Obama under pressure to intervene in Libya  —  (Reuters) - Pressure mounted on the White House on Tuesday to intervene to stop Muammar Gaddafi's bloody crackdown on democracy protests as a lawmaker close to President Barack Obama urged oil firms to halt work in Libya.

Emanuel Triumphs in Chicago Mayoral Race  —  CHICAGO — Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman who worked for two presidents, was elected mayor of Chicago on Tuesday, a victory that marks a new path for a city that has, for 22 years, been led by a singular, powerful force, Richard M. Daley.

Wonkbook: Will Wisconsin spread?  —  A few days ago, Gov. Scott Walker's effort to end collective bargaining for state employees looked almost certain to spread to other GOP-led states.  And there has been some interest, notably from Ohio's John Kasich and New Jersey's Chris Christie.

Newt Gingrich confronted over affair  —  PHILADELPHIA — Newt Gingrich's speech at the University of Pennsylvania Tuesday night quickly took a turn for the dramatic when the first student to question him brought up his admitted extra-marital affair and accused him of being “hypocritical” for espousing moral values.

Federal Judge In D.C. Upholds Health Care Reform, Says Some Arguments ‘Ignore Reality’  —  A federal judge on Tuesday upheld the health care reform law signed last year by President Barack Obama and found that Congress had the clear authority to regulate health insurance under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.

WikiLeaks Cables Detail Qaddafi Family's Exploits  —  WASHINGTON — After New Year's Day 2009, Western media reported that Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, a son of the Libyan leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, had paid Mariah Carey $1 million to sing just four songs at a bash on the Caribbean island of St. Barts.

Wisconsin's Walker Signs Bill Requiring 2/3 Majority for Tax Increases  —  How Wisconsin becomes California.  (photo: FredR on Flickr)  —  I got a sense from Sen. Chris Larson and some others in Wisconsin that the Governor and his Republican allies had run amok in the Capitol before attention …

Democrats trigger Statehouse showdown over anti-union legislation  —  House Democrats are leaving the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation, The Indianapolis Star has learned.  —  A source said Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky.

Scaling Back State Programs Is Least of Three Fiscal Evils  —  Less objectionable than reducing state worker pay or benefits, increasing taxes  —  PRINCETON, NJ — As Wisconsin and numerous other states struggle to reduce untenable budget deficits, a new USA Today/Gallup poll finds …

The Scrubbing has Begun...  Today the state of Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing, announced that it would begin “looking into accusations that a number of local doctors provided the notes for protesters who missed work during the week...the department will review complaints …

Our World: Obama's devastatingly mixed signals  —  By adopting a policy it openly hated and then condemning its own behavior, the US essentially told Israel, America is not a credible partner.  —  Talkbacks (82)  —  For better or worse, each passing day the Middle East is becoming more unstable.

D.C., Hawaii Still Most Approving of Obama; All States Decline  —  Approval is higher than average in 12 states plus D.C., lower than average in 18 states  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Residents of Hawaii gave native son President Barack Obama the highest average 2010 job approval rating (66%) …

Providence plans to pink slip all teachers  —  PROVIDENCE — The school district plans to send out dismissal notices to every one of its 1,926 teachers, an unprecedented move that has union leaders up in arms.  —  In a letter sent to all teachers Tuesday, Supt.

Why Cuts Don't Bring Prosperity  —  Remember the German economic boom of 2010?  —  Germany's economic growth surged in the middle of last year, causing commentators both there and here to proclaim that American stimulus had failed and German austerity had worked.

GAY BLACK TEA PARTYER Attacked By Racist SEIU Activists at Denver Tea Party (Videos)  —  A pro-public union SEIU rally turned ugly today outside the Colorado Capitol in Denver.  —  The Colorado union supporters started out the day chanting, “Tax the rich!”  —  But later the unhinged SEIU thugs accosted a gay black tea partyer.

Oregon Rep. David Wu airs regrets, owns up to taking prescription painkillers  —  U.S. Rep. David Wu broke his silence on national television on Tuesday but failed to slow the growing controversy over his behavior and future or stop new revelations that he behaved erratically during …

Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health care law could flatline his 2012 ambitions  —  Mitt Romney doesn't really want to talk about “RomneyCare,” the universal health care plan he signed into law as Massachusetts governor.  —  But the topic is already bubbling up in early primary states …