Clashes Erupt in Cairo Between Mubarak's Allies and Foes  —  CAIRO — President Obama's calls for a rapid transition to a new order in Egypt seemed eclipsed on Wednesday as thousands of demonstrators for and against President Hosni Mubarak, some on horses and camels, fought running battles in and around Cairo's Tahrir Square.

B.E., Before Egypt.  A.E., After Egypt.  —  I'm meeting a retired Israeli general at a Tel Aviv hotel.  As I take my seat, he begins the conversation with: “Well, everything we thought for the last 30 years is no longer relevant.”  —  That pretty much sums up the disorienting sense of shock …

Reagan's Solicitor General Charles Fried: ‘I Am Quite Sure That The Health Care Mandate Is Constitutional’  —  In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today on “The Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act,” President Ronald Reagan's former Solicitor General — Harvard Law Professor Charles Fried …

The Neocons Split with Israel Over Egypt  —  Well, this is interesting.  The neoconservative (or liberal interventionist) wing of American Jewish political thought (not that all neocons are Jewish, God forbid anyone should think that!) is cheering on the revolution in Egypt …

McCain rejects CBO healthcare repeal estimates as ‘garbage in, garbage out’  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Wednesday rejected the CBO's cost estimate of healthcare repeal as “garbage in, garbage out.”  —  McCain said the Congressional Budget Office estimate that repealing the healthcare law …

Rand Paul invokes abolitionist in speech  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) stood on the far right side of the Senate chamber in the second-to-last row and delivered his maiden floor speech Tuesday morning to an audience of C-SPAN cameras and one fellow Republican senator, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) …

White House reporters complain Obama is shutting them out  —  White House reporters criticized President Obama on Wednesday for providing too little information and access to the media during the crisis in Egypt.  —  In a letter to White House press secretary Robert Gibbs …

Will Boehner's be the shortest Speakership ever?  —  [UPDATE] In the comments, Boy Culture's Matthew Rettenmund leaves a link to photos of the National Enquirer story.  Can't quite make out the text, but it's a two-page spread.  —  Remember the videos at the bottom of this post?

Man arrested in threat made against Stuart's Rep. William Snyder shortly after Arizona shootings  —  A self-described Massachusetts “political activist” was arrested Monday night and charged with sending a threatening e-mail to Florida Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, an hour after the Arizona shooting …

Enviro Groups' Public Health Pivot in Support of EPA Regs Hitting Red States Too  —  The first signs of a shift came even before Election Day 2010, arriving as letters (pdf) and dramatic ads (pdf).  But as the 112th Congress gets to work, environmental groups are stepping up their transition toward …

Central Jersey Planned Parenthood fires worker after release of undercover video  —  PERTH AMBOY — The man and woman walked into the Planned Parenthood clinic in Perth Amboy sounding like the operators of a child sex ring looking for help with their business.

A Toast to Your Health  —  Warning: Alcohol may increase your life expectancy and reduce dementia.  —  The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans on Monday.  There weren't many surprises in its recommendations to reduce fat and salt, eat whole grains, and cut the overall amount we eat.

Maddow Blames Beck and Other Conservatives for Her Getting Duped by Satirical Website  —  As NewsBusters previously reported, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Monday got duped by a satirical website quoting from their spoof article about Sarah Palin advocating an attack on Egypt as if it was a serious commentary.

Superior Court rules Ontario Human Rights Tribunal hearing was unfair  —  A Mississauga businesswoman whose home was ordered seized to pay an Ontario Human Rights Tribunal award to a former employee can keep her house — for now.  —  The Superior Court struck down the “fatally flawed” …

An Answer for Bill  —  Last week on his show Bill O'Reilly asked, “Why has southern New York turned into the tundra?” and then said he had a call into me.  I appreciate the question.  As it turns out, the scientific community has been addressing this particular question …