In straw polls, smart money is on Ron Paul  —  Here's a pretty safe bet: Ron Paul will win Saturday's Conservative Political Action Conference presidential straw poll.  Or at least do better than many better-known and better-financed 2012 Republican presidential candidates.  —  Why?

Tea Party wins: $100 billion in cuts in House GOP spending bill  —  House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) on Friday evening introduced a revised 2011 government spending bill that the GOP said will cut at least $100 billion in spending this fiscal year, bowing to demands by Tea Party-backed House freshmen.

Now the hard part for Egypt - and U.S.  —  After days of frustration and high anxiety during which the United States looked impotent and at times out of touch with developments in Egypt, the Obama administration finally notched a foreign policy victory with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's decision …

The GOP Cannot Control Its Own Noise Machine (The Egypt Edition)  —  Tune into Glenn Beck tonight to watch the Fox News host explain how the pro-democracy uprising in Egypt, which culminated in the peaceful overthrow of the country's authoritarian rule, is a demonstrably bad thing.

Walker calls for cuts or big layoffs  —  Changes would cost state workers 8% of pay  —  By Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - Gov. Scott Walker said Friday that thousands of state workers would be laid off if the Legislature does not adopt his budget fix …

TRENDING: Palin hires chief-of-staff  —  Washington (CNN) - Sarah Palin has added a veteran Republican strategist to serve as chief-of-staff for her political action committee, Sarah PAC, CNN has learned.  —  Michael Glassner, an attorney and longtime adviser to former Kansas senator …

Statement From the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces  —  Full EAF Supreme Council Statement: The Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces issued its second statement today Friday.  It says the following:  —  Due to the consecutive developments in current incidents and which define …

Egypt Captivates World's Attention — Except at CPAC  —  Three weeks of historic protests in Egypt upended President Hosni Mubarak's regime on Friday with the world looking.  But here at the Conservative Political Action Conference, no one took any notice.  —  For the past 36 hours …

Palin impersonator stuns CPAC  —  Just how much of a draw is Sarah Palin among conservatives?  —  A Palin impersonator drew dozens of excited, mostly young CPAC attendees around her in the hotel lobby here just as Mitt Romney, the GOP's ostenisble frontrunner, was taking the stage.

How to spot trouble  —  PERHAPS it's an indicator of a low birth rate (so no one to pay for future pensions).  Maybe it hints at a lack of ambition and accountability.  Or maybe it's a sign of a civilisation in the final stage of decline.  Whatever explains it, the correlation is remarkable:

In Obama's Words  —  Washington, D.C. … Obama delivers remarks on Egypt  —  SPEECH TRANSCRIPT  —  Good afternoon, everybody.  —  There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place.  This is one of those moments.  This is one of those times.

Egypt: The camp that toppled a president  —  Cairo's central Tahrir Square was the focal point for anti-Mubarak protesters during 18 days of demonstrations.  As the protest neared its peak, the BBC's Yolande Knell took a tour of the area.  Explore the protesters' camp by clicking on the links.

CPAC 2011: Big Ol' Gay Party  —  WASHINGTON — On January 7, Andrew Breitbart said he was fed up with the social conservative groups boycotting CPAC over the inclusion of the gay Republican group GOProud and wanted to do something about it.  —  “I will be the harshest critic of the activist gay left …

Senators Skip Over Federal Circuit Nominee  —  One of President Barack Obama's nominees for an appellate judgeship has been waiting 10 months for a confirmation hearing, an unusual length of time given that the president's party has control of the U.S. Senate.

How The Mubarak Family Made Its Billions … A tourist in Cairo spots three photographs on the wall of a restaurant: one of Nasser, another of Sadat, and the third of Hosni Mubarak.  He asks the owner who the first man is, and the owner tells him it's the man who overthrew the Egyptian monarchy and served as the country's president.

CPAC Exclusive: An Interview With Olympia Snowe's Primary Challenger, Andrew Ian Dodge  —  CPAC Exclusive: An Interview With Olympia Snowe's Primary Challenger, Andrew Ian Dodge  —  There have been rumors that Andrew Ian Dodge would challenge Olympia Snowe in the 2012 Republican primary.

Obama honors Gibbs on press secretary's last day at White House  —  It took almost seven years, but President Obama finally returned the tie he borrowed from his press secretary Robert Gibbs.  —  Obama brought back the tie during an appearance in the White House briefing room to say a public …