EXCLUSIVE: Obama to Declare ‘The Rules Have Changed’  —  Full text of speech draft obtained by National Journal  —  President Obama speaks to both houses of Congress during his first State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on January 27, 2010.  —  Insisting bipartisanship …

President Obama to Propose Partial Budget Freeze and Earmark Ban Tonight*  —  Pursuing a path of deficit reduction and government reform, President Obama will tonight in his State of the Union address call for a ban on earmarks and he will propose a five year budget freeze …

CNN justifies airing Bachmann speech: “Tea Party has become major force in American politics”  —  CNN, which is taking some criticism from both sides for agreeing to air Michele Bachmann's response to Obama's speech tonight, sends over a statement justifying the move:

Sexy News Anchors Distract Male Viewers  —  New research finds when a female news anchor's sexual attractiveness is played up, male viewers retain less information.  —  SHARE AND ENJOY:  —  Scholars, critics and viewers have noted that some TV newscasts can be momentarily mistaken for Victoria's Secret specials.

Supreme Court: Emanuel stays on ballot while his case is considered  —  The Illinois Supreme Court has ordered the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners to put Rahm Emanuel's name back on the mayoral ballot.  —  The court has not decided whether to hear Emanuel's appeal …

Scalia Slaps Down GOP's Tentherism  —  Yesterday, conservative Justice Antonin Scalia spoke to a gathering of mostly-Republican lawmakers about separation of powers under the Constitution.  During that gathering, Scalia was asked to embrace one of the Tea Party's pet constitutional theories …

GOP to hit Obama hard on economy  —  New York (CNNMoney) - Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican Party's resident budget wonk, is expected to take the Obama administration to task Tuesday night for its handling of the economy and budget.  —  Ryan, a 40-year-old Wisconsin native …

Why No One Will Watch the State of the Union  —  If President Obama's planned “call to unity” and pledge to work on centrist initiatives in his second State of the Union speech don't have you itching to tune in Tuesday night, don't feel too bad.  Not many of your fellow citizens will watch …

“History tells us” something that history doesn't tell us, say sociologists stumbling to protect Frances Fox Piven.  —  Here's the expression of “outrage” by the officers of the American Sociological Association: … So vigorous debate about Piven's ideas is really important …

Statement by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on Richard Falk  —  U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations  —  I am appalled by the recent personal blog written by Richard Falk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on …

3 Reported Dead as Egyptians Protest to End Mubarak's Rule  —  CAIRO — Thousands of people calling for the end of the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak clashed with riot police officers here in the capital and in other Egyptian cities on Tuesday, on a day of some of the most serious civil unrest in recent memory.

Pelosi spurns Cantor on seating  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) invited Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to sit next to him at the State of the Union address — but the former House Speaker says she's already committed.  —  “I thank @GOPLeader for his #SOTU offer …

Ex-Detainee Sentenced in 1998 Blasts  —  Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the first former detainee at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to be tried in the civilian court system, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for his role in the 1998 bombings of two United States Embassies in East Africa.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez sparks outrage from fellow Democrats with proposal to boot Giffords from Armed Services Committee  —  Behind closed doors, California Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez has proposed removing Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords from the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) …

The State of the Union Drinking Game, 2011 Edition  —  If you're anything like us, you spent Sunday only half-watching the NFL conference championship games, attending to them out of some shapeless feeling of duty and the ever-present impulse to call Jay Cutler a pansy.

Poll: Unpopularity of reform jumps 9 points  —  Public opposition to the health care reform law spiked to a record high in a new poll out today — but Americans don't necessarily want Republicans to spend time trying to dismantle it.  —  Fifty percent of Americans have unfavorable views of the law …

Preview of Obama's Speech  —  The White House sends over excerpts of President Obama's State of the Union address, as prepared for delivery.  —  Excerpts from President Obama's State of the Union Address  —  With their votes, the American people determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties.

Dem, GOP leaders reach tentative deal to drop “Constitutional option”  —  Filibuster reform update.  —  Multiple Senate aides on both sides say that Senators Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer and Lamar Alexander have reached a tentative deal to push forward with a less ambitious …