• Political strategist Karl Frisch calls in at 9am ET / 6am PT to talk about the boycott of Russian vodka to protest LGBT policies in that country

• President Obama promised congressional Dems behind closed doors Wednesday that he will fight to help retake the House of Representatives in 2014 and urged them to close ranks with the White House to defend Obamacare, congressional aides said.

• The House approved a measure Wednesday to link interest rates on student loans to financial markets, sending the compromise legislation to the president’s desk after a lengthy back-and-forth between Congress and the White House.

• A lawyer for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner criticized the city for not providing sexual harassment training to the mayor, saying its failure to do so violated the law. “If there is any liability at all, the city will almost certainly be liable for ‘failing to prevent harassment,’ ” Filner’s attorney wrote in a letter dated Monday.

• The Senate Judiciary Committee heard evidence yesterday from intelligence officials about the NSA’s domestic snooping activities revealed by leaker Edward J. Snowden — and critics pounced.

• Dozens of gay couples began tying the knot early this morning at Minneapolis City Hall as Minnesota became the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage.