Fox News pulls Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum off the air because of their interest in running for president  —  Fox News suspends the contracts of political contributors Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum because both have demonstrated that they are seriously considering running for president.

Gunman Shouting ‘Allah Akbar’ Kills 2 US Airmen in Germany  —  Obama Says U.S. Will Spare No Efforts in Investigating Killings  —  A gunman shouting “Allah Akbar” opened fire on a bus carrying U.S. airmen in Frankfurt, Germany, killing two and wounding two others before his gun jammed and he was subdued, officials said.

Breaking: Wisconsin Dems throw their weight behind drive to recall GOP Senators  —  The Wisconsin Democratic Party has decided to throw its weight behind a nascent grassroots drive to recall a number of GOP state senators, a move that will considerably increase the pressure on them to break …

Justices Rule for Protesters at Military Funerals  —  WASHINGTON — The First Amendment protects hateful protests at military funerals, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in an 8-1 decision.  —  “Speech is powerful,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote for the majority.

Congressional bosses from Hell: Sheila Jackson Lee  —  A lot of politicians give nicknames to their aides.  George W. Bush famously referred to his attorney general, Alberto Gonzalez, as “Fredo.”  Mitch Daniels, then head of the Office of Management and Budget, was known as “The Blade.”

WSJ/NBC Poll: Strong Support for Bargaining Rights  —  Americans strongly oppose efforts to strip unionized government workers of their rights to collectively bargain, even as they want public employees to contribute more money to their retirement and health-care benefits, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows.

Capitol Chaos: Resolution Passed To Fine ‘Wisconsin 14’  —  MADISON - The 14 Wisconsin state Senate Democrats who left the state two weeks ago will now face fines of $100 for each day they miss, if they miss two or more days.  —  Republicans remaining in the Senate approved the daily fine …

Conceding defeat this time, Senate Dems pledge to win next round  —  Senate Democrats conceded Tuesday that House Republicans won round one of the budget fight, but they are vowing a bigger battle later this month.  —  Anticipating that showdown, Senate Democratic leaders are scrambling …

Ben Bernanke: GOP's plan will cut jobs  —  Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke said Wednesday that House GOP's 2011 spending plan would likely cost “a couple hundred thousand jobs,” a number he called “not trivial.”  —  Bernanke's testimony Wednesday was more specific than what he offered Tuesday …

OPINION: Wisconsin governor is waging ‘jihad’ against unions  —  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's (R) jihad against public employee unions is about 30 years late and likely to make Republicans even less popular with voters, who endorse collective bargaining rights for public employees — professionals for whom they have abiding respect.

Buddy Roemer sees glimmer of White House hope  —  The GOP's white-bread presidential primary is about to get a dash of Tabasco.  —  Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer will announce Thursday in Baton Rouge that he is forming an exploratory committee, he told POLITICO.

Lt. Gen. John Kelly, who lost son to war, says U.S. largely unaware of sacrifice  —  Before he addressed the crowd that had assembled in the St. Louis Hyatt Regency ballroom last November, Lt. Gen. John F. Kelly had one request.  “Please don't mention my son,” he asked the Marine Corps officer introducing him.

Obama's 'Where's Waldo?' presidency  —  For a man who won office talking about change we can believe in, Barack Obama can be a strangely passive president.  There are a startling number of occasions in which the president has been missing in action - unwilling, reluctant or late to weigh in on the issue of the moment.

They Know Their Audience  —  ... isn't that bright.  —  What's wrong with this picture?  —  If you guessed the snowless ground and palm trees in Wisconsin you win a big prize.  Your sanity.  —  h/t to @JoshuaHolland  —  .

Waste, Fraud, and Sen. Coburn  —  I'll get back to highlighting a few of the results from the GAO's report on streamlining government later today, but first I want to highlight this nugget from Reuters columnist James Pethokoukis: … Let's settle down a bit here.

Petraeus Apologizes for Deaths of 9 Afghan Boys  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Nine boys collecting firewood to heat their homes in the eastern Afghanistan mountains were killed by NATO helicopter gunners who mistook them for insurgents, according to a statement on Wednesday by NATO, which apologized for the mistake.

Fetuses to be presented as witnesses before Ohio House committee considering abortion restrictions  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio - Two fetuses will be presented as witnesses before an Ohio legislative committee that is hearing a bill to outlaw abortions after the first heartbeat can be detected inside a woman's womb.

Bachmann: Let there be (incandescent) light  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) this week introduced legislation that would eliminate federal light bulb standards passed in 2007 that are expected to have the effect of phasing out some incandescent bulbs in the next few years.

Snooki Discusses Smushing and the Stress of ‘Jersey Shore’ in Rolling Stone Cover Story  —  'We can't have cellphones, TV, radio or the Internet.  There's no normalcy.  It's just like prison, with cameras'  —  By  —  Watch video of Snooki's Rolling Stone cover shoot with Mark Seliger below.

Day job: Mitch Daniels may miss out  —  Mitch Daniels said Wednesday that intractable legislative gridlock in Indiana could ultimately keep him out of the presidential race.  —  The Hoosier State governor said he plans to focus on state issues, even if that costs him the opportunity to launch a White House bid.

Charlie Sheen Surrenders His Children to Police  —  Charlie Sheen got a reality check Tuesday evening when police officers visited his Beverly Hills mansion to take his twin boys out of his custody, a source confirms to PEOPLE.  —  The move comes after his ex Brooke Mueller won a restraining order …

Niehaus ripped for removing Seitz  —  Cincinnnati Fire Department Lt. Mark Sanders, president of the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters, ripped Senate President Tom Niehaus of New Richmond today for abruptly removing Sen. Bill Seitz of Green Township from a committee …

'Europe's Banks Are in Far Greater Danger Than People Realize'  —  The European Union is hoping that aid to Greece and Ireland combined with closer economic policy coordination will be enough to put an end to the euro crisis.  But that's not likely, warns US economist Barry Eichengreen.

No, Fox News Did Not Lie With “Wisconsin Palm Tree” Violent Protest Video  —  The Internet is abuzz this morning with a story that Fox News has “lied” in showing a video of an angry union protester from California while claiming its from Wisconsin.  The “Palm Tree lie” (described …

Morning Jay: Is Obama in Better Shape for 2012? … Drill it down, and you get these reasons why Obama is looking better: … My reaction is twofold: first, Obama looks no more or less beatable now than he did four months ago; second, he looks fairly vulnerable.  Let's look at each claim in turn.

Gingrich may face questions about Georgia ‘birther’ bill  —  Newt Gingrich could face some tough questions when he appears in Atlanta on Thursday.  —  The former House Speaker is scheduled to join Gov. Nathan Deal (R) at an afternoon meeting at the state Capitol.