House rejects measure that would extend key Patriot Act provisions through December  —  A measure to extend key provisions of the Patriot Act counterterrorism surveillance law through December failed the House Tuesday night, with more than two-dozen Republicans bucking their party to oppose the measure.

Lugar to Tea Party: “Get real.”  —  WASHINGTON, DC (WANE) - He's an institution in Washington, DC.  Over the years, few senators have garnered more respect on Capitol Hill than Indiana's Richard Lugar .  He's been a fixture in the Senate since 1977; seemingly unbeatable at the ballot box.

On Health Care, Justice Will Prevail  —  THE lawsuits challenging the individual mandate in the health care law, including one in which a federal district judge last week called the law unconstitutional, will ultimately be resolved by the Supreme Court, and pundits are already making bets on how the justices will vote.

A new Dem threat to health care law  —  A handful of moderate Senate Democrats are looking for ways to roll back the highly contentious individual mandate — the pillar of President Barack Obama's health care law — a sign that red-state senators are prepared to assert their independence ahead of the 2012 elections.

Barack Obama: “I didn't raise taxes once.”  —  President Barack Obama says he didn't raise taxes once.  —  In an interview on Super Bowl Sunday, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly asked President Barack Obama to react to a Wall Street Journal editorial that accused Obama of being …

Christine O'Donnell Will Use Committee To ‘Investigate’ Left-Wing Groups  —  Failed GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell is back, and she's telling supporters she wants her newly formed political action committee ChristinePAC to “investigate and counter attack leftwing groups.”

There will be blog  —  Conservatives To Beck: You're Doing It Wrong.  —  As much as I'm enjoying the feud between Bill Kristol and Glenn Beck over Beck's paranoid theory that the upheaval in Egypt will lead to a caliphate in Eastern Europe, I'm not entirely sure why Kristol is objecting.

My Farewell* Post to Politics Daily Readers … For the last couple of years, I have been honored and privileged to be a part of the superb Politics Daily team.  It is with some reluctance that I announce my imminent departure from PD for The Daily Caller.  —  PD remains a unique place on the Web …

Comic treatment for health plan  —  MIT econ whiz's hip idea to explain overhaul  —  The MIT economics whiz who crafted President Obama's national health-care overhaul now plans to explain the complex and controversial plan to the masses — in one long comic book.

Mandatory Arabic Classes Coming To Mansfield  —  MANSFIELD (CBSDFW.COM) - Some Students at Mansfield ISD schools could soon be learning Arabic as a required language.  The school district wants students at select schools to take Arabic language and culture classes as part of a federally funded grant.

Rick: Sarah skips CPAC for C-notes  —  Rick Santorum knocked Sarah Palin's decision to skip CPAC, saying on Tuesday that she must have “business opportunities” that are keeping her from the annual conservative conference that is a showcase for potential presidential contenders.

500 - It's 10:15 in Germany.  Do You Know Where Your Isoglosses Are?  —  Germans have a reputation for punctuality.  Is that why they have so many ways of telling the same time?  If it's 10:15 in the germanosphere (1), you'll have at least four options of expressing that particular moment.

Rep. Fred Upton On Global Warming: ‘I Do Not Accept That It Is Man-Made’  —  At a public forum today, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the new head of the House energy committee, denied that climate change is manmade.  Upton, who received $20,000 from Koch Industries in his most recent campaign …

Welfare Reform for the whole country  —  What could go wrong? … Make that “shared sacrifice for everyone but rich people who will not feel any of this personally.”  Let's try to be accurate.  —  But I think the Obama administration may have found a comparison that will make the Villagers' eyes roll …

Rep. Posey Can't Say If He Takes Govt. Health Care Because He Doesn't ‘Know’ If He's ‘A Federal Employee’  —  Over the past few months, congressional Republicans have endured much criticism for privately accepting government-sponsored health insurance as they publicly railed against health care reform.

Inside the Secret Service  —  When President Obama and two-thirds of the world's leaders gather in New York City, it is up to the U.S. Secret Service to keep them all safe.  Granted unprecedented access, our author tells the story of how the agency pulls off the most complicated security event of the year …

First Look: Meryl Streep As Mrs. Thatcher  —  Pathé UK has released the first shot of Meryl Streep as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.  Streep is in the 2nd week of filming The Iron Lady here in London.  It's the first feature from director Phyllida since she directed Streep in Mamma Mia.

Keith Olbermann's New Gig, Revealed: “Chief News Officer, Current Media”  —  Less than three weeks after his high-visibility departure from MSNBC, Keith Olbermann has revealed his next step.  Fittingly, Olbermann scooped his own news conference with a tweet: “Greetings from Keith Olbermann, Chief News Officer of Current Media!

Mass protests continue in Egypt  —  Pro-democracy supporters hold fresh rallies in Cairo, just hours after the release of a detained Google executive.  —  Protesters in the Egyptian capital are holding mass demonstrations, with a new wave of optimism reaching the pro-democracy camp following …

Tim Pawlenty Refuses To Say Whether Gays Should Be Allowed To Serve In The Military At All  —  In his quest to win the Republican presidential nomination, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) has made reinstating the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy a key part of his campaign.

Biden Announces $53 Billion Rail-Funding Plan  —  WASHINGTON—Vice President Joe Biden unveiled a $53 billion plan Tuesday to upgrade and build intercity passenger-rail networks.  —  Mr. Biden, along with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, announced the plan at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.

Rep. Jane Harman makes her exit official  —  Rep. Jane Harman gave more than her two weeks' notice Tuesday when she confirmed her decision to leave the House of Representatives for a think tank, ending her 16-year career as a leading centrist force on Capitol Hill.