Fake CNN email used as dirty trick in South Carolina  —  CNN did not send out the email alert.  —  Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @politicalticker  —  It's not clear how many people received the fake email, though at least two members of the South Carolina GOP Executive Committee …

Breaking News: Supreme Court Decides Texas Redistricting Case, Reverses Lower Court  —  In a unanimous per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court (with Justice Thomas concurring separately in the judgment) has reversed the maps drawn by the three judge court and remanded to draw new maps under new standards.

Obama Administration Approves Rule That Guarantees Near-Universal Contraceptive Coverage  —  Our guest blogger is Jessica Arons, Director of the Women's Health and Rights Program at American Progress.  —  Today, in a huge victory for women's health, Health and Human Services Secretary …

NBC's Chuck Todd Blasts Stephen Colbert: ‘He Is Making A Mockery Of The System’  —  Appearing at a Winthrop University panel Thursday, MSNBC host and NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd ripped into Stephen Colbert and his not-yet-official run, suggesting that Colbert might …

Singing legend Etta James dies at 73  —  Etta James, here performing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2009, died Friday, January 20, due to complications from leukeimia, said her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon.  The singer was 73.  —  HIDE CAPTION  —  Etta James through the years

Romney: I Won't Release My Tax Returns Because 'I Don't Want To Give The Democrats A Nice Little Present'  —  GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney endured a hail of boos during the CNN debate last night when he refused to commit to releasing his 2011 tax returns.

Supreme Court's Antonin Scalia sounds off at law gathering … Justice Antonin Scalia said Thursday he is prepared to discard a major precedent in abortion law when considering a future challenge to state regulations that require extra staff and expensive equipment at abortion clinics, such as one approved in Virginia last year.

Love online: 100,000 Grindr users exposed in hack attack  —  The Grindr app, left, and founder Joel Simkhai's profile.  —  A popular “meat-market” smartphone app that spawned a sexual revolution in Australia's gay community has been compromised by a Sydney hacker, potentially exposing …

How to Smear a Washington Think Tank  —  Suddenly lots of people are asking whether calling someone an “Israel-firster” is anti-Semitic.  The occasion for these reflections is a controversy—the subject of a Washington Post piece yesterday—surrounding the liberal think tank the Center for American Progress.

Bankrupt Solyndra Caught Destroying Brand New Parts  —  FREMONT (CBS 5) — After filing for bankruptcy last year, Fremont solar company Solyndra still owes American taxpayers half a billion dollars.  But CBS 5 caught them destroying millions of dollars worth of parts.

Understanding the nature of ‘hypocrisy,’ redux  —  Brian McGrory reports this week on Sen. Scott Brown's (R-Mass.) new attack on Elizabeth Warren: she's apparently an “elitist hypocrite.” … The National Republican Senatorial Committee began pushing this same line in November, and I continue to find it remarkable.

Insight: Top Justice officials connected to mortgage banks  —  (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Lanny Breuer, head of the Justice Department's criminal division, were partners for years at a Washington law firm that represented a Who's Who of big banks and other companies …

Obama Sings Soul Tune in Harlem  —  Shortly after taking the stage tonight for a fundraiser at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, President Obama broke into song.  —  Obama, standing behind the presidential podium, thanked his hosts and the performers who preceded him, including soul singer Al Green.

Muslims in Egypt Burn Christian Homes and Shops, Attack Church  —  (AINA) — A Muslim mob attacked Copts today in the Upper Egyptian village of Rahmaniya-Kebly, Nag Hammadi, Qena province, destroying and torching their homes, straw huts and shops, while chanting Allahu Akbar.