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.

Two shot dead at Frankfurt airport  —  Suspect arrested after bus driver and passenger killed and two other US airmen injured in shooting at Frankfurt airport  —  Two US airmen have been shot dead and two wounded at Frankfurt airport.  —  The gunman, believed to be from Kosovo …

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 …

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.”

Wisconsin GOP Senator Glenn Grothman chased, trapped by hecklers, saved by Dem.  Rep. Hulsey  —  Phil Ejercito is a 29 year old freelance photographer based in Madison, WI.  His primary photographic services include (but are by no means limited to) live music, event coverage, politics and activism …

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.

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.

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 …

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  —  .

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.

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 …

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.

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.

“You are a person against all of us.  The whole nation is looking at you."  — says an old woman with a “Solidarity” sign who gets right up in Meade's face...  ... when Meade asks her why he should “be ashamed” of himself.  That's at the end of this uncut 7 1/2-minute video, shot outside the Capitol this afternoon.

Unless they're paying beaucoup bucks, his transfer to New York makes no sense to me. … Like This Story  —  Follow Slate's Press Box … - The U.S. Has Frozen $30 Billion of Qaddafi's Assets.  Can We Spend It?  - John Roberts Writes the Funniest Sentence in Supreme Court History …

Budget chairman blasts ‘RomneyCare’ as similar to ‘ObamaCare’  —  Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday criticized the Massachusetts healthcare program critics have named “RomneyCare.”  —  Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee and a leading GOP voice on fiscal matters …

Pakistan Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti shot dead  —  Watch: Shahbaz Bhatti predicted his death as he defended his faith four months ago  —  Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti has been shot dead by gunmen who ambushed his car in broad daylight in the capital, Islamabad.

Rep. Quayle: Obama ‘Damaging Our Country’ - but 'We're Going to be Watching Him'  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Ben Quayle exploded onto the national political landscape last year with a feisty campaign ad that declared President Obama to be “the worst president in history.”

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 …

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.