Republicans Lower Goal for Cuts to Budget  —  WASHINGTON — Many people knowledgeable about the federal budget said House Republicans could not keep their campaign promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending in a single year.  Now it appears that Republicans agree.

Exclusive: President Michele Bachmann?  —  Sources: Tea Party Favorite Is Mulling a Presidential Bid in 2012  —  Forget the fervent chatter speculating that Tea Party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann is considering launching a campaign to challenge Sen. Amy Klobuchar for the Minnesota U.S. Senate seat …

As Boehner Ascends, His Power Comes With Caveats  —  WASHINGTON — Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio is set to complete a remarkable political revival Wednesday when he becomes the 61st speaker of the House, placing him squarely at the crossroads between the desires of conservative activists …

White House shakeup could mean Robert Gibbs exit  —  Administration officials — who long denied that President Barack Obama was planning a major housecleaning in the wake of the disastrous 2010 midterms — aren't pushing back anymore.  —  Senior adviser David Axelrod has already announced his departure …

Speaker Pelosi Leaves With a Whopper  —  At her final press conference as House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “Deficit reduction has been a high priority for us.  It is our mantra, pay-as-you-go.”  —  The numbers tell a different story.  —  When the Pelosi Democrats took control …

Rep. King blasts critics, defends hearing on homegrown terror  —  The incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee lambasted The New York Times on Tuesday while defending his planned hearings on the radicalization of Muslims living in the U.S.  —  Two days after the Times questioned …

A power grab that the GOP avoided  —  When the 112th Congress convenes Wednesday, some of us will be thinking back to a vote that occurred 15 years earlier to the day.  Just two months after securing a congressional majority for the first time in 40 years, Republicans strode into the Senate chamber …

Q.&A. With Gov. Mitch Daniels  —  Following are excerpts of my recent interview with Mitch Daniels, the Republican governor of Indiana:  —  Q. ...  what is it that government essentially does too much of now?  What's the common theme here of things that you can get government to stop doing without adversely affecting people's lives?

Feds, DA offices open probe into botched blizzard cleanup: sources  —  The feds have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that city employees conspired to paralyze the city during last week's blizzard by failing to remove the snow, authorities confirmed today.

WikiLeaks: ‘Voluptuous’ nurse cable costs diplomat his job  —  WASHINGTON — In what appears to be the first diplomatic casualty from the latest WikiLeaks revelations, the U.S. ambassador to Libya has returned to Washington and is likely to leave his post, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Prop 8: 9th Circuit Appears Ready to Grant Proponents Standing to Appeal  —  The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today issued a “ruling” of sorts on the appeal of Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling that found Prop 8 to be unconstitutional*.  The “ruling” was actually a certification of a question …

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 …

The Rise of the New Global Elite  —  F. SCOTT FITZGERALD WAS RIGHT WHEN HE DECLARED THE RICH DIFFERENT FROM YOU AND ME.  BUT TODAY'S SUPER-RICH ARE ALSO DIFFERENT FROM YESTERDAY'S: MORE HARDWORKING AND MERITOCRATIC, BUT LESS CONNECTED TO THE NATIONS THAT GRANTED THEM OPPORTUNITY—AND THE COUNTRYMEN THEY ARE LEAVING EVER FURTHER BEHIND.

API: Study shows path to job growth and more government revenue  —  Increased access to domestic oil and natural gas—rather than increased taxes on the U.S. oil and natural gas industry—is the best strategy for increasing government revenue, jobs and energy production, a new study by Wood Mackenzie concludes.

Boehner fires back at Dem senators with vow to push forward with repeal  —  Incoming House Speaker John Boehner's office (R-Ohio) pointedly vowed on Tuesday to push ahead with legislation repealing healthcare reform.  —  Boehner's office responded to a letter sent by the Senate's top five Democrats …

G.O.P. Asks Businesses Which Rules to Rewrite  —  WASHINGTON — Companies spend millions of dollars each year complaining to Congress about burdensome laws and regulations, pressing their concerns in public campaigns and in private meetings.  They rarely wait for invitations.

Taliban cut off man's hand for theft  —  The Taliban chopped off a man's hand after he was found guilty of theft by a ‘Shariah’ or Islamic court set up by them in the restive Orakzai tribal region of northwest Pakistan, a day after beheading a fellow militant who was accused of spying for the government.

Vulture tagged by Israeli scientists flies into Saudi Arabia ... and is arrested for being a spy  —  A vulture tagged by scientists at Tel Aviv University has strayed into Saudi Arabian territory, where it was promptly arrested on suspicion of being a Mossad spy, Israeli and Saudi media reported Tuesday.

111th Congress Averaged 25% Approval, Among Recent Lowest  —  Pelosi has presided over least popular Congresses of past two decades  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The 111th Congress received an average 25% approval rating from Americans over the course of 2009 and 2010.