Professor accused in Ala. slayings shot her brother in Mass. 24 years ago  —  BRAINTREE — The University of Alabama biology professor accused of slaying three of her colleagues fatally shot her brother in Massachusetts more than two decades ago, a local police chief said today …

What I Saw at the Tea Party Convention  —  The attendees want politicians who will deliver on Obama's promise of clean and open government.  —  There were promises of transparency and of a new kind of collaborative politics where establishment figures listened to ordinary Americans.

The Endless Disappointment  —  TPM Reader JO keeps it real ...

Quayle: 51 Votes ‘Not What Our Founding Fathers Had In Mind’ (VIDEO)  —  Former Vice President Dan Quayle appeared on Fox News this afternoon to chip in his two cents on the health care debate.  Namely, he warned that using the reconciliation process would set a “very bad precedent” because a simple majority is just unconstitutional.

Watching China Run  —  It was primarily a symbolic gesture.  Way back in 1979, in the midst of an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House.  They were used to heat water for some White House staffers.  —  “A generation from now,” said Mr. Carter …

Lieberman: I'm trying to be less political in 2010  —  Joe Lieberman says he wants to be less “political” in 2010.  —  The independent senator from Connecticut, who infuriated Democrats by backing Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president, told The Hill, “I'm trying to have a more governmental/legislative, less political year.”

Top Obama spokesman joins Twitter  —  In his first tweet, White House Press Secretary sought advice from the Twitterverse.  —  Washington (CNN) - Count White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs among a growing group of Democratic press operatives who have recently joined the microblogging site Twitter.

'We're Socialists, We're Not Marxists' — Lawrence O'Donnell Goes Nuclear on ‘Morning Joe’  —  Is there something in the water at MSNBC that makes everybody there crazy?  Morning Joe, which ought to be the premier political talk show on morning television — but won't be until it expands …

Obama names Islamic envoy  —  Reaching out to Muslims around the world, President Barack Obama used a taped video address on Saturday to make the surprise announcement that Rashad Hussein, deputy associate White House counsel, will serve as a special U.S. envoy to the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

Obama signs Pay-Go law but also raises federal debt ceiling  —  President Barack Obama on Saturday congratulated Congress for restoring a requirement that the federal government spend only what it can afford — a day after authorizing $1.9 trillion more federal debt.

Troops Take Positions in Taliban Haven  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — American, Afghan and British troops occupied crucial positions across the Taliban stronghold of Marja on Saturday, encountering only sporadic fighting as they began the long and possibly bloody ordeal of house-to-house searches.

INVITATIONS ARE IN THE MAIL.... We learned about a week ago that President Obama would host a bipartisan summit on health care reform on Feb. 25, but the details have been relatively scarce.  Yesterday, the White House sent formal invitations to the participants, giving us a sense of how the gathering will shape out.

Climategate, UK Edition: Following the Money, All €4 Trillion of It  —  There's a question oft-posed by the proponents of global warming... or of “climate change,” as the new term of art has it, thus allowing warmists to claim both the snowstorm now blanketing America's East Coast …