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.

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.

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 …

Biden: We're counting on ‘legitimate media’ for successful gun control effort … During a press conference on gun safety in Philadelphia, Vice President Joe Biden said that any reports that suggest that he was trying to take weapons away from gun owners was a “bunch of malarkey.”

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 …

New Study Finds Koch Bros. Tried to Start Tea Party Movement in 2002  —  Were David Koch (and his brother Charles) planning to astroturf the Tea Party even earlier than formerly suspected?  —  Shattering the public perception that the Tea Party is a spontaneous popular citizens movement …

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.

Sources: White House to issue cybersecurity order Wednesday  —  The White House is poised to release an executive order aimed at thwarting cyberattacks against critical infrastructure on Wednesday, two people familiar with the matter told The Hill.  —  The highly anticipated directive …

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 …

Justice Ginsburg: The Senate Is ‘Destroying The United States’ Reputation... As A Beacon of Democracy'  —  Two years ago, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lamented that if she were nominated today to her current job on the Supreme Court, her “ACLU connection would probably disqualify” her from being confirmed.

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 …

New Winger Conspiracy Theory Takes Flight  —  In the wake of news that Sen. Lindsey Graham is threatening to block the nominations of Hagel and Brennan, there's a whole new conspiracy theory bubbling up on the right.  From ground zero of Obama era conspiracy theories comes the conspiracy theory …

Republican senators threaten Chuck Hagel filibuster  —  Some Senate Republicans are prepared to filibuster Chuck Hagel's nomination to become the next secretary of defense, a rare maneuver to block a Cabinet-level nominee that demonstrates the lingering hostility from GOP senators toward a man who used to serve with them.

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 …