Newt expands South Carolina lead  —  Newt Gingrich heads into South Carolina election day as the clear front runner in the state: he's now polling at 37% to 28% for Mitt Romney, 16% for Rick Santorum, and 14% for Ron Paul.  —  Gingrich's lead has actually increased in the wake of his ex-wife's controversial interview with ABC.

Blacks Face Bias in Bankruptcy, Study Suggests  —  Blacks are about twice as likely as whites to wind up in the more onerous and costly form of consumer bankruptcy as they try to dig out from their debts, a new study has found.  —  The disparity persisted even when the researchers adjusted for income …

Justices Bar Texas Court's Election Map  —  WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Friday ordered new interim maps drawn for Texas' April 3 primary, handing Republicans a partial if possibly short-lived victory in a battle over as many as four House seats.  —  The unsigned decision sends the case …

Barack Obama's Middle East Miscalculation  —  In Egypt, we are witnessing the democratic election of a dictatorship  —  A little-noticed event gives a grim insight into what is really happening in the Middle East.  The euphoria of the “Arab Spring,” the instant Twitter-style transition …

Florida debate uncertain without Romney commitment  —  Mitt Romney's campaign has not said they are committed to Monday night's Republican debate in Tampa, Fla., leading to speculation the former governor will not be participating.  —  NBC News has not canceled the event but a statement …

Our Mr. Brooks Climbs The Romney Family Tree  —  The applause came from deep in the plush leather armchairs gathered by the fireplace in the clubroom of the Premature Fogies Club.  It was warm and sustaining, as was the morning brandy.  People touched the patches on his master's blazer as he walked by.

Exactly 3 years in, Obama's job approval hits lowest level yet  —  Exactly three years after Aretha Franklin's hat launched the Obama administration, the Democrat's annual job approval rating has sunk to his lowest level.  —  That's not normally a good sign after 1,095 days in office.  But who's counting?

Consumer group accuses Hollywood of ‘threatening politicians’  —  Consumer group Public Knowledge on Friday accused the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its head, former Sen. Chris Dodd, of trying to intimidate lawmakers into supporting a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills.

Undercover police had children with activists  —  Disclosure likely to intensify controversy over long-running police operation to infiltrate and sabotage protest groups  —  Two undercover police officers secretly fathered children with political campaigners they had been sent to spy …