THE ORIGINALIST  —  Last October marked the 24th anniversary of Justice Antonin Scalia's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Well known for his sharp wit as well as his originalist approach to the Constitution, Justice Scalia consistently asks more questions during oral arguments and makes …

Upcoming NewSouth ‘Huck Finn’ Eliminates the ‘N’ Word  —  Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic by most any measure—T.S. Eliot called it a masterpiece, and Ernest Hemingway pronounced it the source of “all modern American literature.”  Yet, for decades …

Palin re-tweet raises questions  —  (CNN) - Normally, it's what Sarah Palin tweets that makes news.  This time it's what she has re-tweeted.  —  The former Alaska governor Monday relayed a comment from gay conservative pundit Tammy Bruce, who was expressing her criticism …

New Speaker Vows to Share Power—a Tricky Proposition  —  When John Boehner takes over one of the most powerful jobs in Washington this week, he says his first order of business is to make himself less powerful.  —  On Wednesday the new speaker of the House of Representatives plans to offer …

House freshman throws a party - and GOP cringes  —  With Republican leaders anxious to set an austere tone for their ascendance into the House majority this week, the lavish fundraiser scheduled for Tuesday night at a trendy Washington hotel to benefit a dozen GOP freshmen is not exactly …

G.O.P. Sets Up Huge Target for Budget Ax  —  WASHINGTON — The incoming Republican majority in the House is moving to make good on its promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending this year, a goal eagerly backed by conservatives but one carrying substantial political and economic risks.

Why Journalists Aren't Standing Up for WikiLeaks  —  Three reasons that efforts to prosecute Julian Assange aren't drawing more of an outcry about the First Amendment.  —  If you think prosecuting journalists is the province solely of the sort of authoritarian governments in the developing world …

Schumer: Health care foes should forgo coverage  —  New York Senator Chuck Schumer is pushing Republican members of Congress who oppose last year's health care legislation to decline health coverage for themselves and their families.  —  Democrats have been trying to cast Republican members' acceptance …

Holly Petraeus To Be Elizabeth Warren's Pick For Top Post In New Consumer Protection Agency (EXCLUSIVE)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … Elizabeth Warren, the Obama administration appointee now establishing a consumer financial protection agency, plans to name the wife of General David Petraeus …

Strained States Turning to Laws to Curb Labor Unions  —  Faced with growing budget deficits and restive taxpayers, elected officials from Maine to Alabama, Ohio to Arizona, are pushing new legislation to limit the power of labor unions, particularly those representing government workers, in collective bargaining and politics.

9th Circuit Sends Prop.  8 Case Back To California Supreme Court On Certified Question  —  I just received an automated e-mail from the 9th Circuit, as follows (emphasis mine): … Here is the certified question centering on whether the proponents of Prop. 8 have standing under California state law:

Mass La. bird deaths puzzle investigators  —  LABARRE — Hundreds of dead and dying birds littered a quarter-mile stretch of highway in Pointe Coupee Parish on Monday as motorists drove over and around them.  —  State biologists are trying to determine what led to the deaths …

Bibi sends Obama letter requesting Pollard release  —  WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Neyanyahu wrote President Obama urging clemency for Jonathan Pollard.  —  “At the time of his arrest, Jonathan Pollard was acting as an agent of the Israeli government,” Netanyahu wrote in his letter, sent Tuesday.

Ohio Ruling: No Substitution of Foreclosure Documents in Robo-Signing Cases  —  Thanks to an obscure ruling from the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, mortgage lenders in the Cleveland, Ohio area trying to substitute new documents for ones found to be faulty will have 30 days to explain …

Vulture in Saudi Custody Suspected as Mossad Agent  —  Follow Israel news on and .  —  Saudi Arabian security forces have captured a vulture that was carrying a global positioning satellite (GPS) transmitter and a ring etched with the words “Tel Aviv University.”

The Unexpected Return of ‘Duck and Cover’  —  Sixty years ago, in 1951, Ray Maurer and Anthony Rizzo produced a film for the federal government's Civil Defense agency in response to Soviet nuclear tests.  Featuring an animated turtle named Bert and real-life schoolchildren from New York …

Top Five Things Obama Has Done to Raise Gasoline Prices  —  With gasoline currently above $3 per gallon nationwide and economists expecting that price to rise even further in 2011, America should be getting serious about producing more of its own resources.  But instead of focusing on how to bring …

With New Heart Pump, Cheney Resumes Old Life  —  By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, HELENE COOPER and MICHAEL D. SHEAR  —  WASHINGTON — A few days before Christmas, former Vice President Dick Cheney emerged from several months of a self-imposed political sabbatical to headline a fund-raiser for Maria Cino …

Aircraft Carrier Commander Relieved of Duty After Airing Explicit Videos  —  Capt. Owen Honors was relieved of duty Tuesday as commander of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise after he broadcast sexually charged videos taken aboard the ship, the Navy announced.

Forgive Me Primary Voters, for I Have Sinned.  —  I doubt anyone would deny that at the moment, the Republican Party takes a harsher view of apostasy than their Democratic counterparts.  This is partly because they represent a narrower ideological spectrum of constituents and officeholders …

Obama Job Approval Reaches 50% for First Time Since Spring  —  Returns to that level for first time since late May/early June 2010  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Barack Obama's job approval rating reached the symbolic 50% mark in the latest three-day average from Gallup Daily tracking.