Newt Gingrich: I crossed the line  —  SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Newt Gingrich signaled Wednesday that he believes his criticism of Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital is a mistake — and that he's created an impression that he was echoing Democratic rhetoric.  —  Gingrich conceded the problem …

Blaming U.S. and Israel, Iran Reports Killing of Nuclear Scientist  —  LONDON — At a time of growing tension over its nuclear program and mounting belligerence toward the West, Iran reported on Wednesday that an Iranian nuclear scientist died in what was termed a “terrorist bomb blast” …

Romney: Questions about Wall Street and inequality are driven by ‘envy’  —  Mitt Romney had a remarkable exchange on NBC this morning that may not be as attention-grabbing about his “fire people” gaffe — but may actually be just as revealing and significant.  And I hope it gets some attention.

GOP Strategist Frank Luntz: ‘Conservatives Should Not Be Defending Capitalism’  —  Last year, Mitt Romney told a Tea Party gathering, “I believe in free enterprise, I believe in capitalism.”  Now, Romney's practice of “vulture capitalism,” in Rick Perry's words, is coming under attack.

Ron Paul shrugs off electability concerns  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  After a second-place finish in New Hampshire's Republican primary Tuesday, Texas Rep. Ron Paul dismissed concerns that he's not a candidate that conservatives can coalesce around to take on frontrunner Mitt Romney.

A tale of two speeches  —  After watching Mitt Romney's speech in New Hampshire last night, I went back and watched Barack Obama's speech in New Hampshire, delivered almost exactly four years ago.  The contrast told me quite a bit about the two candidates.  —  Obama, who'd just lost …

TPMDC  —  Obama's Recess Appointments Dilemma Is About To Get Worse  —  Despite making several key, contentious recess appointments since Congress left town, the Obama administration is still operating with scores of vacancies, including an unexpected hole at the top of the Office of Management and Budget.

The Liquidity Trap may soon be over  —  About a decade ago, I wrote a paper on monetary policy in the 1990s (published in this book).  I estimated the following simple formula for setting the federal funds rate:  —  Federal funds rate = 8.5 + 1.4 (Core inflation - Unemployment).

Mayor's plan to limit booze sales  —  Party pooper!  —  First, Mayor Bloomberg went after smoking in public places.  Then trans-fats, salt and sugary drinks.  —  Now Bloomberg — known for sipping fine wine and downing a cold beer from time to time — wants to crack down on alcohol sales …

Warren raises $5.7M for Senate race  —  Elizabeth Warren raised $5.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, a campaign aide confirmed to The Hill.  —  It's the best quarter of fundraising by any of the candidates running for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-Mass) seat, and beats Sen. Scott Brown …

VIDEO: NH poll workers shown handing out ballots in dead peoples' names  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — Video footage provided exclusively to The Daily Caller shows election workers in New Hampshire giving out ballots in the names of dead voters at multiple voting precincts during the state's primary election on Tuesday.

Mercedes channels Che Guevara for car tech  —  They said it, not me.  —  “Some colleagues still think that car-sharing borders on communism,” Mercedes-Benz Chairman of the Board of Management Dieter Zetsche said onstage at CES today, speaking about Mercedes' new CarTogether initiative.

NH turnout dropped 16% among actual Republicans  —  Over at Townhall, Guy Benson has defended the strength of Mitt Romney's victory in New Hampshire, and I don't think there's any disputing that it was a solid win.  But I think there's one important point worth clarifying.

Axelrod Defends Jeremiah Wright, Says He Was Victim of Selective Editing  —  David Axelrod, chief political strategist for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign and former White House political adviser, defended Jeremiah Wright on Tuesday evening in a speech in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Rising Share of Americans See Conflict Between Rich and Poor  —  The Occupy Wall Street movement no longer occupies Wall Street, but the issue of class conflict has captured a growing share of the national consciousness.  A new Pew Research Center survey of 2,048 adults finds that about two-thirds …

Child cruelty charge after baby found alone in Occupy camp  —  An infant's cries rang through the Occupy DC encampment in McPherson Square Wednesday morning, and when a group went to investigate they found only a baby girl alone in a tent, wearing a onesie and mittens.

High Court Reverses Conviction in Killings  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed the conviction of a New Orleans man, saying prosecutors there had withheld important evidence that his lawyers could have used in his defense.  —  The decision, by an 8-to-1 vote …