White House and Egypt Discuss Plan for Mubarak's Exit  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is discussing with Egyptian officials a proposal for President Hosni Mubarak to resign immediately and turn over power to a transitional government headed by Vice President Omar Suleiman …

Rand Paul: GOP Not ‘Brave Enough’ to Hit Deficit  —  ‘True Believer’ Paul Wants All Foreign Aid Eliminated — Including Aid to Israel  —  In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., took aim at the newly released House GOP budget, saying it falls far short of what needs to be done to deal with the federal deficit.

Obama's Approval Ratings More Polarized in Year 2 Than Year 1  —  Ranks as fourth-most-polarized year for a president since 1953  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama's job approval ratings were even more polarized during his second year in office than during his first …

ObamaCare's Repeal Has Begun  —  This week's Senate vote to scrap an IRS reporting requirement is the start of a piece by piece approach.  —  Mark this date: On Feb. 2, 2011, a Democratic Senate killed the first piece of the health-care law it passed less than a year ago.

Congressman Hinojosa files for bankruptcy  —  WASHINGTON — An eight-term Texas congressman who serves on the House Financial Services Committee has filed for personal bankruptcy and is blaming his family meat company for his problems.  —  According to federal bankruptcy court documents …

Report: Political Correctness Prevented FBI, DoD from Stopping Maj. Hasan  —  Today the Senate Homeland Security Committee released an independent report on the Ft. Hood shootings.  The 91 page report is titled A Ticking Time Bomb: Counterterrorism Lessons from the US Government's Failure to Prevent the Fort Hood Attack.

‘String Him Up’  —  Racist and eliminationist rhetoric at a Common Cause rally.  —  The website of Common Cause describes the group as “a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest and accountable government …

Citizen activist grates on state over traffic signals  —  RALEIGH — David N. Cox says he was merely exercising his right to petition the government, but a state Department of Transportation official has raised allegations that Cox committed a misdemeanor: practicing engineering without a license.

Unemployment falls to 9.0 pct., only 36K new jobs  —  Economy adds 36K jobs in January, unemployment rate falls to 9 pct., lowest since April 2009  —  Companies:  —  Related Quotes  —  SymbolPriceChange  —  BAC  —  14.43  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The unemployment rate dropped sharply …

Gallup Finds U.S. Unemployment Up Slightly in January to 9.8%  —  Underemployment at 18.9%, compared with 19.0% at the end of December  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, increased to 9.8% at the end of January — up from 9.6% at the end of December, but down from 10.9% a year ago.

Gabrielle Giffords's husband Mark Kelly will command final shuttle flight  —  Mark Kelly, husband of wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, will fly the space shuttle Endeavour's final mission in April, according to a source familiar with the decision.  —  Kelly and NASA are expected to make an announcement at a press conference Friday.

Finger-pointing begins on Egypt  —  The debate over who “lost” Egypt seems to have begun.  —  Critics are openly questioning the quality of information and analysis given to President Barack Obama by U.S. intelligence agencies in the days leading up to the dramatic uprising against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

A Jewish Group Makes Waves, Locally and Abroad  —  Hundreds of people, mostly Arab-Americans, are expected to gather Saturday in downtown San Francisco to support anti-government protests in Egypt, and a large contingent of Jews representing a Bay Area peace-advocacy group will join them, one of its leaders says.

Pics of the Day: Homemade Helmets in Egypt...  Pick your favorite. … My personal favorite.

Learning To Walk: Fear, Shame And Your Underwater Mortgage … WASHINGTON — Nearly one in every four homeowners across the country owe more on their home than it's worth.  Once a month, those 10.8 million are faced with a question that cuts to the core of the American Dream and offers …

U.S. Pressure on Mubarak Opens a Rift With Arab Allies  —  WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama's attempt to abruptly push aside Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in favor of a transition government has sparked a rift with key Arab allies Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates …

Cops Charge 7-Year-Old for Bringing Toy Gun to Class  —  Kid charged with possession of a fake firearm after shooting Nerf-style gun  —  A 7-year-old child allegedly shot a Nerf-style toy gun in his Hammonton, N.J., school Jan. 18.  No one was hurt, but the pint-size softshooter now faces misdemeanor criminal charges.