Democrats' defection from Pelosi is historic  —  How divided are Democrats' right now?  —  With 19 Democrats withholding support from Nancy Pelosi for House speaker on Wednesday, it represented the largest defection from a party's speaker nominee in nearly a century.

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 …

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.

Obama Turning to Experienced Hands as He Remakes Staff  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama closed in Wednesday on a decision to fill two top positions and recharge his administration, stopping just short of naming a new chief of staff and a top economic adviser to guide the White House through a new period of divided government.

Democrats Plan Attack on Republican Repeal Effort  —  Democratic leaders in Washington plan to spend the next week doing what they all but refused to do during the 2010 midterm elections: mount a vigorous defense of President Obama's health care legislation.

Harry Reid: ‘The American people love government’  —  Congress has generated its lowest approval rating in decades.  President Barack Obama is treading the 50 percent line with his approval ratings.  —  Yet whether the American people know it or not, they love their government - or so says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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%.

Journal's Paper on ESP Expected to Prompt Outrage  —  One of psychology's most respected journals has agreed to publish a paper presenting what its author describes as strong evidence for extrasensory perception, the ability to sense future events.  —  The decision may delight believers …

No Pity for Robert Gibbs and His ‘Modest’ Salary  —  Perhaps it was the long flight back from Hawaii.  But President Obama's first full day back on the job suggested a slight case of tone deafness.  —  In bidding a sort-of farewell to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, he noted the …

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.