Private Sector Improves Jobs Picture Only Moderately  —  The United States economy ended the year by adding 103,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department said Friday, a number that missed expectations.  In addition, the unemployment rate fell to 9.4 percent last month from 9.8 percent.

Parts of the Constitution inadvertently skipped in ‘historic reading’ on floor  —  The U.S. Constitution has still never been read in its entirety and in order on the House floor.  —  During Thursday morning's “historic reading,” one member apparently skipped Article 4 Section 4 and part …

A Shift in Tactics, Not in Ideology  —  WASHINGTON — Most of the talk in Democratic circles on Thursday, after it became known that President Obama had chosen William M. Daley as his chief of staff, was of going back to the 1990s.  The consensus was that Mr. Obama, who once held himself …

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 …

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 …

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:

Tim Pawlenty: Sarah Palin is a ‘force of nature’  —  Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty says he has “a long way to go” to match the recognition of potential rival Sarah Palin - whom he dubbed a “force of nature.”  —  “I've got a long way to go to get people to even know my name …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Republicans introduce bill to eliminate presidential ‘czars’  —  A group of House Republicans introduced a bill on Wednesday to rein in the various “czars” in the Obama administration.  —  Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and 28 other House Republicans introduced legislation to do away with the informal …

Paul Ryan: I'll eat my tie if ObamaCare reduces the deficit  —  Chairman of the Budget Committee Paul Ryan called in to Mark Levin's radio show to clarify that there is no way that repealing ObamaCare will add to the deficit.  And it's because of all the gimmicks within the legislation …

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 …

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.