Containing Hagel  —  You don't have to be that good to fend off a committee of showboating senatorial blowhards.  Hillary Clinton demonstrated that a week or so back when she unleashed what's apparently the last word in withering putdowns: What difference does it make?  —  Quite a bit of difference it seems.

Keeping our users secure  —  As you may have read, there's been a recent uptick in large-scale security attacks aimed at U.S. technology and media companies.  Within the last two weeks, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have chronicled breaches of their systems …

Scott Brown will not run for US Senate  —  Scott Brown, who surprised the political world with his upset victory in the 2010 special election, announced Friday afternoon that he will not enter the special election to replace John F. Kerry.  —  “I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign …

Disgraceful: Chris Matthews Smears John McCain as an ‘Angry’ Vietnam Vet Having a ‘Flashback’  —  Liberal anchor Chris Matthews on Friday stooped to the lowest level, smearing John McCain as an “angry” Vietnam veteran who is having a “flashback.”  Resorting to the cheapest of stereotypes …

Antonio Villaraigosa rules out Ray LaHood's job  —  Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa late Friday shot down speculation in California and Washington about his candidacy for an Obama Cabinet position — at least until the summer.  —  Villaraigosa for months has been the subject of buzz …

Biden: Iran must be serious for US talks  —  Vice President Joe Biden underlined the United States' willingness to talk directly with Iran, but only so long as that government is willing to work toward a specific goal.  —  Biden said the Obama administration would not sit down with Iran …

Former First Dog Barney Bush Passes Away  —  The Bush family statement, via Reuters:

Ed Koch, three-term mayor who became a symbol of NYC, dead at 88  —  NEW YORK - Former Mayor Ed Koch, the combative, acid-tongued politician who rescued the city from near-financial ruin during a three-term City Hall run in which he embodied New York chutzpah for the rest of the world, died Friday.

Video of protester stripped and beaten fires Egypt fury  —  CAIRO (Reuters) - After eight days of protests that killed nearly 60 people, a video of one demonstrator stripped naked, dragged across the ground and beaten with truncheons by helmeted riot police has fired Egyptians to a new level of outrage.

Exclusive: Eric Schmidt Unloads on China in New Book … Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt is brutally clear: China is the most dangerous superpower on Earth.  —  Corporate Intelligence reviewed preliminary galleys of Schmidt's new book, “The New Digital Age,” (Random House) which debuts in April.

The Easy Problem  —  Over here in the department of punditry, we deal with a lot of hard issues, ones on which the evidence is mixed and the options are all bad.  But the immigration issue is a blessed relief.  On immigration, the evidence is overwhelming; the best way forward is clear.

Iran's space monkey triumph exposed as a fake … Iran enjoyed rare triumph on Monday — the successful launch of a monkey into space.  —  The regime proclaimed it as proof that Iranian scientists could match their Western counterparts, evidence that international sanctions were ineffectual, and a stepping stone to a manned flight.

GOP to Filibuster Obama's Consumer Watchdog Pick  —  A little more than a week after Senate Democrats decided not to weaken the filibuster, Republicans are vowing to filibuster President Barack Obama's nominee to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unless its powers are reduced, Reuters reports.

Hillary Clinton: ‘I am more optimistic today’  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said goodbye to the nation's diplomatic corps and aid workers on her last day on the job, and said she was more upbeat about the fate of the world than she had been at the start of her tenure.

Keystone pipeline decision to languish until mid-June-US source  —  * No time frame for national interest determination  —  The Obama administration's decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline will not be made until at least June, a U.S. official said, which would delay the project for months …

APNEWSBREAK: MARINES ISSUE SURVEY ON WOMEN'S ROLE  —  You are here  —  Home » James F. Amos » APNewsBreak: Marines issue survey on women's role  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Marine Corps survey found about 17 percent of male Marine respondents who planned to stay in the service …

My Valuable, Cheap College Degree  —  MUCH is being written about the preposterously high cost of college.  The median inflation-adjusted household income fell by 7 percent between 2006 and 2011, while the average real tuition at public four-year colleges increased over that period by over 18 percent.