Oh, what a year 2011 has been. Birth certificates, Congressional gridlock, Occupy, and Herman Cain, oh my! Austinist political writer Greg Haley busts out his crystal ball for a prognosticatory look at 2012. more ›

• Pirates attack the US-flagged Maersk Alabama for the second time in seven months
• Hillary Clinton makes surprise visit to Afghanistan for Karzai's inauguration
• Attorney General Holder says world will see Khalid Sheikh Mohammed "for the coward he is"

• Happy Something Day!
• Secretary Clinton: Iran "becoming a military dictatorship"
• Under threat of sniper fire, bombs, Marines slog through Marjah

• Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet
• Consumer prices fell last month; biggest one-month decline in 61 years
• Former president Clinton offers concessions to help Hillary become secretary of state

• Hillary Clinton, possible Secretary of State, what?
• Sarah Palin can't quit Joe the Plumber.
• Automaker bailout chances dwindling.

In a video sent to donors on Friday, David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s campaign manager, claimed that the Senator received 100,000 contributions in the wake of a new McCain campaign ad portraying Obama as an out-of-touch celebrity. The ad, which juxtaposes images of Obama against images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and which calls Obama the “biggest celebrity in the world,” drew ire from the Obama campaign. Plouffe told donors that, of the 100,000 contributions they received on Thursday, over 1/3rd were from first-time donors. more ›

Former Texas Senator and McCain economic advisor Phill Gramm told the Washington Times on Wednesday that the economy is merely in a state of “mental recession” and that the United States has become a “nation of whiners.” more ›

No passport required for U.S. citizens. Including Hillary. Finally - someone from the Bush White House makes a little sense. South Carolina G.O.P. snubs the shrub. Florida shares some of its really great election karma with Michigan. Vatican: vagina = total deal breaker. In the world of fashion, either you're in or you're out. Cosmos, manolos and sex. Oh my. more ›

• Obama wins big in North Carolina; Clinton ekes out Indiana
• Cyclone deaths in Myanmar may top 22,000
• New Russian president sworn in; Putin to become prime minister

• Clinton wins in Pennsylvania; North Carolina and Indiana next up
• World food prices soar; threaten the poorest nations
• Violent days in Chicago: 36 shootings, 9 homicides

Before we let Texas fade off the political radar for a while, let's take a look at the Texas Democratic elite who will likely have the final say in who their nominee for president will be. more ›

At yesterday's "Texas-sized Town Hall" at the Austin Convention Center, Senator Hillary Clinton's media entourage was forced to work out of a men's bathroom in a nearby community center. "It was immediately interpreted as something of a metaphor for the Clinton campaign's attitude to the press: With Sen. Hillary Clinton at Austin's convention center for 'a Texas-sized townhall,' her media entourage was taken to its work space — in a men's room of a separate community center." A campaign representative was quick to apologize, saying, "These accommodations should in no way be taken as a commentary on the quality of our media coverage.” Still, too late for the ensuing shit storm. more ›

Admittedly, the Democratic delegate selection process in Texas is ridiculous, especially to casual voters who don't hold a particular allegiance to either candidate—or, in this case, the exact type of swing voters that each campaign is now clamoring to bring to the polls next Tuesday. more ›

Today both the Clinton and Obama campaigns announced upcoming town hall meetings. Obama's will take place tomorrow at the Austin Convention Center, while Hillary's sounds like more of a "virtual" town hall meeting - on TV the Monday before election day. more ›

The Black Crowes are accusing Maxim Magazine of writing a review of their record without actually listening to it. When Busey Attacks: Gary Busey crashes the Oscars, much to the chagrin of Ryan Seacrest. Over the weekend, Hillary Clinton provides the public with further evidence that she's basically already lost by doing the one thing she shouldn't do: Go even MORE negative. Check this video footage from Rhode Island last Saturday... Ralph Nader's running for President again. We guess he's just bored or something. What other reason could he possibly have? more ›

Photos from last night's historic CNN/Univision Debate between Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. All photos by Steve Hopson for Austinist.com. more ›

Michael Olsen could get his job back with APD on a technicality. Man's body found near North Campus area; police say he fell off the roof. Obama's rally tomorrow night will close down roads downtown, so don't say we didn't warn you. Hillary trying to nab the Longhorn vote by wearing burnt orange today? more ›

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Former Austin mayor and current Texas State Senator Kirk Watson made an appearance on MSNBC last night after officially endorsing Senator Barack Obama. When asked by Chris Matthews to list just a few of Obama's legislative accomplishments, Watson looks stumped, and then only manages to respond with a weak, 'Well, I am not going to be able to name you specific items." more ›

AT&T Marathon this Sunday morning; watch out for street closures. Early voting starts next week, but you can't vote at Northcross! Bill Clinton will visit Hillary's new Austin campaign headquarters on Saturday night. Ack! 26,000 people so far have entered the raffle for the 100 seats at next week's debate. UT Associate Athletic Director Douglas George Wilson being investigated by Travis County and UT for possible theft of $60,000. more ›

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are both spending an estimated $1 million on TV ads airing across Texas this month. Two recent polls show two different plausible outcomes for our March 4th primary — a Texas Credit Union League poll conducted just days ago shows Clinton ahead 49% to 41%, whereas a poll released this morning by The American Research Group shows Senator Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton 48% to 42%. Things are certainly getting interesting ... more ›

After taking statements and checking evidence, APD thinks that Tevin Park-Flowers' death at NYOS was accidental. 3-year-old rescued from meth lab home in South Austin. Fire in neighboring building that damaged the Austin NAACP's office last night ruled to be arson. Flame-themed bar coming to E. Sixth Street, brought to you by the 36-year-old owner of Qua and Vicci. Catholic church leaders angry at St. Mary's University in San Antonio for housing a Clinton rally last night. more ›

Well, while we were all was guessing The LBJ Library, Hogg Auditorium or The Frank Erwin Center, UT has announced that the February 21 Democratic Debate will officially be held at The Recreation Sports Center. more ›

Meanwhile, both Obama and Clinton are pulling out all the stops to appeal to our state's Hispanic population, which account for as much as 25% of Texas' eligible voters, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. Obama today launched a Spanish radio ad (mp3) stressing his humble working-class roots. Each campaign is also spending upwards of $1 million on TV ads that began running this week. more ›

Hillary Clinton says we really matter! Texan self-esteem at an all-time high (and that's saying something). GM wants to buy out every single one of its United States hourly workers. Texas beats No. 3 Kansas in basketball, 72-69, in front of a sold-out Erwin Center. By 2050, one in five Americans will be foreign-born, survey saith. more ›

After eight years of having Texas be a no-contest state for all presidential hopefuls, this election year it could play kingmaker for one of the two Democratic candidates. The Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4 have already been dubbed Super Tuesday Two by many news outlets. Between the two states, close to 400 delegates are at stake. Texas with 126 and Ohio with 140 (not counting superdelegates). Austin accounts for 8 of the total Texas delegates. more ›

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Barack Obama win South Carolina. Like most Americans, I like Barack Obama. And, like most Americans, I'm not sure why. more ›

Roy Spence, the Austin advertising legend and co-founder of the GSD&M ad agency, has recently taken a more prominent role in the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton. more ›

More talk of the coming recession: "The question is not whether we will have a recession, but how deep and prolonged it will be." Meanwhile, Austin's economy may be uniquely positioned among the nation's cities to withstand a potential recession. more ›

The week's news on arts, books, film and music. more ›