Egypt Leaves the Internet  —  Confirming what a few have reported this evening: in an action unprecedented in Internet history, the Egyptian government appears to have ordered service providers to shut down all international connections to the Internet.  Critical European-Asian fiber-optic …

HOUSE GOP WEIGHS MEDICARE PRIVATIZATION.... To help finance the Affordable Care Act and ensure health care reform didn't add to the deficit, Democrats committed to $500 billion in cost savings from Medicare.  Republicans, who've always been hostile to the system of socialized medicine, feigned outrage.

Furor at Washington U. nixes Bristol Palin appearance  —  Anger over a decision to pay Bristol Palin several thousand dollars in student fees to talk to Washington University students about abstinence led to a decision Thursday night to nix Palin's appearance on a panel here next month.

Top Dem: We will ‘hang’ Republicans  —  Amidst a national dialogue about softening political rhetoric, members of an Obama-affiliated organization are threatening to hang Granite State Republicans in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, according to a news story in the Citizen of Laconia.

Emanuel on Chicago mayoral ballot  —  Illinois Supreme Court rejects challenge to his residency  —  The ballot roller coaster for Rahm Emanuel finally stopped Thursday with the former White House chief of staff very much in the race for mayor and the Illinois Supreme Court emphatically rejecting …

TNT apologizes for Tracy Morgan's suggestive comments on Palin  —  TNT wasted no time apologizing for Tracy Morgan's suggestive comments about Sarah Palin on Thursday night.  —  Morgan, star of NBC's 30 Rock sitcom, said during TNT's nationally televised Inside the NBA that he fantasized …

Republicans terrified of tea  —  When Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann was named to the House Intelligence Committee earlier this year, one of her Republican colleagues responded this way: “Is that a punchline?”  Another simply said, “Jumbo shrimp.  Oxymoron.”  —  Neither dared to attach his name to his comment.

Their Own Private Europe  —  President Obama's State of the Union address was a ho-hum affair.  But the official Republican response, from Representative Paul Ryan, was really interesting.  And I don't mean that in a good way.  —  Mr. Ryan made highly dubious assertions about employment, health care and more.

PROPAGANDA: Reagan And Obama On The Cover Of TIME  —  TIME Magazine's new February 2011 issue has a cover that features Ronald Reagan with his arm around a jovial Barack Obama.  You can see the image below.  This is propaganda.  Plain and simple.  —  Anyone who knows anything …

Johanns bill to repeal healthcare law's 1099 provision reaches 60 co-sponsors  —  A bipartisan bill in the Senate that would repeal the unpopular 1099 provision in the healthcare law garnered 60 co-sponsors on Thursday, giving the legislation its best chance at passage so far.

First lady vows active reelection role  —  First lady Michelle Obama vowed Friday to be an active partner in President Obama's reelection campaign.  —  While for the time being the first lady is more focused on her pet initiatives — addressing childhood obesity and aiding military families …

Wonkbook: Filibuster reform dead  —  So why did Senate Democrats agree, in principle, that simple majorities can't change the Senate's rules, and even exceedingly modest changes to the filibuster are out-of-bounds?  Easy: They're a simple majority now, but someday soon, they'll be a simple minority.

U.S. Economy Grew at 3.2% Rate in the 4th Quarter  —  The United States economy sped up its growth rate in the fourth quarter, chiefly on the backs of revitalized consumers and a narrowed trade deficit.  —  Gross domestic product, a broad measure of all the goods and services produced by the economy …

Some healthcare waiver requests denied even as HHS approves 500 others  —  While some 500 groups got waivers for a healthcare reform provision setting annual coverage requirements, about 50 requests for such exemptions were denied, the Department of Health and Human Services told The Hill Thursday.

Cold truths about electric cars' cold-weather shortcomings  —  Count me among the many thousands of Washington area residents who spent Wednesday night stuck in traffic as a snowstorm sowed chaos all around us.  Being car-bound in sub-freezing weather for six hours can make a guy think.

Seizing a Moment, Al Jazeera Galvanizes Arab Frustration  —  The protests rocking the Arab world this week have one thread uniting them: Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite channel whose aggressive coverage has helped propel insurgent emotions from one capital to the next.