The Air Force is looking to construct a “Space Fence” to track the 21,000 some odd pieces of space junk in earth orbit.

The wiretapping and FISA provisions of the Patriot Act are coming up for renewal in Congress, but there doesn’t appear to be much chance the renewal will be blocked.

The FBI file of the late Benjamin Hooks, obtained by TPM via a FOIA request, offers a glimpse into the life of the civil rights activist and longtime executive director of the NAACP — and into the political climate of the early 1970s, when ties to suspected “communists” were still a red flag to the FBI.

Justice Scalia pops freshmen tea partiers’ bubble: Earmarks are perfectly constitutional.

Mitch McConnell defines bipartisanship: “If the President is willing to do what I and my members would do anyway, we’re not going to say no.”

Something for everyone: “Convicted Alaska Briber Bill Allen’s Daughter Buys Fake JFK Ambulance”

Illinois Supreme Court issues stay keeping Rahm on the mayoral ballot — for now.

Some great details in yesterday’s ridiculously delayed report from the Office of Special Counsel about how the White House during the Bush years ran roughshod over the Hatch Act, which bars political activity using federal resources, as Ryan Reilly reports: “Not only were appointees encouraged to help in Republican races, White House liaisons at several agencies tracked appointees’ leave requests made for the purpose of working on campaigns.”

CNN is the only network airing Rep. Michele Bachmann’s “Tea Party” response to the President’s State of the Union tonight. That’s in addition to the usual opposition party response, being given this time by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).

Reminds me of how back during the Bush years CNN would air a special SOTU response from the left-wing of the Democratic Party. Was it Bernie Sanders or Russ Feingold who did it? I forget. Oh, wait … no, that never happened.

Planned Parenthood thinks it may have been the target of a James O’Keefe-style video prank and has called in the FBI.