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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Obama May Bypass Guantánamo Rules, Aides Say  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's legal advisers, confronting the prospect of new restrictions on the transfer of Guantánamo detainees, are debating whether to recommend that he issue a signing statement asserting that his executive powers …

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.

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 …

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.”

Huckabee's the best bet for now  —  My main thought on the Republican Presidential field as 2011 begins is that the party needs someone outside the current top 4 of Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, and Newt Gingrich to come out of the pack and win the nomination.

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 …