A very smart speech by Speaker Boehner  —  If you spent the afternoon watching C-SPAN, as I did, you heard applause.  A lot of it.  Over and over again.  And when John Boehner took the podium to be sworn in as Speaker of the House of Representatives, it swelled back up, and stayed there.

Retracted autism study an ‘elaborate fraud,’ British journal finds  —  Editor's note: Watch Anderson Cooper's interview with the author of the discredited study, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, on “AC360°” at 10 p.m. ET tonight.  —  (CNN) — A now-retracted British study that linked autism …

BULLETIN: BILL DALEY ANNOUNCEMENT AS CHIEF OF STAFF EXPECTED SOON — Gibbs to give speeches, consult to reelect - Karen Finney, Josh Earnest in mix to replace — Rick Powell to Bloomberg  —  Good Thursday morning.  A TOP WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL, on whether Bill Daley will be named chief of staff …

A Goldman Unit Is Said to Have Rejected Facebook  —  Before Goldman Sachs bought a stake in Facebook and started offering shares to wealthy clients, a powerful investment group within the firm turned down the chance to buy a piece of the social networking site, according to several people briefed on the internal discussions.

Republicans to Spend $1.1 Million Reciting Constitution on House Floor  —  As we reported this morning, House Republicans will kick-start the 112th Congress tomorrow with a spirited recitation of the Constitution, a document whose recent relevance is due largely to the ideological and sartorial interests of the Tea Party.

Steve King unveils birthright bill  —  Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) isn't wasting any time with his immigration agenda, dropping a bill on the first day of Congress that goes after birthright citizenship.  —  King's measure would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act, ending automatic citizenship for anyone born in the country.

The Man Who Spilled the Secrets  —  The collaboration between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the Web's notorious information anarchist, and some of the world's most respected news organizations began at The Guardian, a nearly 200-year-old British paper.  What followed was a clash of civilizations …

President Obama's motorcade: A seatbelt-free zone?  —  Does President Obama wear a seatbelt in his presidential limo?  He is supposed to, but there are indications that he doesn't.  —  After then-New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) was seriously injured in a car accident in 2007 …

Howard Dean on Tea Party: ‘Last Gasp of the 55-Year-Old Generation’  —  Speaking to reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast this morning, former Vermont governor and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Dr. Howard Dean shared his thoughts on the Tea Party.

The Constitution (as amended), The Schumer Model, Fast Break on GOP Backtracking, Crown Shots at Andy's Bar, Pelosi's Historic Loss of Support, Trivia  —  By Jonathan Allen (with an assist from Jake “Fast Break” Sherman)  —  THE READING OF THE CONSTITUTION, AS AMENDED …

U.S. Boosts Afghan Surge  —  Pentagon Plans to Send 1,400 Extra Marines to Supplement Spring Campaign  —  U.S. and Afghan soldiers prepared for patrol in Kandahar province on Wednesday.  —  WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decided to send an additional 1,400 Marine combat forces …

Blue Shield of California seeks rate hikes of as much as 59% for individuals  —  Insurer says the increases result from fast-rising healthcare costs and other expenses resulting from new healthcare laws.  The move comes less than a year after Anthem Blue Cross tried and failed to raise rates as much as 39%.

Obama's Winter White House an Illegal Rental  —  President Barack Obama's two-week stay at his Hawaii Winter White House was illegal under a long-standing Honolulu ban on short-term rentals.  —  Obama did not break the law by staying at the house, but the property owner who rented his house …

“Daily Show”: Meet the moron who got San Francisco to ban Happy Meals  —  Via Reason, Heritage, and a slew of other righty blogs, cleanse your palate with a salty, fatty video snack.  Things start slow but hang in there for the end of the interview between Frisco nanny-in-chief Eric Mar and Aasif Mandvi …

Gibbs: Senator Obama Only Voted Against Raising Debt Ceiling in 2006 Because He Knew It Would Pass Anyway  —  On Sunday, President Obama's top economic adviser, Council of Economic Advisers chair Austan Goolsbee, cautioned members of Congress not to “play chicken” by voting against raising …

Is Darrell Issa the new Joe McCarthy?  —  To the victors in the congressional elections goes the power of subpoena, as Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has been so eager to remind the Democrats.  But as the new Congress is seated, Issa and his GOP colleagues should note the difference between investigation and witch-hunt.

Why Our Best Officers Are Leaving  —  Why are so many of the most talented officers now abandoning military life for the private sector?  An exclusive survey of West Point graduates shows that it's not just money.  Increasingly, the military is creating a command structure that rewards conformism and ignores merit.

Reinhardt's Non-Disqualification Memorandum—Part 1  —  A month ago, Judge Reinhardt immediately denied Prop 8 proponents' motion to disqualify him from taking part in the Prop 8 appeal.  As he put it, “for reasons that I shall provide in a memorandum to be filed in due course …

KFC employee screams insults at customer  —  A worker at a KFC restaurant in Sydney has been suspended after he was filmed screaming vicious insults and threatening to attack a customer.  —  The violent outburst happened at a Halal-friendly KFC in Punchbowl on December 26 …