• No short-term changes, but TSA chief says agency is willing to rethink patdown policy
• Irish government in crisis after asking for multibillion-dollar bailout
• Are Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch working on an iPad-only newspaper?

• Ken Starr (of Whitewater fame) was just named president of Baylor. Yes, he’s promised to join a Baptist church after moving to Waco!
• Dallas-based Southwest Airlines kicked actor/director Kevin Smith off a plane this weekend, citing his size as a reason. He was very, very displeased about this. Now Southwest is trying to deal with the situation.
• A University of Texas student group has formed to try and save the Cactus Cafe.

Texas Huckabee supporters aren't giving up. Early voting starts tomorrow and goes through Feb. 29. Two Austin High teens die over the weekend after the car they are in is hit by a hydroplaning truck. USDA finally recalls beef already sent to Central Texas schools. more ›

As MSTRKRFT, Canadian duo Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P first gained prominence back in late 2004 for their remix of The Panthers' “Thank Me With Your Hands," included in a Vice sampler disc. Since then, they've gone on to remix everyone from Bloc Party ("Two More Years") and Metric ("Monster Hospital") to Buck 65 ("Kennedy Killed The Hat") and The Gossip ("Listen Up"). “We like to make the songs we remix our own,” says... more ›

In her more than 60 years as Washington reporter---covering every president since JFK---Helen Thomas has earned respect, admiration, and a front-row seat in the press room. She’s also earned a reputation for her no-holds-barred questions---a reputation that got her booted to the back of the room and virtually ignored by the current administration. Now Thomas is directing her questions---and her barbs---at her fellow journalists. In her latest book, Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press... more ›

We caught up with Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman recently to discuss the upcoming election and why he wants primary voters to save themselves for him. As you would imagine, Kinky did most of the talking. We found him to be thoughtful, engaging and funny. What follows are highlights of that interview for which we used Kinky’s song titles as subject headers.* *The first reader to email us with the names of the three... more ›

JetBlue launched its non-stop service from Austin to New York (JFK) and Boston (Logan) this morning. The carrier, which offers Southwest Airlines prices without the Greyhound bus conditions, is starting off with three daily flights to New York City and a single roundtrip to/from Boston. Until next week (Jan 26), you can still take advantage of their super low intro fares ($79/one-way), so long as you fly by May 24th. At these rates, we're more than a little inclined to take a weekend shopping trip in the Big Apple. more ›