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.

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.

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.”

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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  —  .

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Huckabee And Fischer Agree That Obama's Childhood Instilled “Fundamentally Anti-American Ideas” In Him  —  The AFA's Bryan Fischer spent the first hour of his daily radio program doing what he usually does: railing against gays and Muslims.  —  But today he kicked off hour two with a special guest: Mike Huckabee.

Chris Dodd shows how Washington works  —  Over the last two years — particularly during the debate over the financial reform bill — Sen. Chris Dodd served on multiple occasions as chief spokesman for, and defender of, the interests of Wall Street and corporate America.

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 …

The tedious, annoying complaints of public radio listeners.  —  On Valentine's Day, NPR's All Things Considered ran a two-and-a-half-minute segment about Justin Bieber fans gone wild.  When the teen star lost at the Grammys to Esperanza Spalding, a few of Bieber's aggrieved minions defaced …

'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.

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 …