Obama, the puppet master  —  President Barack Obama is a master at limiting, shaping and manipulating media coverage of himself and his White House.  —  Not for the reason that conservatives suspect: namely, that a liberal press willingly and eagerly allows itself to get manipulated.

Colorado Democrat: Women Don't Need Guns If They 'Feel Like They're Going To Be Raped'  —  Chill, women, says Colorado Democrat Rep. Joe Salazar.  While arguing for the disarmament of college students, Salazar says that even if women feel like they're going to be raped, they may not, so who needs a firearm for protection?

Obama ignores DOJ researchers who conclude assault weapons ban won't cut gun violence … Justice Department researchers have concluded that an assault weapons ban is “unlikely to have an effect on gun violence,” but President Obama has not accepted their report as his administration's official position.

Tea Party challenger to McConnell emerging  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could see a primary challenge from local businessman Matt Bevin, who sources say is reaching out to Tea Party groups in the state to gauge support for a 2014 Senate run.

Simpson and Bowles to Offer Up Deficit Fix  —  WASHINGTON—Deficit hawks Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles on Tuesday will propose a detailed plan for rewriting the tax code and implementing deep new spending cuts, hoping to offer a path to compromise for Democrats and Republicans, according to an outline of the plan.

Chinese Army Unit Is Seen as Tied to Hacking Against U.S.  —  On the outskirts of Shanghai, in a run-down neighborhood dominated by a 12-story white office tower, sits a People's Liberation Army base for China's growing corps of cyberwarriors.  —  The building off Datong Road …

Royal Bodies  —  Last summer at the festival in Hay-on-Wye, I was asked to name a famous person and choose a book to give them.  I hate the leaden repetitiveness of these little quizzes: who would be the guests at your ideal dinner party, what book has changed your life, which fictional character do you most resemble?

Filibuster Hagel  —  If Republicans refuse, they won't be standing on principle but capitulating to the president.  —  Chuck Hagel says he can't remember if he called the U.S. State Department “an adjunct of the Israeli foreign minister's office” in the Q&A following a March 2007 speech …

What's News, and What Isn't  —  The liberal media manifest their bias not primarily by writing things that aren't true-although that sometimes happens-but rather, by selecting what they do and do not report as news.  Major scandals and events of great importance are simply ignored …

Newtown shooter motivated by Norway massacre, sources say  —  Law enforcement sources say Adam Lanza was motivated by violent video games and a strong desire to kill more people than another infamous mass murderer.  —  Sources say Lanza saw himself as being in direct competition with Anders Breivik …

Marco Rubio: The Electable Conservative?  —  Some commentators have expressed surprise upon learning about the very conservative voting record of Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who delivered the Republican response to the State of the Union address last week.

Michelle Obama blames her chic new bangs on a midlife crisis on ‘Rachael Ray Show’  —  The First Lady debuted the new look on her 49th birthday.  —  Before and after: First Lady Michelle Obama joked to Rachael Ray that she cut her bangs because she couldn't get a sports car and her family would not let her bungee jump.

Prof Strips, Shows 9/11 Footage, Impales Stuffed Animal (VIDEO)  —  A science professor at Columbia University on Monday began a quantum mechanics lecture by stripping into his boxers and eating a banana while rap music played in the background.  —  Then it got weird.

Conservative columnist resigns after Kentucky paper refuses to run op-ed on publication's liberal bias  —  The lone conservative columnist at the largest and most influential newspaper in Kentucky says he quit writing for the paper because editors are refusing to publish his opinion piece calling …

Mexican Supreme Court: American Cases Demand Marriage Equality  —  In a sweeping ruling striking down a ban on same-sex couples' marriages in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico's Supreme Court says U.S. Supreme Court cases support marriage equality.  —  A gay couple takes part in a mock wedding in Monterrey, Mexico, on February 16, 2013.

Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns to retire  —  Heineman gave few hints about his thinking in a Monday press conference, in which he thanked Johanns for his service.  The governor said he was considering getting into the race but had not made a final decision and that he had yet to speak to his wife …