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.

Appeals court rules against Obama healthcare law  —  (Reuters) - An appeals court ruled on Friday that President Barack Obama's healthcare law requiring Americans to buy healthcare insurance or face a penalty was unconstitutional, a blow to the White House.  —  The Appeals Court for the 11th Circuit …

Email rendezvous entangles state Rep. Phillip Hinkle  —  Lawmaker calls encounter set up with young man on Craigslist a ‘shakedown’  —  State Rep. Phillip Hinkle, shown speaking on a motion during the recent session, said he is “aware of a shakedown taking place.”  / Charlie Nye / 2011 Star file photo

Rick Perry on the Record  —  From scrapping Social Security and Medicare to immigration to Constitutional amendments, Texas Governor Rick Perry spoke openly last fall with Andrew Romano.  —  In Fed Up!, you criticize the progressive era and the changes it produced: the 16th and 17th Amendments, Social Security, Medicare, and so on.

The Case for Calling Them Nitwits  —  They blow each other up by mistake.  They bungle even simple schemes.  They get intimate with cows and donkeys.  Our terrorist enemies trade on the perception that they're well trained and religiously devout, but in fact, many are fools and perverts …

G.O.P. on Defensive as Analysts Question Party's Fiscal Policy  —  WASHINGTON — The boasts of Congressional Republicans about their cost-cutting victories are ringing hollow to some well-known economists, financial analysts and corporate leaders, including some Republicans …

Obama Visits NYC For Yet Another Fundraiser  —  President Obama jetted into New York last night on a fund-raising mission and rubbed shoulders with celebrities including movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.  —  Our Christina Boyle reports:

S&P: Debt default skeptics fueled ratings downgrade  —  A Standard & Poor's director said for the first time Thursday that one reason the United States lost its triple-A credit rating was that several lawmakers expressed skepticism about the serious consequences of a credit default — a position put forth by some Republicans.

Did media cover up Sen. Durbin's confrontation with reporter?  (VIDEO)  —  This week U.S. Senator Dick Durbin held a press conference with members of the mainstream media to talk about the downgrade crisis.  But the Senator's scripted storyline veered off-course when a conservative reporter …

The Mystery of Herman Cain and the Donna Summer Lyrics  —  One of the weirdest moments of last night's Republican debate probably slipped completely under the radar for most viewers.  This moment occurred in Herman Cain's closing statement, when the former pizza-chain CEO recited a favorite inspirational quote:

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.

White House Identifies Two Economists for Fed Board  —  The Obama administration has identified two economists, one Democrat and one Republican, for two empty seats on the seven-member Federal Reserve Board, according to several people familiar with administration deliberations.