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.

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 …

Reid and McConnell agree: There will be no reform of the filibuster  —  A few moments ago, Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell took to the floor of the Senate to announce a five-point agreement on rules reform.  But the five-points weren't, well, the point.  The real agreement was on the process by which rules can be reformed.

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 …

Mike Pence's Mom Says He'll Announce Tomorrow  —  Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., is trying to decide whether to run for president or governor of his home state.  —  Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., is set to announce a decision on his political future on Friday, according to his mother …

Exclusive: Sarah Palin to Headline Reagan 100 Celebration at Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara  —  Governor Palin Chooses Young America's Foundation's Reagan Ranch Center as the Backdrop for her Speech to Honor the 100th Anniversary of Ronald Reagan's Birth

Joe Biden says Egypt's Mubarak no dictator, he shouldn't step down...  ... and wonders what the Egyptian protesters want.  —  Vice President Joe Biden spoke to the PBS NewsHour tonight with the most direct US governent comments yet about the gathering Egypt protests against President Hosni Mubarak's 29-year reign.

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 …

Palin completely misunderstands what “Sputnik Moment” means  —  So Sarah Palin went on Greta Van Susteren's show last night and one of the “questions” was about what she thought of President Obama's reference to America's “Sputnik moment” during his State of the Union address.

Egypt protest leaflets distributed in Cairo give blueprint for mass action  —  Anonymous flyers provide practical and tactical advice for confronting riot police, and besieging government offices  —  Egyptians have been urged to come out after Friday prayers tomorrow and demand the overthrow …

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 …

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.

Snow gridlock traps commuters for up to 13 hours  —  Stuck.  —  On the George Washington Parkway.  On 16th Street NW.  Interstate 66, too.  —  Buses, cars, people - just plain stuck as snow, sleet and ice covered roadways and knocked down trees across the region, turning the evening commute into a seemingly endless nightmare.

Schumer steps up Social Security assault on House Republicans  —  Senate Democrats led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are gearing up for a battle with House Republicans over Medicare and Social Security benefits.  —  Schumer and other Democratic strategists …

4th senator joins Tea Party Caucus  —  The three founding members of the Senate Tea Party Caucus told a crowd of 120 activists at their first meeting Thursday that their efforts will outsize their short roster.  —  In all, four Republican senators have joined the caucus, including one freshman …