Watching Obama for Signs of Change  —  WASHINGTON — On Tuesday night, the president will address the nation and Congress on the state of the union.  But many will watch as well for signs of the state of Barack Obama.  —  Inside the White House and out, advisers and associates have noted subtle …

China joins U.S., Japan, EU in condemning North Korea nuclear test  —  (Reuters) - North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday in defiance of existing U.N. resolutions, drawing condemnation from the United States, Japan, Europe and Pyongyang's only major ally, China, which summoned the North Korean ambassador to protest.

Ex-Tea Party Rep. Joe Walsh insists he's not trying to stop paying child support  —  After insisting he wasn't a “deadbeat dad” throughout his failed campaign for re-election, ex-U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh is still dogged by questions about child support.  —  Walsh, a flame-throwing Tea Party Republican …

Nugent: ‘I Will Be Taking On Media Orgy’ After SOTU  —  Outspoken rocker Ted Nugent will attend President Obama's State of the Union Address Tuesday in order to take on the media and “counter the scams and lies of the left,” he explained to talk radio host Mike Broomhead Monday.

Why I Am Running  —  I'm running to serve, and I mean that in the old fashioned patriotic sense of the word.  —  In my military career, at the U.S. Naval Academy, as a Navy aircraft carrier pilot, and as a Navy SEAL, I learned one thing above all else - serving others is more important than being served.

Sarah Palin tries to stay relevant  —  CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly reported that Sarah Palin planned to contribute to the Al Jazeera America news network.  —  The Sarah Palin Story is a cautionary tale about what can happen when politics and celebrity meet.

Wow, Joe Scarborough Doesn't Understand Economics at All  —  A couple of weeks ago, Joe Scarborough invited Paul Krugman onto his MSNBC show.  The meeting of the brilliant but prickly Krugman with the dopey but genial Scarborough held the promise of a cataclysmic matter-touches-antimatter collision …

Esquire article wrongly claims SEAL who killed Bin Laden is denied healthcare  —  Esquire magazine claims “The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden ... Is Screwed.”  —  The story details the life of the Navy SEAL after the successful raid to take out the No. 1 terrorist, and it asserts that once …

What Marco Rubio Doesn't Understand About Debt And The Economy  —  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will deliver the official Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address tonight.  While Rubio has been pitched as the “savior” and “new face” of the GOP, a preview of his speech gives …

Millions Improperly Claimed U.S. Phone Subsidies  —  The U.S. government spent about $2.2 billion last year to provide phones to low-income Americans, but a Wall Street Journal review of the program shows that a large number of those who received the phones haven't proved they are eligible to receive them.

Hack of Montana TV Station Warns Viewers of Zombie Attack  —  If you happened to be watching the Steve Wilkos show on KRTV in Montana this week, an episode exploring “teen cheaters who take lie detector tests” was interrupted by a confusing and possibly terrifying emergency alert.

CEMENTING A LIBERAL LEGACY WHILE IGNORING 2014  —  MEMO … In recent weeks, President Obama and his team have made no secret of the fact that the Inaugural Address and the State of the Union is a two-step process to outline an aggressively liberal and partisan agenda for their second term.

Slower Growth of Health Costs Eases U.S. Deficit  —  WASHINGTON — A sharp and surprisingly persistent slowdown in the growth of health care costs is helping to narrow the federal deficit, leaving budget experts trying to figure out whether the trend will last and how much the slower growth …