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 Senate Republicans: Filibuster deal in 36 hours or face nuclear option  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is giving Republican colleagues 36 hours to agree to a deal on filibuster reform or he will move forward with the nuclear option.  —  “I hope in the next 24, 36 hours we can get something we agree on.

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.

House GOP debt-limit bill gains momentum ahead of floor vote  —  A House Republican bill to suspend the debt ceiling through May 19 gained momentum on Tuesday ahead of an expected vote on Wednesday.  —  The White House blessed the GOP measure, with press secretary Jay Carney calling it …

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.

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.

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 …

Biden's moves spark talk of a 2016 presidential bid  —  Washington (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden met with Democratic Party delegates Tuesday afternoon, the latest move he's made over the past few days that could be considered an early signal that the vice president may be laying the groundwork …

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 …

Paul Ryan slams Obama ‘straw man’ speech  —  Rep. Paul Ryan on Tuesday blasted President Barack Obama's “straw man” attack on the Republican Party over entitlement programs.  —  The Wisconsin Republican told “The Laura Ingraham Show” that Obama's second inaugural address demonstrated …

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.

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).

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.

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 …

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 …

In U.S., Fewer Watch Obama's Second Inauguration Than His First  —  Thirty-seven percent more hopeful about next four years, down from 62% in 2009  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Thirty-eight percent of Americans interviewed Monday night said they watched or listened to the inauguration ceremonies as they happened …

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 …

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

What do the Beltway moderates actually want?  —  Centrist thinkers keep begging Barack Obama to pursue “bipartisan” goals he already supports  —  As David Brooks taught us last week, Barack Obama's cunning plan to sabotage and undermine the Republican Party is to repeatedly force them to act …