House Democrats defy Obama on tax cut bill  —  (CNN) - Defying President Obama, House Democrats voted Thursday not to bring up the tax package that he negotiated with Republicans in its current form.  —  “This message today is very simple: That in the form that it was negotiated, it is not acceptable to the House Democratic caucus.

LEAKED EMAIL: Fox boss caught slanting news reporting  —  At the height of the health care reform debate last fall, Bill Sammon, Fox News' controversial Washington managing editor, sent a memo directing his network's journalists not to use the phrase “public option.”

Why liberals don't like the tax cut deal — in graphs  —  CAP's Michael Linden produced a nice chart showing why the tax deal is tough for liberals to swallow:  —  The red and blue on the chart are a bit confusing, so read it closely: On the left, you're seeing the amount of money Obama …

Republicans Block U.S. Health Aid for 9/11 Workers  —  WASHINGTON — Republican senators blocked Democratic legislation on Thursday that sought to provide medical care to rescue workers and residents of New York City who became ill as a result of breathing in toxic fumes, dust and smoke from ground zero.

‘Anything and Everything’: Palin's Reading List  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the only person to make the Most Fascinating list three consecutive years in a row.  Palin tells Walters that she is seriously considering a run for the White House and believes she can beat President Obama in 2012.

As if Elizabeth Edwards did not have enough difficulties to face while alive, she is now being dogged even in death, this time by a small, right-wing Kansas church that says it will picket her funeral at a Methodist church in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon.  —  A statement from the Westboro Baptist Church …

BACHUS ANNOUNCES FINANCIAL SERVICES LEADERSHIP TEAM  —  Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-6), Chairman-elect of the House Financial Services Committee, today announced his appointments for committee leadership positions in the 112th Congress.  In addition to naming the vice chairman and subcommittee leaders …

The Obama Stimulus Impact?  Zero  —  Liberals are still arguing that the federal spending stimulus wasn't large enough.  How many multiples of nothing—its result according to new evidence—would they like?  —  For the past two years, economists writing on these pages and elsewhere …

Most Americans Say They're Worse Off Under Obama: Poll  —  More than 50 percent of Americans say they are worse off now than they were two years ago when President Barack Obama took office, and two-thirds believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, a Bloomberg National Poll shows.

GOP gets queasy over earmark ban  —  After agreeing to kill earmarks, some of the most conservative GOP lawmakers are already starting to ask themselves: What have we done?  —  Indeed, many Republicans are now worried that the bridges in their districts won't be fixed …

Alabama Store Owner's Sign Reminds That BBQ Restaurants Are “Safest” Because Of Lack Of Muslims  —  And here's our offensive sign of the day.  An Alabama store owner known for putting jokes up on the billboard outside of his electronics store has found that the response gets chillier when you decide to use racist jokes.

The tax deal in one graph  —  From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:  —  Or maybe you prefer bar graphs?

Graham: Americans ‘See Weakness’ in Obama's ‘Political Immaturity’  —  Washington — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), one of the Senate's high-profile mavericks, tells National Review Online that President Obama's “whining” over the tax deal reveals his “political immaturity.”