White House orders Justice Department to look for other places to hold 9/11 terror trial  —  White House officials have told the Justice Department to consider other venues for the 9/11 terror trial that was to be held in lower Manhattan, the Daily News has learned.

How David Shuster Lied to Get Me to Appear on MSNBC  —  Today is the day that I have been invited to go on MSNBC for the very first time.  At no point during the ACORN story was I put on the hot seat to defend the work of James O'Keefe.  My thesis from day one has been that the mainstream media …

Gregg scolds MSNBC: ‘Irresponsible’  —  Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) attacked MSNBC hosts Contessa Brewer and Melissa Francis on Thursday, questioning their “integrity” as journalists and calling them “irresponsible.”  —  The scuffle started with Francis asking Gregg to name specific areas …

His Health Bill Stalled, Obama Juggles an Altered Agenda  —  WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday signaled the outlines of its strategy for breaking the partisan logjam holding up President Obama's agenda, saying Democrats would move quickly to underline their commitment to fixing …

March of the Peacocks  —  Last week, the Center for American Progress, a think tank with close ties to the Obama administration, published an acerbic essay about the difference between true deficit hawks and showy “deficit peacocks.”  You can identify deficit peacocks, readers were told …

Obama's answer for America: more of me  —  There's a story of an ex hausted tenor at La Scala who, facing repeated cries of “Encore,” responded that he couldn't go on.  A man rose in the audience to say, “You'll keep singing until you get it right.”  —  That seems to be the defining principle …

Sally Quinn's Washington  —  You cannot caricature Sally Quinn.  Don't even try.  It simply can't be done.  No matter how hard you try to exaggerate her preening self-regard and utter frivolity, she comes right along and shows herself to be worse than you could possibly imagine.

Top Senate Dems predict movement  —  Hours after their colleague described health care reform as on “life support,” Senate Democratic leaders emerged from a meeting saying they will not abandon the issue.  —  Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) predicted Democrats could agree on a way to move forward before the February break.

Bin Laden deplores climate change  —  Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, has condemned the US and other industrial economies, holding them responsible for the phenomenon of climate change.  —  In an audio tape obtained by Al Jazeera, bin Laden criticised George Bush, the former US president …

“This Isn't the Person I Campaigned With Back Then,” Kerry Says of Edwards, Per Source  —  A source close to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., says the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee has reacted with sorrow to the scandalous personal behavior of his former running mate, former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC.

NY pols stunned to learn Obama administration opposes funding for 9/11 health bill  —  The Obama administration stunned New York's delegation Thursday, dropping the bombshell news that it does not support funding the 9/11 health bill.  —  The state's two senators and 14 House members met …

J. D. Salinger, Literary Recluse, Dies at 91  —  J. D. Salinger, who was thought at one time to be the most important American writer to emerge since World War II but who then turned his back on success and adulation, becoming the Garbo of letters, famous for not wanting to be famous …

America the Awful—Howard Zinn's History  —  Howard Zinn's death yesterday affords us the opportunity to evaluate the remarkable influence he has had on the American public's understanding of our nation's past.  His book A People's History of the United States, published in 1980 …

Republicans Use Military as a Stage Prop (Yet Again)....and This Time Break the Law  —  You did not have to be paying much attention during last night's Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address to notice a young Army Staff Sergeant in full dress uniform seated …

House Republicans await Obama to kick off weekend retreat  —  BALTIMORE — Emboldened by an unexpected victory in Massachusetts and frustrated with a “partisan” State of the Union address, House Republicans are eager to meet with President Barack Obama on Friday.

Why Is Senator Kirk Still Voting on Legislation?  —  The Senate has voted on three pieces of legislation today that required 60 votes-to raise the debt ceiling to $14.3 trillion, to reduce the deficit by establishing five-year discretionary spending caps, and Ben Bernanke's confirmation …

Blair faces judgment day on Iraq  —  • Former PM sees testimony as last word on his legacy  —  • Friends predict robust defence of invasion  —  Tony Blair is more of a 6am man than a 3am one, says an aide in response to claims that he has been burning the midnight oil in preparation …

Authorities seek deal with Detroit suspect on cooperation, guilty plea  —  Authorities are inching toward an agreement that would secure cooperation from the suspect in the failed Detroit airliner attack, according to two sources familiar with the case, even as fresh details emerged …

White House Didn't Have MA-Sen Health Care Contingency Plan  —  The White House had no contingency plan for health care reform if Democrat Martha Coakley lost the special election in Massachusetts, and officials did not discuss the possibility a Democratic loss would dramatically imperil …

A Dream Fulfilled?  — By: Victor Davis Hanson  —  When Obama gives the usual review of all the programs, stimulus efforts, and new entitlements he's overseeing, almost no one seems to conclude that he is simply detailing how he is going to redistribute nearly $2 trillion a year in annual borrowing.

Bill ending banks' role in student loans stalls in Senate  —  Four months after it sailed through the Democratic-led House, legislation to overhaul federal student lending and channel about $80 billion in savings toward an array of education initiatives has stalled in the Senate.

CCPS pulls explicit text  —  A version of an iconic autobiography detailing a young Jewish girl's two-year experience hiding from Nazis in a cramped “Secret Annex” has been pulled from the shelves of Culpeper County Public Schools.  —  “The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition,” …

Tampering at Landrieu Office Called a ‘Stunt’  —  NEW ORLEANS — The lawyer for one of the four men arrested Monday on charges of interfering with the phones in Senator Mary L. Landrieu's office in New Orleans said the episode was a prank based on what conservative activists …

For eighth day, climate activists block bulldozers at WV's Coal River Mountain.  —  Yesterday in Washington, DC, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) exhorted citizens to “get angry about the fact that they're being killed and our planet is being injured by what's happening on a daily basis by the way we provide our power and our fuel.”

Dems reach out to Lou Dobbs to build backing for immigration reform  —  Winning the support of Dobbs, who became a prominent critic of illegal immigration, could provide a significant boost to reform efforts.  —  Senate Democrats have reached out to former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs in an effort …

One Hell of a Speech  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Obama didn't deliver a speech so much as a symphony, calling for nukes and zapping the Supremes; thanks for the performance, Mr. President.  —  It is hard, indeed almost impossible, not to like Mr. Obama.  In recent weeks, I've tried—tried my best.