Olbermann Leaves ‘Countdown’ on MSNBC  —  Updated Keith Olbermann, the highest-rated host on MSNBC, announced abruptly on the air Friday night that he is leaving “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” immediately.  —  The host, who has had a stormy relationship with the management of the network for some time …

Spotlight From Glenn Beck Brings a CUNY Professor Threats  —  On his daily radio and television shows, Glenn Beck has elevated once-obscure conservative thinkers onto best-seller lists.  Recently, he has elevated a 78-year-old liberal academic to celebrity of a different sort, in a way that some say is endangering her life.

Washington Post Organizes News Boycott of Sarah Palin; Starts Twitter Campaign Against GOP Star  —  The Washington Post is engaging in online political activism by encouraging its readers to boycott news coverage of Sarah Palin.  —  The Post has picked up the call initiated this morning …

Obama to Push New Spending  —  State of Union Speech to Call for Boosting ‘Competitiveness’ While Nodding to Need for Budget Cuts  —  President Barack Obama and GE's Jeffrey Immelt, left, with plant manager Kevin Sharkey, visited a GE factory Friday to talk about green jobs.

First in nation, last with Sarah Palin  —  If Sarah Palin decides to run for president, she could quickly find that it's not Arizona, but New Hampshire that poses the bigger threat to her candidacy.  —  That's because in all of her travels since the 2008 election - during the midterm campaign …

Former U.S. lawmaker assisting Duvalier  —  Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — A former U.S. congressman was among a group of American attorneys accompanying former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier as he spoke in the country's capital Friday.  —  Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr …

Who's your seat buddy?  Congress pairs off for State of the Union unity display  —  Dozens of lawmakers are getting a second dose of high school as they venture across the aisle and ask colleagues to sit with them for President Obama's State of the Union address next week.

Women soccer fans in Iran may be banned from live broadcasts  —  (CNN) — Iranian authorities have ordered a ban on women from watching live broadcasts of soccer matches at public movie theaters, the semi-official ILNA news agency reported.  —  A state police agency that monitors Iranian businesses called …

Iran Nuclear Talks Close With No Progress  —  ISTANBUL — Two days of talks between Iran and six world powers ended in failure on Saturday, with Iran refusing to engage on any concrete proposals to build confidence that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes and with no date set for another meeting.

Bachmann impresses some top Iowa Republicans  —  Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann received strong reviews from some top Iowa Republicans tonight but left them guessing about her intentions for the 2012 presidential race.  —  I live-tweeted her remarks.  There's also Register coverage at Iowa Politics Insider.

Civility is nice; nonviolence is even better  —  The frenzy surrounding Jared Loughner's rampage in Tucson this month has finally died down.  As tempers cool, perhaps distance could turn reflection toward some bigger questions.  Many Republicans and Democrats have lamented the frequency of violent rhetoric in politics.

The Week of Speaking Pleasantly  —  Congress really has been looking a little more civil.  Not quite Athens in the age of Pericles, but it's very possible that this year we'll get through the State of the Union address without anybody jumping up to scream insults at the president.  —  Going for baby steps.