A political reality of Capitol Hill is that the party in control has always taken care of its own and, as the minority sees it, gives them the shaft.

I saw a dead guy on the front porch of a shotgun double on a working-class street, and the only sound was wind chimes.

She looked at him, all eagerness and trust, full of feist and fun, unlike any woman he'd met before. After only a few hours, he felt as if he'd known her forever.

to blanch almonds