Gingrich won't ‘allow’ moderators to silence crowd at future debates  —  Newt Gingrich says he won't “allow” the moderators of future GOP presidential debates to keep the crowd out of it.  —  Speaking on Tuesday to Fox News, Gingrich took the opportunity that was denied him at Monday night's debate, and blasted the media.

The GOP Deserves to Lose  —  That's what happens when you run with losers.  —  Let's just say right now what voters will be saying in November, once Barack Obama has been re-elected: Republicans deserve to lose.  —  It doesn't matter that Mr. Obama can't get the economy out of second gear.

Boehner: Politics President Obama is running on ‘almost un-American’  —  Washington (CNN) - House Speaker John Boehner Tuesday forcefully denounced the Democrats' campaign theme that they are for the middle class and Republicans are for the wealthy - saying the politics the president is running on are “almost un-American.”

Exclusive: Gingrich to Evangelicals: My Past Weaknesses Make Me ‘More Normal’  —  In a one-on-one interview with The Brody File, Newt Gingrich says that he has “not hidden from the facts of my life, that I have confessed my weaknesses” and he believes that, in part, is a reason why evangelicals are able to get behind his candidacy.

Debate Winner: Mitch Daniels  —  I've got to think Monday night's debate further swelled the groundswell of support for Mitch Daniels.  The liveliest part of the debate was at the beginning, when Mitt went after Newt—and Republicans all over America watched with fascinated horror at the thought that these are the two GOP frontrunners.

New Jersey Senate Committee Advances Marriage Equality  —  New Jersey's Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance same-sex marriage legislation in an 8 to 4 vote this afternoon, after hearing some three hours of testimony from opponents and supporters of marriage equality.

On a day for team, Thomas left them shorthanded  —  Tim Thomas separated himself from his Bruins' teammates yesterday afternoon when he refused to join them at the White House, a day meant to celebrate their 2011 Stanley Cup championship.  —  The two-time Vezina Trophy winner later …

Popularity Swings Sharply for GOP Field  —  Unfavorable views of Mitt Romney have soared, doubts about Newt Gingrich remain widespread and Barack Obama has advanced to his highest personal popularity in more than a year — all in advance of the State of the Union address in which Obama makes his case for a second term.

Buffett's Burlington Northern Among Winners From Keystone Denial  —  Warren Buffett's Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to benefit from the Obama administration's decision to reject TransCanada Corp. (TRP)'s Keystone XL oil pipeline permit.

Hello, I must be going  —  I have some news to share: after three-and-a-half years at the Washington Monthly, I'm moving on.  My last post will be tomorrow and I'll start my new career at MSNBC on Monday morning.  —  Working for the Monthly has been an amazing experience …

Republicans sport ‘1000 days’ button to highlight Senate's budget failure  —  Some congressional Republicans today will wear red buttons Tuesday that read “1000 days” in white lettering as a reminder that today marks 1,000 days since the Senate last passed a budget.

The Most Badass Excerpt From Barney Frank's Interview With The NY Times  —  Barney Frank was interviewed about a variety of subjects by the NY Times recently.  Here's how he answered a question about his views on marijuana.  —  Interviewer: You've long argued for the decriminalization of marijuana.

Food containing fetuses targeted under new Oklahoma bill  —  You might think this is a story out of ‘The Onion’ but it is a real story.  —  An Oklahoma lawmaker files a bill to ban the making and selling of food or products that use aborted human fetuses.  —  State Senator Ralph Shortey …

Buffett's secretary to join Obama  —  Billionaire Warren Buffett's longtime secretary will be joining first lady Michelle Obama in her box at tonight's State of the Union, White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer announced on Twitter.  —  Debbie Bosanek, who has worked for Buffett …

Abortion safer than giving birth: study  —  (Reuters Health) - Getting a legal abortion is much safer than giving birth, suggests a new U.S. study published Monday.  —  Researchers found that women were about 14 times more likely to die during or after giving birth to a live baby than to die from complications of an abortion.

Judge: Americans can be forced to decrypt their laptops  —  American citizens can be ordered to decrypt their PGP-scrambled hard drives for police to peruse for incriminating files, a federal judge in Colorado ruled today in what could become a precedent-setting case.

“Self Deportation”: It's a Real Thing, and It Isn't Pretty  —  Mitt Romney unveiled a novel solution for illegal immigration during Tuesday night's GOP debate, saying that he'd rely on “self-deportation” to reduce the number of unauthorized immigrants in the US.  —  Or at least it sounded novel.