Austerity is first order for Boehner's installation as House speaker  —  Nancy Pelosi brought camera crews and dignitaries into her childhood Baltimore neighborhood where a street was being renamed in her honor, while John Boehner is bringing his 11 siblings from working-class Ohio to Washington for a private reunion.

Darrell Issa reveals list of investigations  —  Rep. Darrell Issa is aiming to launch investigations on everything from WikiLeaks to Fannie Mae to corruption in Afghanistan in the first few months of what promises to be a high-profile chairmanship of the top oversight committee in Congress.

John P Wheeler III  —  I was stunned to learn tonight that my long-time friend Jack Wheeler has been murdered in Delaware.  He was last seen getting off an Amtrak train from Washington at the Wilmington, DE, station this past Tuesday night; then, as a gruesome and cryptic local story recounts …

Obama Said to Consider William Daley for Top White House Post  —  President Barack Obama is considering naming William Daley, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive and former U.S. Commerce secretary, to a high-level White House post, possibly as his chief of staff, people familiar with the matter said.

Lindsey Graham Joins the Loonies  —  The U.S. appears to be the only country in the developed world that forbids its government from accumulating debt without authorizing legislation.  And that's led to some scary moments, including one that the economist Henry Aaron shared with me recently.

Of course, let's blame the Jews; UPDATED  —  Islamic Jihad (Hat Tip: Elder of Ziyon), Iran's Press TV and a top Lebanese Shiite Muslim leader (Hat Tip: Jihad Watch) have all blamed ‘Zionists’ for the car bombing at a Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt late Friday night.  This is from the second link.

Majority of RNC against Michael Steele  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele faces an all-but-impossible path to reelection this month, as a majority of the RNC's 168 members indicate that they will not support the controversial chairman for another term.

The Unborn Paradox  —  The American entertainment industry has never been comfortable with the act of abortion.  Film or television characters might consider the procedure, but even on the most libertine programs (a “Mad Men,” a “Sex and the City"), they're more likely to have a change of heart than actually go through with it.

He Entered Congress Swinging, and Exits That Way  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — He has zero faith in the incoming speaker of the House, John A. Boehner, whom he calls a “tool of special interest.”  —  He derides the Tea Party's successes as “bought and paid for by the enormously rich and the selfish.”

Chewing Gum for Terrorists  —  DID former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Tom Ridge, a former homeland security secretary, and Frances Townsend, a former national security adviser, all commit a federal crime last month in Paris when they spoke in support …

How O'Donnell Brought Down the Delaware GOP  —  The FBI is investigating whether Christine O'Donnell misused campaign funds during her Senate run.  While we wait to find out whether she's guilty on that count, we already know that she is guilty in another way: for destroying and cannibalizing the Republican Party in Delaware.

President's Re-Election Transition Begins With OFA Layoffs  —  The Democratic National Committee's Organizing for America has started laying off staff in multiple states as the first phase of a restructuring before the official kickoff of President Barack Obama's re-election bid.

A Gay Tempest in the Tea Party  —  What's Your Reaction:  —  Is the Tea Party-era GOP having its first big family feud?  The movement's disciples and many of the leaders they empowered will gather in February at the annual Reagan-worshiping Conservative Political Action Conference.

European nations begin seizing private pensions  —  Hungary, Poland, and three other nations take over citizens' pension money to make up government budget shortfalls.  —  People's retirement savings are a convenient source of revenue for governments that don't want to reduce spending or make privatizations.

The Febraury 2011 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll  —  Americans are numerically at a loss after a trillion.  To balance the budget, most of them would choose to tax the rich.  And as far as memories go, they'd prefer to keep them.  (All of them.)  —  Numbers games this month: What comes after a trillion?

Allen West Says New Congress Should Prioritize Threat Of ‘Infiltration Of The Sharia Practice’ In U.S.  —  Rep. Allen West (R-FL), a newly-elected member who has loudly scapegoated Muslims and campaigned on a promise to oppose religious diversity, appeared on Frank Gaffney's radio program last week.

Deep Hole Economics  —  If there's one piece of economic wisdom I hope people will grasp this year, it's this: Even though we may finally have stopped digging, we're still near the bottom of a very deep hole.  —  Why do I need to point this out?  Because I've noticed many people overreacting to recent good economic news.

There's One Huge State Budget Crisis That Everyone Is Refusing To Talk About  —  You know the story and you know the names: states like Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and California are supposed to be in huge financial trouble thanks to bloated governments, business-unfriendly regulations, and strong public sector unions.

Educational programme brings foreigners to North Korea  —  The programme brings students from the US, UK, Canada and other nations into North Korea  —  Amid the ongoing tensions between North Korea and the international community, a educational scheme created by two young men from the US …

Schwarzenegger commutes prison sentence of Fabian Nuñez's son [Updated]  —  In his final night before leaving office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger commuted the prison sentence of the son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez who had pleaded guilty to taking part in the slaying of a college student.