Mubarak Refuses to Step Down  —  CAIRO — President Hosni Mubarak told the Egyptian people Thursday that he would delegate more authority to his vice president, Omar Suleiman, but that he would not resign his post, contradicting earlier reports that he would step aside and surprising hundreds …

Paul Supporters Hijack Cheney-Rumsfeld Reunion (Video)  —  ***LIVE UPDATES FROM CPAC ON TPM's CPAC 2011 WIRE***  —  Dick Cheney just popped up here at CPAC to introduce his old pal and Bush administration colleague Donald Rumsfeld.  Fans of Ron Paul turned what should have been a friendly moment …

DNI Clapper: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood ‘largely secular’  —  During a House Intelligence Committee hearing Thursday, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper called Egypt's branch of the Muslim Brotherhood movement “largely secular.”  —  In response to questioning from Rep. Sue Myrick …

FOX NEWS INSIDER: “Stuff Is Just Made Up”  —  Asked what most viewers and observers of Fox News would be surprised to learn about the controversial cable channel, a former insider from the world of Rupert Murdoch was quick with a response: “I don't think people would believe it's as concocted as it is; that stuff is just made up.”

G.O.P. Leaders Yield to a Push for More Cuts  —  WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders said Thursday that they would accede to demands from conservatives and dig deeper into the federal budget for billions of dollars in additional savings this year, exhibiting the power of the Tea Party movement …

EXCLUSIVE: US Chamber's Lobbyists Solicited Hackers To Sabotage Unions, Smear Chamber's Political Opponents  —  ThinkProgress has learned that a law firm representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the big business trade association representing ExxonMobil, AIG, and other major international corporations …

New CPAC Head Distances Group from GOProud  —  The new chair of the American Conservative Union, Al Cardenas, today distanced his organization from GOProud, telling FrumForum in an exclusive interview that “it's going to be difficult to continue the relationship” with the gay conservative organization.

Karl Rove Has Never Been At War With Eastasia  —  Karl Rove has an op-ed column in the Wall Street Journal today — and, yes, I admit that merely typing those words involuntarily triggers my saliva glands — that is entirely dedicated to urging Republicans to use the budget reconciliation process to repeal the Affordable Care Act:

Giffords told staff she would run if Kyl retired  —  Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) had informed staff that she would run for Senate if Sen. Jon Kyl (R) were to retire, a source said Thursday.  —  Giffords, the third-term congresswoman who was the survivor of a Jan. 8 assassination attempt …

Paul Ryan's Republicanomics  —  YESTERDAY, Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, appeared on Capitol Hill to field questions from the House Budget Committee.  The committee's new Republican chairman, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, pressed Mr Bernanke to defend the Fed's efforts …

Big Journalism's Dana Loesch Joins CNN  —  Just released: … Watch Loesch tonight as she appears on “Parker/Spitzer” from CPAC.  —  (Off-set questions answered.)