Evangelicals Throw Support to Santorum  —  After a two day meeting at a ranch outside of Houston a group of 150 Christian leaders, business leaders and conservative activists have coalesced behind Rick Santorum.  —  Friday night surrogates from every GOP campaign (except that of Jon Huntsman) …

Italy cruise ship Costa Concordia: Search for missing  —  The BBC's Alan Johnston says it “must have been an extraordinarily harrowing experience”  —  Emergency teams in Italy are racing to rescue those missing after a cruise ship ran aground off the country's west coast with about 4,000 people on board.

Mitt Romney's new problem: A rising sun  —  Mitt Romney was on the campaign trail in South Carolina yesterday, and brought up the issue he expects to ride into the White House: the U.S. economy.  Unfortunately for the former governor, the message isn't quite the same as it was a few months ago.

How the Wall Street Journal Misleads About Federal Jobs  —  The editorial board of Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal has a simple game.  They want to cut taxes for the rich and government services for the rest, and end regulations of banks and the environment.

What does Ron Paul want?  —  Ron Paul is on track to end the GOP presidential race in second place.  But his refusal to directly take on the man who's ahed of him — Mitt Romney — has Republicans wondering: What does Ron Paul want?  —  Paul has already ruled out a return to the House …

Town, Cast as Romney's Victim, Says, ‘Huh?’  —  GAFFNEY, S.C. — This small Southern town that once boomed with peaches and cotton mills has found itself the unexpected star of the latest bruising fight in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

U.S. Warns Israel on Strike  —  Officials Lobby Against Attack on Iran as Military Leaders Bolster Defenses  —  WASHINGTON—U.S. defense leaders are increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran, over U.S. objections, and have stepped up contingency planning …

Under voter pressure, members of Congress backpedal (hard) on SOPA  —  The public outcry over the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act seems to have gotten so loud that even members of Congress can hear it.  On Thursday we covered the news that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) was expressing second thoughts about SOPA's DNS provisions.

Mandarin Smackdown!  Stewart vs. Huntsman vs. Xiao Li  —  What do Messrs.  Stewart and Huntsman have in common, apart from spelling their first name Jon?  Apparently an interest in Asian language.  Stewart puts the needle effectively in Huntsman for using Mandarin on the campaign trail, starting at time 5:00 of this clip.

‘Supply-Sider’ for the Working Man  —  Mitt Romney's conservative rival Rick Santorum wants to grow the economy with tax breaks for manufacturing—and babies.  —  Manchester, N.H.  —  'I'm someone who believes that making things creates wealth," says Rick Santorum.

Lawmakers Tied to VIP Loan Program  —  Two more congressmen have been identified as receiving loans through a Countrywide Financial Corp. program that has prompted a House investigation into whether the fallen mortgage giant approved loans on favorable terms to win political favor.