Going After Rick  —  America is going bankrupt, Iran is going nuclear, the Obama administration is going after religious liberty.  And Mitt Romney is going after Rick Santorum.  —  Which is fine (sort of).  Romney's in a political fight, and politics ain't beanbag, as Romney has tried to say.

Why birth control is a good wedge issue against the GOP  —  Some time around the end of February, the Senate will vote on the Blunt-Rubio amendment, which would allow insurers and employers to deny coverage for birth control or any other medical services simply on the grounds that they find them morally objectionable.

White House issues veto threat for House transportation bill  —  The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto a wide-ranging transportation package from House Republicans.  —  The administration raised concerns about a provision to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, and argued …

PolitiFact responds to Rachel Maddow  —  Rachel Maddow made yet another stinging attack on PolitiFact last night, calling the Tampa Bay Times' fact-checking project “a disaster” (see video).  —  Via email, PolitiFact editor and Tampa Bay Times Washington bureau chief Bill Adair responds to the criticism:

Media Matters tax-exempt status may face new scrutiny from Congress  —  Congressional Republicans are now interested in examining the Media Matters For America's tax-exempt status, The Daily Caller has learned.  Doing so would cause the GOP to wade into the complex world of tax laws that govern …

Preschooler's Homemade Lunch Replaced with Cafeteria “Nuggets”  —  State agent inspects sack lunches, forces preschoolers to purchase cafeteria food instead  —  RAEFORD — A preschooler at West Hoke Elementary School ate three chicken nuggets for lunch Jan. 30 because a state employee told …

Does the GOP care about Latino voters?  —  When it comes to Latino voters, Republicans must have un impulso suicida.  —  What else but a death wish could explain the party's treatment of the fastest-growing voting bloc in the nation?  First was the wave of Arizona-style immigration laws.

Boxer: Insurance rights trumps religious rights  —  Follow on Twitter:Follow @charliespiering  —  Senator Boxer warned yesterday that if the HHS contraception mandate was repealed it would set a dangerous precedence of religious rights trumping the right to be insured.

Health Costs, Gov't Regulations Curb Small Business Hiring  —  Nearly half of small-business owners name these issues  —  PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. small-business owners who aren't hiring — 85% of those surveyed — are most likely to say the reasons they are not doing so include …

Gingrich's Main Backer Plays Two Angles  —  Casino Mogul Adelson Weighs New Funding to Boost Former Speaker and to Help Romney Keep Santorum at Bay  —  Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, by far the biggest financial backer of Newt Gingrich's presidential bid, is preparing to open his wallet again.

Why Do Democrats Want to Protect Voter Fraud?  —  Suffrage: A new study finds that nearly 2 million dead people remain on voter registration rolls.  So tell us again why Democrats oppose voter ID laws that would help prevent these errant registrations from being exploited?

Chavez allies attack new opponent Capriles as Jewish, gay  —  Venezuelan presidential hopeful Henrique Capriles, seen at a rally in La Guaira Jan. 27, has been attacked over his sexuality, Jewish ancestry and his selection as opposition candidate.  —  Allies of President Hugo Chavez …

Heartland Institute Exposed: Internal Documents Unmask Heart of Climate Denial Machine  —  Internal Heartland Institute strategy and funding documents obtained by DeSmogBlog expose the heart of the climate denial machine - its current plans, many of its funders, and details that confirm …

Obama administration estimates 86 million people benefited from health law's prevention benefits last year  —  About 86 million Americans took advantage of the healthcare reform law's prevention benefits for Medicare beneficiaries and people with private insurance last year …

Kathleen Sebelius says she didn't talk to bishops  —  HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday that she didn't consult with the Catholic bishops on the latest version of the contraceptive coverage rule.  —  At a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the Obama administration's budget request …

In A Footnote To Their Coverage Of Obama's Glory...  Laurie Goodstein of The Ministry of Truth explains that Obama's “compromise” on contraception has split his critics.  Only deep in the story do we find a candle flickering for the sort of compromise we still believe will be forthcoming on the matter of self-insured institutions:

Pakistan's Musharraf Has Been Accused of Knowing Osama bin Laden's Hideout  —  Gen. Ziauddin Khawaja, an ex-security chief for Pakistan, accuses former president Pervez Musharraf of knowing where bin Laden was hiding and saying nothing.  —  Ever since the Navy SEALs found Osama bin Laden hiding …

Analysis: Greece heads for record books as economy slumps  —  (Reuters) - Entering the fifth year of recession, Greece is writing its name in the book of unwanted records for one of the deepest economic slumps of modern times.  —  The Greek economy shrank 6.8 percent in 2011 …