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 …

The House GOP's Plan to Redefine Rape  —  Drugged, raped, and pregnant?  Too bad.  Republicans are pushing to limit rape and incest cases eligible for government abortion funding.  —  Post Comment  —  Rape is only really rape if it involves force.  So says the new House Republican majority as it now moves to change abortion law.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Bachmann plan would cut veterans benefits  —  Tea party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has unveiled a plan for cutting $400 billion in federal spending that includes freezing Veterans Affairs Department health care spending and cutting veterans' disability benefits.

Rich corporations “must share wealth” to avoid unrest  —  (Reuters) - Poverty and unemployment reared their heads at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, with speakers urging the elite audience to bridge a growing gap between booming multinationals and the jobless poor.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

Barack Obama fires up the health team  —  President Barack Obama may have said “let's fix it and move on” in his State of the Union address, but the president is sending messages that he is ready to roll up his sleeves and keep fighting the health care battle as long as he needs to.

Former Rep. Hoekstra weighing 2012 run against Sen. Debbie Stabenow  —  Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) said Friday that he's considering challenging Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in 2012.  —  Hoekstra, a former nine-term congressman who retired in 2010 to pursue an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid …

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.

Special Report: A Long Island tax cut backfires on the Tea Party  —  MINEOLA, New York (Reuters) - At his January 2010 inauguration, Tea Party-backed Republican Edward Mangano marched up to the podium, pen in hand.  Even before being officially declared Nassau County Executive, he signed a repeal of an unpopular home energy tax.