White House Says Chinese Folk Song Played During State Dinner Was Not An Insult; Experts Divided  —  Ivories that were tickled last Wednesday night at the White House are, to some conservative media, no laughing matter.  —  At the White House State Dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao …

Obama won't endorse raising retirement age or reducing Social Security benefits  —  President Obama has decided not to endorse his deficit commission's recommendation to raise the retirement age, and otherwise reduce Social Security benefits, in Tuesday's State of the Union address …

Report: George W. Bush aides violated Hatch Act  —  During the 2006 midterm elections, White House political aides to President George W. Bush engaged in widespread violations of a federal law which limits partisan political activity by government employees, a long-running federal investigation has found.

Scalia: No plans to attend Obama's State of the Union address  —  Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told The Hill on Monday evening that he does not plan on attending the State of the Union address on Tuesday.  —  The conservative-leaning jurist said that he hasn't “gone to the State …

National Archives Discovers Date Change on Lincoln Record  —  Thomas Lowry Confesses to Altering Lincoln Pardon to April 14, 1865  —  Washington, DC...Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero announced today that Thomas Lowry, a long-time Lincoln researcher from Woodbridge, VA …

NBC: U.S. can't link accused Army private to Assange  —  Military also denies allegations that Bradley Manning is being mistreated  —  Below:  —  U.S. military officials tell NBC News that investigators have been unable to make any direct connection between a jailed army private suspected …

Rahm Emanuel booted off ballot in 2-1 Appellate Court decision  —  Rahm Emanuel was thrown off the ballot for mayor of Chicago today by an appellate court panel, a stunning blow to the fund-raising leader in the race.  —  An appellate panel ruled 2-1 that Emanuel did not meet the residency standard to run for mayor.

GOP to push for D.C. gay marriage ban  —  House conservatives say they will pursue legislation that would ban gay marriage in the nation's capital.  —  Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), told The Hill that he will push for a vote on the controversial issue in the 112th Congress.

Clarence Thomas revises disclosure forms  —  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has amended 13 years' worth of disclosure reports to include details of wife Virginia Thomas's sources of income, documents released on Monday show.  —  The documents indicate that Thomas's wife, who goes by Ginni …

Left laments Barack Obama's move to center  —  President Barack Obama plans to play up a bright future with congressional Republicans by channeling his 2008 campaign message of post-partisanship in his State of the Union address — but the liberal wing of his party isn't quite seeing the light.

Poll: Cut Social Security benefits or raise payroll cap?  Not even close  —  Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos. 1/20-23.  Registered voters.  MoE 3.1% (No trend lines) … Raise  —  payroll cap Cut benefits  —  All 77 10  —  Dem 84 4

The War on Demand  —  Something really strange has happened to the debate over economic policy in the face of the Great Recession and its aftermath — or maybe the real point is that events have revealed the true nature of the debate, stripping away some of the illusions.

Is it OK to abort a viable fetus?  An answer to pro-choicers on Kermit Gosnell.  —  Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortionist, has been charged with butchering viable babies, causing a woman's death, and endangering other patients.  A grand jury report details his alleged crimes.

Financial Crisis Commission Finds Cause For Prosecution Of Wall Street  —  The bipartisan panel appointed by Congress to investigate the financial crisis has concluded that several financial industry figures appear to have broken the law and has referred multiple cases to state or federal authorities …

NastyLeaks  —  Far from a triumph for transparency, the Palestine Papers are a victory for the enemies of peace in the Middle East — but only if Palestinian leaders embrace Al Jazeera's narrative.  —  The Palestine Papers — more than 1,600 internal Palestinian documents summarizing negotiations …

AZ lawmaker: Roe v. Wade a factor in shootings  —  The aftermath of the Arizona shootings have featured disputes over the role that gun laws or political rhetoric could have played in the violence.  —  But an Arizona lawmaker offered another source of blame: Roe v. Wade.

CNN Poll: Americans more optimistic on state of nation  —  Washington (CNN) - Hours before President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address before Congress, a new national poll indicates a surge in optimism about the state of the nation.  —  According to a CNN/Opinion Research …