Pelosi briefed on waterboarding in '02 [UPDATED]  —  Nancy Pelosi denies knowing U.S. officials used waterboarding — but GOP operatives are pointing to a 2007 Washington Post story which describes an hour-long 2002 briefing in which Pelosi was told about enhanced interrogation techniques in graphic detail.

Horror: Taliban Behead Pakistani Troops in Swat Video  —  A video which claims to show Taliban troops in Pakistan's Swat valley murdering men accused of being “spies” for the government and the U.S. has emerged.  It's really horrible and the only people who should watch it are Taliban sympathizers.

Summers Caught a-Snoozin'  —  Lawrence Summers, President Obama's chief economics adviser, dozed off during a meeting with credit card executives in the White House today.  —  Americans may be struggling to pay their credit card debt.  But for Larry Summers, President Obama's chief economic adviser, the issue is apparently a snooze.

Lawmakers: Congress Will Investigate Torture, Bipartisan Support In Place  —  The central debate dominating discussions of a possible investigation into torture by the Bush administration seems to have shifted sharply in the past few days: from whether such an investigation should take place, to now what form it will have when it comes.

News Bulletin  —  A Corner exclusive: How many times have you read and heard in the mainstream media that terrorists were waterboarded more than 180 times?  It turns out that's not true.  What is?  According to two sources, both of them very well-informed and reliable (but preferring to remain anonymous) …

A Limited Love of Liberty  —  A former ACLU board member says that the organization has lost its way.  —  When the American Civil Liberties Union comes under attack, the salvos are often launched from the right.  The ACLU, after all, is as enthusiastic about protecting the interests of feminists …

U.S. to Tell Big Banks the Results of Stress Test  —  Wall Street is stressed out about stress tests.  —  After a two-month wait, the nation's 19 largest banks will start learning on Friday how they fared in important federal examinations — and which among them will need another bailout from the government or private investors.

Pamela Geller: Poster Girl for Eurofascists  —  Pamela Geller of “Atlas Shrugs” and Paul Belien of “Brussels Journal” have been announced as speakers at a German far right event organized by a group called “Pro Köln” — a successor to the notorious fascist group “Deutsche Liga für Volk und Heimat” …

Industry Ignored Its Scientists on Climate  —  For more than a decade the Global Climate Coalition, a group representing industries with profits tied to fossil fuels, led an aggressive lobbying and public relations campaign against the idea that emissions of heat-trapping gases could lead to global warming.

Sources say Tedisco concession likely  —  A finish line could be in sight in the race for the 20th Congressional District.  With the numbers not looking good for Republican Jim Tedisco, sources tell Capital News 9 that Tedisco could concede to Democrat Scott Murphy as soon as Friday afternoon.

King: Torture trial should spark “scorched earth”  —  New York Republican Rep. Peter King thinks his party needs to go nuke if Bush era officials are prosecuted on torture charges.  —  King, the outspoken ranking member of the House homeland security committee, said Republicans should …

John Kerry, Catholicism and abortion: Courage of somebody else's convictions  —  The U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican position remains open, but even “pro-choice Catholic” John Kerry seems certain that a pro-life candidate is a necessity for that post.  —  From the USA Today:

Chris Matthews changes book title Jon Stewart mocked  —  Could the interview Chris Matthews called “the worst he's ever had” have something to do with his decision to change the title of his most recent book before its paperback edition is released?  —  In 2007, the “Hardball” host went on …

Defense Department to Release Photos Showing Detainee Treatment in Iraq, Afghanistan  —  The Department of Defense announced late Thursday that at least 44 photos depicting treatment of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan will be released.  —  FOXNews.com  —  The Department of Defense …

Republicans Threaten To Become Bigger A**holes  —  If Democrats provide cheaper and more accessible health care to Americans, Republicans have promised to publicly turn themselves into the biggest partisan a**holes of the last forty years.  —  Seriously.  That is the actual political …

Schmidt compares Obama, Kennedy  —  I quoted McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt just now comparing Obama to Bobby Kennedy.  —  The whole riff was fairly remarkable.  It came in response to a student's question about the youth vote:  —  If you read history about Bobby Kennedy's unfinished race in '68 …

Hardin jail tries for detainees from Gitmo  —  Economic development officials in Hardin are looking at the soon-to-close detention facility in Guantanamo Bay as a possible fix for the jail sitting empty in Hardin.  —  President Barack Obama signed an executive order Jan. 22 to close …