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.

Health plans ordered to cover birth control without co-pays  —  Most healthcare plans will be required to cover birth control without charging co-pays or deductibles starting Aug. 1, the Obama administration announced Friday.  —  The final regulation retains the approach federal health officials proposed …

SOPA and PIPA dead ? for now  —  House and Senate leaders abandoned plans to move on SOPA and PIPA on Friday — the surest sign yet that a wave of online protests have killed the controversial anti-piracy legislation for now and maybe forever.  —  SOPA sponsor Lamar Smith …

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 …

Taxes at the Top  —  Call me peculiar, but I'm actually enjoying the spectacle of Mitt Romney doing the Dance of the Seven Veils — partly out of voyeurism, of course, but also because it's about time that we had this discussion.  —  The theme of his dance, for those who haven't been paying attention, is taxes — his own taxes.

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

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.

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.

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.

Canada Pledges to Sell Oil to Asia After Obama Rejects Keystone Pipeline  —  President Barack Obama's decision yesterday to reject a permit for TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL oil pipeline may prompt Canada to turn to China for oil exports.  —  Prime Minister Stephen Harper …

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.

Afghanistan's Soldiers Step Up Killings of Allied Forces  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — American and other coalition forces here are being killed in increasing numbers by the very Afghan soldiers they fight alongside and train, in attacks motivated by deep-seated animosity between the supposedly allied forces …

What Do We Know about Democratic Transitions?  A Listsicle of 9 Judgments  —  A year ago, a client asked me to summarize what we can learn from prior research about how transitions from authoritarian rule unfold.  Looking back now on the list of nine judgments I produced …