Mubarak Steps Down, Ceding Power to Military  —  CAIRO — President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt turned over all power to the military and left the Egyptian capital for his resort home in Sharm el-Sheik, Vice President Omar Suleiman announced on state television on Friday.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee says he won't back Orrin Hatch in GOP Senate primary  —  Sen. Mike Lee (R) said Friday that he wouldn't endorse fellow Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) for reelection in the 2012 GOP Senate primary.  —  Lee, a freshman senator allied with the conservative Tea Party movement …

Thune ‘coming to final stages’ of 2012 decision  —  Washington (CNN) - South Dakota Sen. John Thune told reporters Friday that Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl's decision to retire - a move that will shake up the ranks of Republican leadership in the Senate - has “not really” changed his thinking about a possible presidential bid.

Paul Ryan's Limited Imagination  —  Everyone knows that Ron Paul has some crank notions about monetary economics, but Paul Ryan's own crankitude on this score is badly underrated.  Will Wilkinson, for example, flags this alarming quote from Ryan's participation in a recent committee hearing with Ben Bernanke:

The leaked campaign to attack WikiLeaks and its supporters  —  There's been a very strange episode being written about the past couple of days involving numerous parties, including me, that I now want to comment on.  The story, first reported by The Tech Herald, has been been written about in numerous places …

Multiculturalism has failed, says French president  —  PARIS (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared Thursday that multiculturalism had failed, joining a growing number of world leaders or ex-leaders who have condemned it.  —  “My answer is clearly yes, it is a failure,” …

Republicans turn Congress into ‘clogged toilet,’ says Democratic lawmaker  —  One of the Democrats' fieriest voices on Capitol Hill accused the Republicans of turning Congress into a “clogged toilet.”  —  Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said Friday that House Republicans were blocking …

Oprah wants ‘respect’ for Obama  —  Oprah Winfrey (left) and Barack Obama attend a campaign event in Dec. 2007.  AP Photo  —  Oprah called on President Obama's critics on Friday to “show some level of respect.”  —  “I feel that everybody has a learning curve, and I feel that the reason …

What Egyptians Really Want  —  Islamofascism: Romantics in Western media expect “democracy” to flower from the anti-Mubarak rioting in Cairo.  But polling shows Egyptians actually seek strict Islamic rule.  —  According to a major survey conducted last year by the Pew Research Center …

From freedom agenda to freedom doctrine  —  Today, everyone and his cousin supports the “freedom agenda.”  Of course, yesterday it was just George W. Bush, Tony Blair and a band of neocons with unusual hypnotic powers who dared challenge the received wisdom of Arab exceptionalism …

Relaxed, Rested, Ready  —  Strong Romney appearance at CPAC.  —  Includes glib gibes at Obama, focus on the economy, and polished/relaxed stump-speech feel.  —  Current odds that Romney leaves CPAC as the '12 frontrunner (still): 7-5.  —  Tweet  — FAN - FOLLOW - FEED … Politics

WHAT HATH FLORIDA WROUGHT?.... Atrios joked the other day that Floridians “elected Lex Luthor as their governor.”  That's a good line, in large part because it's hard not to wonder if Florida's new chief executive is some sort of super-villain. … Scott's plan is certainly unique.

A quick analysis of the situation  —  The situation is evolving so rapidly that I hesitate to put thoughts down.  Still, here's my take on what's happening:  — Although we still don't have details about what powers Mubarak has transferred to Suleiman, it's become pretty evident that Suleiman is in charge.

Top Democrat: Obama's critics ‘have been silenced’  —  President Obama's critics “have been silenced,” a top Senate Democrat and Obama ally said Friday.  —  Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the majority whip, claimed a political rebound for the president that could propel him to a second term.

Live blog Feb 11 - Egypt protests  —  on February 10th, 2011.  —  From our headquarters in Doha, we keep you updated on all things Egypt, with reporting from Al Jazeera staff in Cairo and Alexandria.  —  The Battle for Egypt - AJE Live Stream - Timeline - Photo Gallery - AJE Tweets - AJE Audio Blogs

New mobile food rules ensnare man who pushed for changes  —  Snappy Snacks trucks struggle to pass fire department inspections.  —  In 2009 Tom Ramsey pressed the City of Austin to add teeth to the city's mobile food vending ordinance.  —  Ramsey might have seemed an unlikely advocate …

Former Bush-Cheney National Spokesman Thinks Muslims Are Incapable Of Democracy: ‘This Is The Middle East’  —  This morning on Fox News, anchor Martha MacCallum hosted a panel of three experts that was very hostile towards the idea of backing the protesters in Egypt.

IMF calls for dollar alternative  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The International Monetary Fund issued a report Thursday on a possible replacement for the dollar as the world's reserve currency.  —  The IMF said Special Drawing Rights, or SDRs, could help stabilize the global financial system.

The Freedom Alliance  —  Over the past few weeks, I've had a chance to interview some amazing people.  I sat down with Bill Gates, who was in Washington to try to keep the looming budget cuts from decimating the foreign aid programs.  —  I sat down with scientists and university presidents …