NPR CEO Vivian Schiller Resigns  —  This follows yesterday's news that then-NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller (no relation) was videotapped slamming conservatives and questioning whether NPR needs federal funding during a lunch with men posing as members of a Muslim organization …

David Broder dies; Pulitzer-winning Washington Post political columnist  —  David S. Broder, 81, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post and one of the most respected writers on national politics for four decades, died Wednesday at Capital Hospice in Arlington of complications from diabetes.

Newt Gingrich tells The Brody File he 'felt compelled to seek God's forgiveness'  —  Newt Gingrich, who is expected to run for President tells The Brody File that he “felt compelled to seek God's forgiveness” over his past marital infidelity.  And now that he's at the grandfather stage he is …

Stevens County man charged with attempted MLK Day bombing in Spokane  —  A man has been charged with the attempted bombing along the route of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in downtown Spokane.  —  A magistrate clerk at the U.S. District Court in Spokane said that Kevin William Harpham …

For Lawmaker Examining Terror, a Pro-I.R.A. Past  —  WASHINGTON — For Representative Peter T. King, as he seizes the national spotlight this week with a hearing on the radicalization of American Muslims, it is the most awkward of résumé entries.

Palin would base campaign in Scottsdale  —  The prospect of Sarah Palin running for president is, increasingly, dismissed by a political class that sees her facing weak poll numbers — especially in key early states — and doing nothing to correct them or to buil the infrastructure for a run.

Government Shutdown Opposed by Americans in Poll Faulting Republican Cuts  —  Americans are sending a message to congressional Republicans: Don't shut down the federal government or slash spending on popular programs.  —  Almost 8 in 10 people say Republicans and Democrats should reach …

Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town  —  CLEVELAND, Tex. — The police investigation began shortly after Thanksgiving, when an elementary school student alerted a teacher to a lurid cellphone video that included one of her classmates.  —  The video led the police to an abandoned trailer …

White House moving to repair troubled relationship with Cabinet  —  News this week of the first departure of a Cabinet secretary from the Obama administration comes amid a wide-ranging effort under the new chief of staff, William M. Daley, to repair badly frayed relations between the White House and the Cabinet.

Americans see U.S. on wrong track: Reuters/Ipsos poll  —  (Reuters) - Americans, who are suffering from high gasoline prices, believe the United States is on the wrong track by a large margin, presenting a fresh challenge for President Barack Obama, a Reuters/Ipsos poll said on Wednesday.

Exclusive: Bill Gross Dumps All Treasuries, Brings Total “Government Related” Holdings To Zero, Flees To Cash - No QE3?  —  Based on still to be publicly reported data by Pimco's flagship Total Return Fund, the world's largest bond fund, in the month of January, has taken its bond holdings to zero …

World's Billionaires 2011: A Record Year In Numbers, Money And Impact  —  BRIC countries surge; Carlos Slim widens lead atop list.  —  This 25th year of tracking global wealth was one to remember.  The 2011 Billionaires List breaks two records: total number of listees (1,210) and combined wealth ($4.5 trillion).

Quinn signs death penalty ban, commutes 15 death row sentences to life  —  SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn today signed into law a historic ban on the death penalty in Illinois and commuted the sentences of 15 death row inmates to life without parole.  —  The governor said he followed his conscience.

Common mistakes of left-wing economists?  —  T., a loyal MR reader, asked for a compendium.  This is my off-the-cuff list, but in the interests of fairness I'm doing one on market-oriented economists as well.  What are some of the common views found on the left which I consider …

Palin vs. Christie: GOP rock-star feud  —  Republican Party favorites Chris Christie and Sarah Palin are engaged in a feud of rock-star proportions.  —  The New Jersey governor and former Alaska governor are two of the best-known figures in the GOP, and both have been mentioned as possible 2012 presidential candidates.

Battle of the Bike Lanes  —  At the risk of incurring the wrath of the bicycle lobby, a constituency that pursues its agenda with about as much modesty and humor as the Jacobins pursued theirs, and which has found its heroine in transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan …

Republicans introduce bill to give workers a choice on joining unions  —  Eight Republican Senators introduced a bill Tuesday giving workers a choice as to whether to join labor unions, which they argue will boost the nation's economy and provide an increase in wages.

Like NPR, PBS Met With Fictional Donors  —  NPR was not the only media organization duped by the Republican provocateur James O'Keefe.  —  PBS confirmed Wednesday that like NPR, one of its executives attended a lunch with people who posed as members of the Muslim Education Action Center Trust, a fictional group.

Prison Rape and the Government  —  David Kaiser and Lovisa Stannow … by the United States Department of Justice  —  Federal Register, Vol. 76, No. 23 (February 3, 2011), 56 pp., available at federalregister.gov/a/2011-1905  —  Initial Regulatory Impact Analysis for Notice of Proposed Rulemaking …

On Libya, too many questions  —  In September 1941, Japan's leaders had a question for Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto: Could he cripple the U.S. fleet in Hawaii?  Yes, he said.  Then he had a question for the leaders: But then what?  —  Following an attack, he said, “I shall run wild considerably …

Senate rejects dueling spending plans, leaves legislative stalemate  —  Senators voted largely along party lines Wednesday to reject two proposals to cut federal spending, leaving a legislative stalemate that will have to be resolved briskly to avert another potential government shutdown.

Buddy Roemer: ‘Each State has a Right to Determine’ Whether to Allow Gay Marriage  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer, one of only two Republicans to have formed a presidential exploratory committee for 2012, is espousing a policy position …

Freshmen in 112th Congress Exceedingly Wealthy Despite Struggling National Economy  —  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  —  WASHINGTON — No matter that they're the newest kids in Congress.  —  Like their veteran counterparts, U.S. House and U.S. Senate freshmen are together a notably wealthy bunch …