Gibbs to Leave as White House Press Secretary  —  Updated Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary and close confidante to President Obama, said Wednesday that he will step down and become an outside political adviser to the president and his re-election campaign.

A very smart speech by Speaker Boehner  —  If you spent the afternoon watching C-SPAN, as I did, you heard applause.  A lot of it.  Over and over again.  And when John Boehner took the podium to be sworn in as Speaker of the House of Representatives, it swelled back up, and stayed there.

Retracted autism study an ‘elaborate fraud,’ British journal finds  —  Editor's note: Watch Anderson Cooper's interview with the author of the discredited study, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, on “AC360°” at 10 p.m. ET tonight.  —  (CNN) — A now-retracted British study that linked autism …

Republicans to Spend $1.1 Million Reciting Constitution on House Floor  —  As we reported this morning, House Republicans will kick-start the 112th Congress tomorrow with a spirited recitation of the Constitution, a document whose recent relevance is due largely to the ideological and sartorial interests of the Tea Party.

Here it is: The filibuster reform package!  —  Here's a copy of the filibuster reform resolution that Senate Democrats will introduce later today, sent over by an aide to Tom Udall, one of the key Senators driving this campaign.  —  While the broad outlines of the proposal were already public …

Hoyer: Tea Party People Come From Unhappy Families  —  On the eve of his demotion by voters from House Majority Leader to House Minority Whip, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Hoyer offered this insight into the psychology of the Tea Party movement: … So, there you have it.

Steve King unveils birthright bill  —  Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) isn't wasting any time with his immigration agenda, dropping a bill on the first day of Congress that goes after birthright citizenship.  —  King's measure would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act, ending automatic citizenship for anyone born in the country.

Palin effective again: Death panels removed from medicare regulation  —  Sarah Palin's effective usage of pinpointing in few words what Obamacare is all about has ringed across the mainstream media and conservatives across the country.  —  I remember when there were a few conservatives …

KFC employee screams insults at customer  —  A worker at a KFC restaurant in Sydney has been suspended after he was filmed screaming vicious insults and threatening to attack a customer.  —  The violent outburst happened at a Halal-friendly KFC in Punchbowl on December 26 …

GOP Rep. Mulvaney, Against Raising Debt Ceiling, Admits He Doesn't ‘Know’ What Will Happen If It Isn't Raised  —  In recent weeks, a number of high-profile Republicans have stated their intention to vote against any increase to the U.S. debt limit.  From Sen. Mike Lee (UT) to Rep. Michelle Bachmann …

Julian Assange's sex-crime accusers deserve to be named  —  The shielding of sex-crime accusers is a Victorian relic.  Women are moral adults and should be treated as such  —  As Swedish prosecutors' sex-crime allegations against Julian Assange play out, one aspect of the case merits serious scrutiny.

Could you pass a US citizenship test?  —  In order to become a US citizen, immigrants must pass the Naturalization Test.  American citizenship bestows the right to vote, improves the likelihood of family members living in other countries to come and live in the US, gives eligibility for federal jobs …

Granite Status Exclusive: Santorum hires Mike Biundo to head his PAC in NH  —  WEDNESDAY UPDATE: THE FIRST 2012 HIRING.  Mike Biundo, the veteran Manchester conservative political strategist who guided Frank Guinta's campaigns for mayor of the state's largest city and then for the U.S. House …

Why Our Best Officers Are Leaving  —  Why are so many of the most talented officers now abandoning military life for the private sector?  An exclusive survey of West Point graduates shows that it's not just money.  Increasingly, the military is creating a command structure that rewards conformism and ignores merit.

Man found in landfill tied to arson attempt  —  Source: John P. Wheeler 3d planted incendiary devices at a neighbor's home in Del. days before his disappearance.  —  Police in Delaware have discovered evidence that a former Pentagon aide may have been involved in an attempted arson days before his murder …

Tea Party Billionaire David Koch Entertains Newly Elected Republicans On The First Day Of The New Congress  —  Today, as Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) was sworn in as the Speaker of the House for the 112th Congress, ThinkProgress witnessed a group of Koch Industries lobbyists entering the Capitol along …

Pentagon Is Poised to Cancel Marine Landing Craft  —  It was supposed to be a tank that swims, a new way for the Marines to storm hostile beaches.  —  But as military budgets come under pressure, the 38-ton landing craft that turns into an assault vehicle seems destined to be the next bit of high-tech wizardry to bite the dust.