Exclusive: Beyoncé lip-synched Star Spangled Banner at inauguration  —  Beyoncé did not sing the national anthem live at President Obama's inauguration.  —  Millions of viewers around the world were stunned by the singer's spectacular rendition of the anthem but The Times …

Reid to lay out plans for filibuster reform  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will present colleagues with options for reforming the Senate's filibuster rules in a Democratic caucus meeting Tuesday.  —  Reid and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) …

Lautenberg: Booker ‘entitled’ to run, but no decision yet  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who might face a 2014 primary challenge from Newark Mayor Cory Booker, said his fellow Democrat is “entitled” to run if he chooses to but suggested that he had to give a “spanking” to his potential rival for so openly coveting his seat.

NBC/WSJ poll: Majority, for first time, want abortion to be legal  —  As the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision takes place on Tuesday, a majority of Americans - for the first time - believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Ryan: Obama ‘Shadowboxing a Straw Man’  —  Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan knocked President Barack Obama for “shadowbox[ing] a straw man” in his inaugural address.  Speaking Tuesday morning on the Laura Ingraham Radio Show to guest host Raymond Arroyo, Ryan responded to Obama's statement that Medicare …

State school-board president defends Hitler post on Facebook  —  Not comparing him to Obama, she says  —  State Board of Education President Debe Terhar said she was not comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler when she posted a photograph of the Nazi leader on her Facebook page …

The Collective Turn  —  The best Inaugural Addresses make an argument for something.  President Obama's second one, which surely has to rank among the best of the past half-century, makes an argument for a pragmatic and patriotic progressivism.  —  His critics have sometimes accused …

Two shot at Lone Star College in north Houston  —  HOUSTON (KTRK) — A campus spokesperson has confirmed shots have been fired on the campus of Lone Star College in north Houston.  Two victims have suffered gunshot wounds, according to the Harris County Emergency Corp.

House Republicans plan to keep debt limit but suspend it until May  —  Forget about raising the federal debt limit.  House Republicans are proposing to ignore it altogether — at least until May 18.  —  The House plans to vote Wednesday on a measure that would leave the $16.4 trillion debt limit intact …

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO — James Taylor on gun control: ‘We need to make some sacrifice[s] to our freedoms’  —  WASHINGTON — Addressing the issue of gun control, singer-songwriter James Taylor told The Daily Caller that Americans “need to make some sacrifice[s] to our freedoms” in order to keep children safe.

U.S. gift of F-16 fighters headed to Egypt, despite Morsi's harsh rhetoric  —  The planes were part of a 2010 foreign aid package, that critics say should have been canceled.  (Courtesy: Carl Richards)  —  The planes, made by Lockheed-Martin, are already marked with the Egyptian flag.

Sarkozy's plans 'to dodge new 75% French tax rate by moving to London with wife Carla and setting up £1bn private equity fund'  —  Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing to move to London to set up a billion pounds plus investment fund, it was claimed today.  —  If the move goes ahead …

The American Case Against a Black Middle Class  —  I went on a Twitter rant yesterday because I'd finished Isabel Wilkerson's phenomenal The Warmth Of Other Suns.  The book is a narrative history of the Great Migration through the eyes of actual migrants.  Several points stick out for me.

Jason Wu: ‘Still pinching myself’  —  Designer Jason Wu said Tuesday he was still in awe the morning after First Lady Michelle Obama wore one of his dresses at the second Inauguration.  —  “As a designer and as somebody who moved to America to become a designer, I think it's something quite incredible …

Veteran stands up for 2nd Amendment at Chicago anti-gun forum  —  After enduring hours of derision and mockery by the panelists at a Chicago-area guns “forum” Sunday, one man in the audience stood up and addressed the crowd, identified himself as a veteran, and proceeded to give a straightforward …

TRENDING: CNN Poll: Do Americans agree with Obama on climate change and immigration?  —  Washington (CNN) - Saying “we will respond to the threat of climate change,” President Barack Obama used his second inaugural address to put the divisive issue back on the front burner.

Biden not shying away from 2016 speculation  —  Vice President Joe Biden has barely hidden his possible interest in running for president in 2016, and now, the loquacious former senator has begun to lay the groundwork for a potential campaign to succeed President Barack Obama.

Ken Cuccinelli: I'm Fighting The Contraception Mandate Just Like Martin Luther King, Jr.  —  Virginia chooses a new governor this November, and Democrats are already firing with both barrels at state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the likely Republican nominee to replace Gov. Bob McDonnell (R).

Humans are plague on Earth - Attenborough  —  Humans are a plague on the Earth that need to be controlled by limiting population growth, according to Sir David Attenborough.  —  Sir Attenborough said commentary from presenters like himself are becoming less necessary as camera work is able to tell a story

ISUE4U: State sued over banned vanity plates  —  Issuing vanity license plates now may officially be more trouble than it's worth.  —  Hours after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a story last week about the state's arbitrary approval process of vanity license plates for motor vehicles …

Exit Polls in Israel Suggest Netanyahu's Showing Is Weaker Than Expected  —  TEL AVIV — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu performed far worse than expected in Israel's national elections on Tuesday, according to exit polls, and while he remained likely to serve a third term …

U.S. Trade Representative Kirk stepping down  —  (CNN) - Ron Kirk, the United States trade representative, will step down in February, his office announced Tuesday.  —  Responsible for developing and recommending American trade policy to the president, the trade representative is a Cabinet-level position …