Morning Briefing: January 31, 2012  —  Voting is underway in Florida's GOP presidential primary, and last-minute polls suggest Mitt Romney is heading toward a big win.  A new Quinnipiac poll released Monday shows Romney with a double-digit lead over Newt Gingrich.  Polls close statewide at 7 p.m.

Buoyant Romney Speaks of Victory in Florida  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Mitt Romney swept through a final day of campaigning here on Monday, energized by more polls showing him with a commanding lead in the Florida primary.  He even allowed himself to break superstition and proclaim, “I'm beginning to feel we might win.”

Rick Perry's campaign burned through millions  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry burned through the bulk of a once-sizable campaign war chest late last year in what became an increasingly desperate attempt to right his listing — and ultimately doomed — presidential campaign, federal financial disclosures released late Monday show.

Demonstrators from the Occupy Wall Street movement threw condoms on Catholic schoolgirls, refused to allow a Catholic priest to give a closing prayer, and shouted down a pro-life speaker at a Rhode Island right to life rally on Thursday, according to its organizer.

College Says It Exaggerated SAT Figures for Ratings  —  Claremont McKenna College, a small, prestigious California school, said Monday that for the past six years, it has submitted false SAT scores to publications like U.S. News & World Report that use the data in widely followed college rankings.

The Great Divorce  —  I'll be shocked if there's another book this year as important as Charles Murray's “Coming Apart.”  I'll be shocked if there's another book that so compellingly describes the most important trends in American society.  —  Murray's basic argument is not new, that America is dividing into a two-caste society.

Holder's fantastical claim about ‘Fast and Furious’  —  Philosophers and poets have argued for at least three millennia about who is more valuable.  Poets claim they tell tales that inspire men to do things they would otherwise never accomplish.  But philosophers argue that this requires …

Republicans have only themselves to blame  —  On Saturday night, at precisely 9:19 and 30 seconds, my iPhone, my iPad, my computer and, for all I know, my toaster were informed that Herman Cain had endorsed Newt Gingrich.  The ping-ping of the devices suggested that something momentous had happened …

GOP Voters Continue to Give Field Subpar Ratings  —  Obama Seen as More Understanding than Romney, Gingrich  —  Amid a bruising primary campaign, Republicans remain unimpressed with their party's presidential field.  In fact, more Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters …

Obama Tells Woman: “Interesting” Unemployed Husband Can't Find Job  —  During his Google+ hangout Pres. Obama tells a woman that her husband shouldn't be unemployed from the growth he has seen in the economy.  Obama said he finds it “interesting” because he is getting “the word” …

Stephen Colbert's FEC report: Big money!  —  No kidding: Comedian Stephen Colbert's satirical super PAC raised some serious cash.  —  Between July 1 and Dec. 31, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow collected more than $825,400, ending the year with nearly $674,000 cash on hand …

COMPARING THE COMPENSATION OF FEDERAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYEES  —  HOW DOES THE COMPENSATION OF FEDERAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES COMPARE WITH THAT OF EMPLOYEES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR?  —  Employees of the federal government and the private sector differ in ways that can affect compensation.

Catholics hear anti-Obama letter in church  —  During church services on Sunday, Catholics around the country were read a blistering letter assailing the Obama administration for an “assault on religious liberty” in the form of a coming requirement that most church-linked organizations …

Newt Battles Mush From the Wimps  —  “Ford Declares Reagan Can't Win” — Headline in The New York Times, March 1, 1980  —  Yet still more mush from the wimps.  —  To borrow a famous Reagan phrase: “Well, there they go again.”  —  Somewhere an exasperated Gipper is doubtless shaking his head.

Opponents Rally Against Marriage Equality In Maryland: ‘I Believe In Adam And Eve!’  —  Some 300 opponents of same-sex marriage rallied in front of the Maryland State House in Annapolis Monday night, calling on lawmakers to abandon legislative efforts to allow gays and lesbians to enter into civil marriages.

Cynthia Nixon: Being Bisexual “Is Not a Choice”  —  Actress Cynthia Nixon is bisexual and that “is not a choice,” she said in an exclusive statement to The Advocate.  —  The former star of Sex and the City who is now on Broadway in Wit has been the focus of heated discussion among …

GOP weighs contempt charges against White House on Solyndra  —  Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), who is heading the GOP probe of the failed solar company Solyndra, said Republicans are meeting this week to discuss contempt charges against the White House over its response to last year's subpoena for documents.

Occupy support drops more than 20 points in ... San Francisco?  —  One would think that the Occupy movement and San Francisco were made for each other.  Perhaps at one time they were, but a new Survey USA poll shows that even the City by the Bay has its limits.