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 …

Supreme Court: Emanuel on Chicago mayor ballot  —  UPDATED at 7:15 p.m. by Liam Ford, Jeff Coen and David Heinzmann with more detail from Supreme Court opinion; election authority comment; ruling a topic in tonight's mayoral debate.  —  The Illinois Supreme Court ruled today that Rahm Emanuel …

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.

Jay Carney named White House press secretary  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden's communications director, Jay Carney, was named the new White House press secretary Thursday as part of a series of other big staff moves announced by new Chief of Staff Bill Daley.

Rand Paul: End foreign aid, including Israel  —  WASHINGTON (JTA) — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul wants to end all foreign assistance, including aid to Israel.  —  Paul, a Republican newly elected in Kentucky, was on CNN Wednesday outlining where he would cut the $500 billion in government spending …

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.

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.

Himalayan glaciers not melting because of climate change, report finds  —  Himalayan glaciers are actually advancing rather than retreating, claims the first major study since a controversial UN report said they would be melted within quarter of a century.  —  The key factor affecting …

Republican governors urged Pence to pass on presidential bid  —  Washington (CNN) - Indiana Rep. Mike Pence's decision not to run for president came after a serious lobbying effort by the Republican Governors Association, a GOP source close to the party organization told CNN Thursday.

Santorum announces Iowa hires  —  Washington (CNN) - Call it another signal from Rick Santorum that he's getting ready to officially run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.  —  The former senator from Pennsylvania announced Friday that two experienced Republican strategists in Iowa …

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.

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.

Hawaii: Bill Would Open Obama Birth Record  —  The state would charge $100 for a copy of President Obama's birth records under a bill introduced in the Legislature by five Democrats.  It would change a privacy law barring the release of birth records unless the person seeking them has a tangible interest.

Michelle Obama ready to campaign for 2012  —  Michelle Obama, who became a go-to cheerleader for Democrats during the 2010 midterm season, said that she will play a similar role in her husband's re-election campaign.  —  “Whenever it's time to campaign and they tap me on the shoulder …