Fresh Front in Budget Battle  —  Congressional Leaders Discuss Deal to Avert Shutdown at Cost of Extending Cuts  —  Already looking past the current budget impasse gripping the capital, congressional leaders are quietly considering a deal to avert a government shutdown next month …

Nikki Finke's Oscar Live-Snark: Four Hours Of Unfunny Seth MacFarlane; Unnecessary Michelle Obama; ‘Argo’ Wins Best Picture  —  I'm live-snarking the 85th Oscars for the outstanding film achievements of 2012 starting at 5:30 PM PT tonight.  Comments will open when the show starts inside the Dolby Theatre.

Dems 2016: Will Hillary Clinton clear the field?  —  The ranks of Democratic governors are filled with ambitious politicians boasting records that would probably play well with primary voters in 2016.  —  But even as they eye a move from the statehouse to the White House …

Pope accepts Cardinal O'Brien's resignation  —  The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has accepted on the 18 February 2013 the resignation of His Eminence Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien from the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh.

Watching the Sunday shows so you don't have to  —  Today, some centrist pundits and legislators solved the sequester by demanding “balance” and “leadership”  —  Here's what I learned this morning on “the Sunday shows,” the three network news panel programs that define the parameters …

Austerity, Italian Style  —  Two months ago, when Mario Monti stepped down as Italy's prime minister, The Economist opined that “The coming election campaign will be, above all, a test of the maturity and realism of Italian voters.”  The mature, realistic action, presumably …

Gibbs: I was told not to acknowledge existence of drone program  —  Robert Gibbs, President Barack Obama's former press secretary, says that he was once instructed by the White House not to acknowledge the administration's use of drones.  —  “When I went through the process of becoming press secretary …

From the President  —  As American as . . . Compromise  —  President James Wagner responds to readers regarding his recent Emory Magazine column: … For ongoing coverage of developments related to President Wagner's column on compromise, please visit the Emory News Center.  —  Original Column:

US forces ‘must leave’ Afghan region  —  The Afghan president has ordered US special forces to leave Wardak province within two weeks over allegations of disappearances and torture.  —  The measures were being taken due to the actions of Afghans considered to be part of US special forces, said a spokesman for Hamid Karzai.

Democrats and Republicans Miscalculate on Automatic Cuts  —  WASHINGTON — With Congress unlikely to stop deep automatic spending cuts that will strike hard at the military, the fiscal stalemate is highlighting a significant shift in the Republican Party: lawmakers most keenly dedicated …