Two House Republicans Vote Without Being Sworn In, Violating Constitution On Day It Was Read  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — Two House Republicans have cast votes as members of the 112th Congress, but were not sworn in on Wednesday, a violation of the Constitution on the same …

Obama threatens to veto healthcare repeal  —  President Obama officially drew a line in the sand Thursday evening, threatening to veto House Republicans' attempt to repeal Obama's landmark healthcare law.  —  In a statement of administration policy released by the Office of Management and Budget …

“Birther” Disrupts Congress  —  A woman doubting the natural born citizen status of US President Barack Obama disrupted a reading of the American Constitution during the Thursday morning opening of the US Congress.  —  “Except Obama!  Except Obama!,” shouted the woman, after Rep. Frank Pallone …

Review Of Juan Williams' Firing Done; NPR News Exec Resigns  —  NPR just released two statements — one on the completion of an independent review of the dismissal of news analyst Juan Williams and another on the resignation of Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss:

Rudy gearing up for DC run  —  Confident that he'd have a chance to win, Rudy Giuliani is rounding up his top political advisers for a possible 2012 presidential run, sources tell Page Six.  —  Sources say the tough-talking former mayor “thinks the Republican race will be populated …

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Lamar Smith issues first DOJ oversight letter  —  Right Turn has obtained the first oversight letter from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued to the Justice Department.  While he was in the minority, Smith labored, largely unsuccessfully …

After Railing Against Government Spending, Speaker Boehner Can't Name One Program He Would Cut  —  Campaigning before the recent midterm elections, House Republicans were adamant that, if given power, they would cut government spending.  However, when pressed for specifics …

Reports: John Edwards engaged to Rielle Hunter  —  Former presidential candidate John Edwards is engaged to longtime mistress Rielle Hunter, according to a report.  —  The Jan. 17 issue of the National Enquirers says that the ex-North Carolina senator asked the mother of his lovechild …

Business Background Defines Chief of Staff  —  WASHINGTON — He is a top executive at JPMorgan Chase, where he is paid as much as $5 million a year and supervises the Washington lobbying efforts for the nation's second-largest bank.  William M. Daley also serves on the board of directors at Boeing …

MSNBC Flunks Remedial Math on Debt Ceiling  —  Earth to MSNBC executives: your anchor, your reporter, and your editors do not know what they're talking about.  They just badly misinformed your viewers.  —  The “debt ceiling” is a limit on debt, not spending.

The Texas Omen  —  These are tough times for state governments.  Huge deficits loom almost everywhere, from California to New York, from New Jersey to Texas.  —  Wait — Texas?  Wasn't Texas supposed to be thriving even as the rest of America suffered?  Didn't its governor declare …

Why Are Taxpayers Subsidizing Facebook, and the Next Bubble?  —  Simon Johnson, the former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, is the co-author of “13 Bankers.”  —  Goldman Sachs is investing $450 million of its own money in Facebook, at a valuation that implies the social-networking company is now worth $50 billion.

Ex-CIA officer charged with leak to Times reporter  —  WASHINGTON - A former CIA officer has been indicted on charges of disclosing national security secrets after being accused of leaking classified information about Iran to a New York Times reporter.  —  Federal prosecutors charged Jeffrey Sterling …

U.S. Sends Warning to People Named in Cable Leaks  —  WASHINGTON — The State Department is warning hundreds of human rights activists, foreign government officials and businesspeople identified in leaked diplomatic cables of potential threats to their safety and has moved a handful …

Nearly 50 House Republicans offer bill to block EPA climate rules  —  Dozens of Republicans used the opening day of the new Congress on Wednesday to introduce legislation that would bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse-gas emissions.

Junior Senate Dems want chairmen to face election by secret ballot  —  Senate Democrats elected in 2006 and 2008 are challenging the internal caucus procedures that have allowed veteran lawmakers to lock up committee chairmanships for years on end.  —  A group of junior Democratic senators …

Republicans Are Given a Price Tag for Health Law Repeal, but Reject It  —  WASHINGTON — The nonpartisan budget scorekeepers in Congress said on Thursday that the Republican plan to repeal President Obama's health care law would add $230 billion to federal budget deficits over the next decade …