Game over: The chance for democracy in Egypt is lost  —  While much of American media has termed the events unfolding in Egypt today as “clashes between pro-government and opposition groups,” this is not in fact what's happening on the street.  The so-called “pro-government” …

Gangs Hunt Journalists and Rights Workers  —  CAIRO — Security forces and gangs chanting in favor of the Egyptian government hunted down journalists at their offices and in the hotels where many had taken refuge on Thursday in a widespread and overt campaign of intimidation aimed at suppressing reports from the capital.

White Political Ralliers Call for Lynching of Black Justice (Sorry MSM, No Tea in this Blend)  —  I recently took a two-day trip down to Palm Springs to attend an event called “Uncloaking the Kochs” hosted by Common Cause.  Accompanied by my dear friend, former assembly candidate Alvaro Day …

GOP loses ‘forcible rape’ language  —  House Republicans plan to sidestep a charged debate over the distinction between “forcible rape” and “rape” by altering the language of a bill banning taxpayer subsidies for abortions.  —  The provision in question, written as an exemption from the ban …

Charlotte charred by FLOTUS roast reference  —  Charlotte residents were ecstatic to hear this week that their city was selected to host the Democratic convention.  But there was one line in the e-mail announcement from First Lady Michelle Obama that made locals say, “Huh?”

Sarah Palin Turns Down Coveted Keynote Speaking Slot At CPAC Conference  —  ABC News' Michael Falcone:  —  UPDATED: After skipping the popular Conservative Political Action Conference for the past three years, Sarah Palin has once again turned down the invitation of CPAC officials to address the conference this year.

President Carter named in $5 million lawsuit over his “Palestine” book  —  More than four years after its publication, five disgruntled readers have filed a class-action lawsuit against President Jimmy Carter and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, alleging that his 2006 book “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid” …

GOP scales back budget cut goals  —  Updating their budget estimates, House Republicans conceded Thursday that their best hope is to cut current appropriations by $32 billion for the remainder of this fiscal year, once new spending for defense and other security needs are added to the equation.

John McCain: ‘Thank God’ Donald Rumsfeld stepped down  —  Sen. John McCain said he “thank[s] God” that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stepped down from the post in 2006 and didn't lead the Pentagon's strategy in Iraq during the last two years of George W. Bush's presidency.

Sen. Bill Nelson: ‘Possibility but not Probability’ Health Care Law is Unconstitutional  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  With federal courts issuing conflicting opinions on President Obama's health care law, Sen. Bill Nelson has sponsored a resolution to push the Supreme Court …

Judge holds Interior in contempt over drilling ban  —  A Louisiana federal judge on Wednesday held the Interior Department in contempt for re-imposing a deepwater oil-drilling ban last year after the judge had struck down an earlier version of the moratorium.

The Economic Outlook and Macroeconomic Policy  —  Good afternoon.  I am pleased to be here at the National Press Club, and I'm especially glad for the opportunity to have a conversation with journalists who write about economic policy from our nation's capital.  Your job is not easy, but it is essential.

Crashing the party: Republican strategist turned gay rights activist ponders a White House run  —  ON ROUTE 202, N.H. — The candidate can't find his lane.  The road is a crunchy carpet of snow.  The candidate drifts too far to the right.  The rumble strip rattles his car.  The candidate drifts too far to the left.

“O” no!  Anonymous novel flops in first week sales.  —  An anonymously written novel about the Obama administration and the 2012 campaign apparently holds little appeal for Beltway readers.  —  “O: A Presidential Novel” makes its feeble debut at number 23 on our hardcover fiction list for Washington area sales.

Street Battle Over the Arab Future  —  CAIRO — The future of the Arab world, perched between revolt and the contempt of a crumbling order, was fought for in the streets of downtown Cairo on Wednesday.  —  Tens of thousands of protesters who have reimagined the very notion of citizenship …