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 …

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 …

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” …

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.

No tension with husband's aides  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  Michelle Obama said depictions of friction in a new book, “The Obamas,” between her and former top aides to her husband, President Obama, aren't true.  —  In a wide-ranging interview with “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King …

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.

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.

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 …

Correction on the Mankiw Model  —  I have to apologize.  I made a mistake in a post from last week in calculating the interest rate based on Professor Greg Mankiw's interest rate model.  —  His model for where the Fed funds rate ought to be is: … In my original post …

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 …

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.

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.

About New York: Belgian Tourist Arrested, but Crime Never Happened  —  Just before he was loaded into the police car, Aaron Vansintjan said, one of the officers looked at him.  —  “He said, 'I'm embarrassed,' ” Mr. Vansintjan said.  —  That was no obstacle to a bad situation's getting more perplexing by the minute.

John Castle, 76-Year-Old Palm Beach Plutocrat, Breaks Insolent Waiter's Finger  —  It's an age-old and vexing question: How much is it fair to shave off the tip at a high-end restaurant to signal dissatisfaction with the waitstaff?  Two percent?  Five percent?  Should you stiff them?