8 From G.O.P. Trade Attacks at Iowa Debate  —  AMES, Iowa — A withering critique of President Obama's handling of the economy was overshadowed by a burst of incivility among the Republican presidential candidates who, in a debate here Thursday night, fought to stay alive in the party's increasingly competitive nominating race.

Rick Perry Says Social Security And Medicare Are Unconstitutional  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has, to say the least, a very odd understanding of the Constitution.  He thinks Texas should be able to opt out of Social Security, and he believes that everything from federal public school programs to clean air laws are unconstitutional.

The Hijacked Crisis  —  Has market turmoil left you feeling afraid?  Well, it should.  Clearly, the economic crisis that began in 2008 is by no means over.  —  But there's another emotion you should feel: anger.  For what we're seeing now is what happens when influential people exploit a crisis rather than try to solve it.

NY turns negative on Bam  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama might need to start taking a few more campaign trips to New York — and not just to raise cash.  —  A stunning new survey gives the president a negative approval rating in the Empire State for the first time, with just 45 percent approval …

All The Anti-Gay Rhetoric From The GOP Presidential Debate...In Under 2 Minutes  —  The GOP presidential candidates reiterated their opposition to same-sex marriage during Thursday's debate in Ames, Iowa, even as the majority of Americans now support marriage equality and 11.4 percent …

Democrats Enjoy Slight Edge on 2012 Congressional Ballot  —  Twice as many voters say Tea Party endorsements are a negative rather than a positive  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's first measure of the 2012 congressional elections shows Democrats leading Republicans, 51% to 44% …

JetBlue flier who ‘peed’ on girl could be axed from US Ski Team  —  By GORDON BOCK in Warren, Vt., and DON KAPLAN in NY  —  He probably just pissed away his Olympic dreams.  —  The drunken JetBlue passenger who treated a sleeping 11-year-old girl like his personal potty is a member …

Woman sues for sexual harassment at People's Choice Realty; Their response?  She's too ugly to touch  —  A 23-year-old lesbian says the Brooklyn real estate office she once worked in is a den of deviants where raunchy sexcapades were the norm.  —  But the bosses she's suing say she's too ugly to harass.

O'Donnell: ‘Witch’ was the worst  —  Christine O'Donnell reveals in her new book that the “lowest moment” of her failed 2010 Senate campaign came when the Delaware Republican made the now-infamous assurance to voters: “I am not a witch.”  —  Writing in her memoir, “Troublemaker …

John Roberts Is No Fool  —  The White House tries to put one over on the Supreme Court.  —  “The White House . . . has quietly altered its website to remove the references to Jerusalem being in ‘Israel,’ ” the New York Sun reports.  It sounds like another make-work Keynesian stimulus: dig a hole, fill it up.

Postal Service proposes cutting 120,000 jobs, pulling out of health-care plan  —  SEATTLE — The financially strapped U.S. Postal Service is proposing to cut its workforce by 20 percent and to withdraw from the federal health and retirement plans because it believes it could provide benefits at a lower cost.

Proposed rule on farms called ‘absurd’  —  A new rule being proposed by the federal Department of Transportation would require farmers to get commercial drivers licenses.  —  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is a part of DOT, wants to adopt standards that would reclassify …

David Axelrod Promises To Fire Any Team Obama Staffer Who Calls Mitt Romney ‘Weird’  —  On MSNBC's Morning Joe, former RNC Chairman Michael Steele pressed senior Obama adviser David Axelrod on the Politico piece that suggested Team Obama's strategy would be to paint GOP hopeful Mitt Romney as “weird.”

Obama: ‘Last thing we need’ is for Congress to return to DC  —  President Obama blasted Congress from the road on Thursday, saying things would be worse if lawmakers returned to Washington.  —  “There is nothing wrong with our country,” Obama said in a speech at a Holland, Mich. plant.

Ten-to-one isn't good enough for the GOP  —  I'm still working my way through the transcript of last night's debate for Republican presidential candidates, but there was one moment that clearly stood out for its significance.  It wasn't a zinger or an attack; it was a response all of the candidates offered by raising their hands.