8.8-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Chile  —  RIO DE JANEIRO — A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, shaking the capital of Santiago for 90 seconds and sending tsunami warnings from Chile to Ecuador.  —  Chile's TVN cable news channel was reporting 78 deaths, with the toll expected to rise.

Rep. Trent Franks: African-Americans were better off under slavery.  —  Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) — one of the most conservative member of Congress, according to a new National Journal ranking — decried the strained state of political discourse in an interview today with blogger-activist Mike Stark.

Coburn warns against majority-vote tactic in weekly Republican address  —  Should Democrats use the budget reconciliation process to pass healthcare reform, it would fly in the face of public opinion, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said in the Republicans' weekly address.

White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers to step down  —  WASHINGTON—White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers told me Friday she will step down next month, after presiding over 330 events in the White House in 14 months.  —  Rogers is departing after achieving a major goal …

Greenwald, Weiner Talk Health Care on Morning Joe: No Reason Not to Vote on Public Option  —  I still don't think the Senate/White House bill is going anywhere, either with or without a public option, for reasons I've outlined before — though some seem to be hell-bent on forcing House Democrats to throw themselves on its funeral pyre.

Pelosi Says She's Running ‘Most Ethical’ Congress Ever, But Won't Ask Rangel to Resign Chairmanship—For Now  —  (CNSNews.com) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) insisted on Friday that she is running the most ethical and honest Congress in history.  At the same time, however …

How To Clean Up The Tax Code  —  Does Wyden-Gregg point the way?  —  On Feb. 23 Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Judd Gregg (R-New Hampshire) introduced S. 3018, a bill to reform the federal income tax.  Unlike utopian reform ideas such as the flat tax, which would tear the existing tax system …

Unemployment Extension Fails in Senate  —  GOP Sen. Jim Bunning Blocks Action over Concerns About Swelling Deficit  —  (AP) The Senate failed late Thursday to extend programs for laid-off workers, jeopardizing unemployment benefits scheduled to expire over the weekend.

Deaths Rising for Lack of Insurance, Study Finds  —  As members of the Obama administration and Congress met on Thursday to try to find common ground on health care, a new report warned that without comprehensive legislation, more than 275,000 adults nationwide will die over the next decade because of a lack of health insurance.

Hundreds of Chilldren Found in Mass Grave  —  A number of Kurdish coffins found in a mass grave in the South of Iraq  —  Three mass graves were discovered in the sub district of Dubiz in Kirkuk.  Announced the Kurdish daily news paper ASO on Sunday, Feb.21st.

Pawlenty: Let ER's turn away patients to cut costs  —  I missed this the other night but Phoenix Woman over at FDL didn't.  Isn't this special?  Governor Gutshot to Impoverished ER Patients: Get the Hell out!: … From The Hill — Pawlenty: Let ER's turn away patients to cut costs:

In Praise Of Inefficiency: A Manifesto  —  Huzzahs could be heard across the country this week when Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jerald Bagley ruled that Florida law doesn't allow cities to use red-light cameras.  The case involved the city of Aventura, but it has other Florida cities wondering whether their traffic cameras are legal.

WEATHER: HOTTEST JANUARY EVER SAY CLIMATE EXPERTS  —  CLIMATE scientists yesterday stunned Britons suffering the coldest winter for 30 years by claiming last month was the ­hottest January the world has ever seen.  —  The remarkable claim, based on global satellite data …