Jay Carney named White House press secretary  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden's communications director, Jay Carney, was named the new White House press secretary Thursday as part of a series of other big staff moves announced by new Chief of Staff Bill Daley.

Mike Pence announcement expected today  —  Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) is expected to announce late Thursday whether he is running for president, POLITICO has learned.  —  The announcement will appear first in The Indianapolis Star, an aide said.  —  Pence has been deliberating over his political future …

Reid, McConnell swear off changes to filibuster  —  The top Democrat and top Republican in the Senate agreed Thursday to swear off seeking major changes to rules in the chamber in this Congress — and the next one.  —  Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced a series of rules changes …

Supreme Court: Emanuel on Chicago mayor ballot  —  UPDATED at 6:08 p.m. by Liam Ford, Jeff Coen and David Heinzman with Emanuel taking call from President, talking about opinion; will be updated.  —  The Illinois Supreme Court ruled today that Rahm Emanuel can stay on the ballot for mayor of Chicago …

O, Mark Salter!!  —  McCain wordsmith revealed as “anonymous” author of “O” the novel.  —  Confirmed by sources, but there were lots of in-plain-sight clues that led to Salter's Maine door.  —Simon and Schuster topper Jonathan Karp was Salter's editor on books he did with Senator McCain.

Was that plagiarism in Obama's State of the Union?  —  Writing a major political speech like Tuesday's Obama State of the Union Address is an extremely complex undertaking typically lasting weeks and involving contributions from dozens of people by the end of the prose assembly process …

Sens. Paul, Vitter introduce citizenship resolution  —  Two Republican senators are introducing a resolution that would end the constitutional right to citizenship that comes with being born on U.S. soil.  —  Rand Paul (Ky.) and David Vitter (La.) are introducing a resolution this week …

4th senator joins Tea Party Caucus  —  The three founding members of the Senate Tea Party Caucus told a crowd of 120 activists at their first meeting Thursday that their efforts will outsize their short roster.  —  In all, four Republican senators have joined the caucus, including one freshman …

SOTU not exceptionalist enough?  —  If there's one thing President Obama did go on about a bit about in the State of the Union, it was American exceptionalism — as the National Journal's Ron Fournier noted at some length.  —  Two who didn't entirely notice were Speaker John Boehner and Kathleen Parker.

Palin to speak at Reagan Ranch Center  —  ABC News' John Berman reports: Sarah Palin will deliver a speech at Ronald Reagan's former ranch to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth.  On February 4th the former Alaska Governor will be the keynote speaker at the “Reagan 100 Opening Banquet” …

Rand Paul: End foreign aid, including Israel  —  WASHINGTON (JTA) — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul wants to end all foreign assistance, including aid to Israel.  —  Paul, a Republican newly elected in Kentucky, was on CNN Wednesday outlining where he would cut the $500 billion in government spending …

Boehner: Saying retirement age needed to be raised was ‘mistake’  —  House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he “made a mistake” when he suggested raising the retirement age to 70 last year.  —  The Speaker indicated he was premature in suggesting raising the legal age at which retirees …

‘WTF?’  Sarah Palin Thinks The USSR Won The Space Race?  (VIDEO)  —  Sarah Palin thinks President Barack Obama needs a history lesson on the space race between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union.  —  “He needs to remember that, uh, what happened back then with the communist U.S.S.R …

Snow gridlock traps commuters for up to 13 hours  —  Stuck.  —  On the George Washington Parkway.  On 16th Street NW.  Interstate 66, too.  —  Buses, cars, people - just plain stuck as snow, sleet and ice covered roadways and knocked down trees across the region, turning the evening commute into a seemingly endless nightmare.

Obama Poised to Intensify U.S. Criticism of Egypt's Mubarak  —  Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) — The White House is prepared to step up its criticism of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a key Middle East ally, if his government intensifies its crackdown on protesters, said an administration official.

Ugandan Gay Rights Activist Is Beaten to Death  —  NAIROBI, Kenya — An outspoken Ugandan gay activist whose picture recently appeared in an anti-gay newspaper under the headline “Hang Them” was beaten to death in his home, Ugandan police said on Thursday.  —  David Kato, the activist …

Jon Huntsman's Inner Circle  —  Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is seriously considering a run for president in 2012.  —  U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (R) appears to be leaning toward a run for president in 2012 and a team of political operatives and fundraisers have begun informal talks …

CNN exclusive: FBI misconduct reveals sex, lies and videotape  —  Editor's note: Some content in this report may be offensive to readers.  For more on this CNN exclusive story, watch Kyra Phillips' full report on “The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer” tonight starting at 5 p.m. ET.

Airport bans toy soldier's three-inch rifle from plane... because it's a safety threat  —  Airport officials ordered a holidaymaker carrying a toy soldier onto a plane to remove its three-inch gun - because it was a safety threat.  —  Ken Lloyd was stunned when he was told he could not go on the plane …

Iranian Book Celebrating Suicide Bombers Found in Arizona Desert  —  EXCLUSIVE: A book celebrating suicide bombers has been found in the Arizona desert just north of the U.S.- Mexican border, authorities tell Fox News.  —  The book, “In Memory of Our Martyrs,” was spotted Tuesday …