you the unmissable quotes from the morning's political conversations on WNYC. Today on the Brian Lehrer Show, US Congressman (R-NJ 5th) Scott Garrett discussed unfinished business including the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits.

Recap from It's a Free Country.

Welcome to Politics Bites, where every afternoon at It's A Free Country, we bring you the unmissable quotes from the morning's political conversations on WNYC. Today on the Brian Lehrer Show, New York Senator (D) Kirsten Gillibrand rounded up news from Washington as the legislative session wraps up, from the payroll tax cuts to unemployment benefits and more.