President Obama and the first lady are planning a low-key Super Bowl watching weekend, breaking from previous years when they invited celebrities, politicians and wounded warriors to bashes at the White House for the big game.

Sunday the president is slated to interview with NBC News' Matt Lauer, whose network is airing the game. FOX television aired the game last year, and also sat down with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly.

First lady Michelle Obama earlier this week on The Rachael Ray Show said the first family would have a "quiet" Super Bowl Sunday and saying nachos are a good choice for the game-watching. "[T]he president loves avocado -- that's his favorite snack food, a chip dipped in some guac," she said.

When asked who he would support in Sunday's game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, the president said he is staying neutral. "I can't call it," Obama told ABC's Diane Sawyer last week.

"When the Bears are not involved, I can't make predictions because I will get into trouble. But both are great teams. Brady obviously one of the best quarterbacks we've ever seen. Eli Manning playing as well as he's ever played, and it's going to be a fun Super Bowl," said Obama, an avid Chicago Bears fan. (read more)

The controversy surrounding the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation and Planned Parenthood may become a launching pad to discuss the issue of abortion in upcoming elections.

Friday, The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation reversed their decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening after four days of debate. In a paper statement Komen founder and CEO Ambassador Nancy Brinker wrote, "We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not. Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer."

Whether or not the original decision to cut funding was meant to be political, the issue of abortion is one that all presidential candidates will eventually have to confront. All of the GOP 2012 candidates are pro-life.

Early on in his political career, former Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt Romney supported a woman's right to choose. But now, Romney says Roe v. Wade should be reversed. He believes state law should guide abortion rights, and is on record supporting moves aimed at de-funding Planned Parenthood. (read more)

Iowa Congressman and Tea Party favorite Steve King says he was "more than 50-50" on endorsing a presidential candidate, but something held him back.

"I was 90-10, but as the race unfolded, none of the candidates actually captured me in a way that I was eager to step up and defend just their positions," said King on Power Play Friday.

Several GOP hopefuls actively sought King's endorsement in the lead-up to the Iowa Caucuses. But King, a Tea Party Caucus member says, "I didn't quite hear that presidential candidate that gave the shining "city on the hill" speech that described for us the next level of destiny for America."

King says after the South Carolina Primary, he had conversations with South Carolina Congressman Tim Scott about the difficulty Scott also had making the decision not to endorse anyone.

King added that each of the remaining candidates has a lot to offer.

For more on Rep. King's reaction, check out the video below:

As part of a broad effort to rebound after the Florida primary, Newt Gingrich's campaign has appointed a new chief of staff-- Patrick Millsaps.

Millsaps is a prominent lawyer from Newt's home state of Georgia. He joined the campaign the week before the Iowa caucuses and until this move was serving as the deputy general counsel.

Millsaps made the transition during the last day or so of the Florida campaign. He is a partner at Hall Booth Smith & Plover.

His new title isn't a shake-up. It's part of the campaign's efforts to beef back up staffing and campaign structure post-Iowa. Newt 2012 is still very much run by the candidate, but Gingrich has broadened his cadre of advisers. In addition to making sure the trains run on time, Millsaps will help with messaging as the race expands to multiple states. His promotion comes as the campaign prepares to challenge Florida's "winner-take-all" delegate allocation - so far, the state's 50 delegates were awarded to Mitt Romney. (read more)

Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., led an unsuccessful, 40-59, bipartisan effort to try to permanently ban congressionally directed spending known as earmarks.

Eight Republicans from the Appropriations Committee joined all of the panel’s Democrats to oppose the measure. The conservative Club for Growth said they consider this a "key vote."

STAND-OUT VOTES:

Yes:

Bill Nelson, D-Fla. 

Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

Mark Udall, D-Colo.

Mark Warner, D-Va.

Kay Hagan, D-N.C. 

Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Republican leader, Appropriations Committee member

No:

Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Appropriations Committee member

Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Appropriations Committee member

Thad Cochran, R-Mo., Appropriations Committee member

Susan Collins, R-Maine, Appropriations Committee member

John Hoeven, R-N.D., Appropriations Committee member

Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, Appropriations Committee member

James Inhofe, R-Okla. (read more)

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney says he won't "comb over" a question if President Obama sought out Donald Trump's endorsement. This of course comes as 2012 Republican presidential universe is focusing in Mitt Romney getting the backing of business tycoon and reality host Donald Trump.

The "comb-over" comment is of course a reference to Trump's famous (or infamous?) golden locks. The brunt of many late-night jokes, many years speculation if it's real (Trump says it is), and wondering just how it stays in place in strong wind.

Trump's endorsement in the GOP has driven the political news cycle over the last 24-hours, and there was first speculation and reporting that he'd pick former House Speaker Newt Gingrich over Romney. Trump has met with several of the candidates in New York City, and even non-candidate Sarah Palin.

The tycoon, who also flirted with a presidential run himself, is also in the midst of launching the next season of "Celebrity Apprentice" which starts on NBC in a couple weeks. (read more)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid threatened to move his own payroll tax cut extension bill Thursday, as Democrats across the Capitol decried what they said was GOP obstruction, this as the deadline fast approaches for the tax break to expire.

A House-Senate conference met for the third time Thursday morning to try to hammer out a compromise on not only the payroll tax holiday, but also unemployment insurance benefits and a fix to keep Medicare doctors from seeing a cut to their federal reimbursement.

It was always expected there would be disagreement on how to offset the $100 billion measure, with Democrats pushing a surtax on millionaires and Republicans doggedly in opposition. It was that very issue that blew up negotiations last year, leading to a short-term extension which expires February 29.

Reid blasted Republicans for bogging down the payroll tax conversation Thursday morning with a debate about Boiler MACT rules, regulations designed to rein in toxic emissions from boilers that the GOP and some Democrats say are overly-burdensome on small businesses and could kill thousands of American jobs as currently written.

"I want everyone put on notice - we're not going to walk away without some tough votes. If they can't do something, we'll do it," Reid threatened. A senior Senate Democratic leadership aide tells Fox a bill is not yet being crafted, though.

An aide to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., told Fox's Chad Pergram, "I would not have characterized (the meeting) as 'bogged down'. You had Senate conferees speak in support of Boiler Mact and a few of the Dems criticize it as not being a job creating measure - but there are varying data points that make it clear that if you are spending on regulatory costs and compliance then you don't have those resources to create jobs."

A measure to delay implementation of new Boiler MACT rules out of the EPA was included in a House-passed bill related to the payroll tax cut extension, but the Senate included no such provision in its version. The National Association of Manufacturers, along with a vast assortment of businesses, are pushing members to include a delay in this version of the payroll tax measure. (read more)

It's like a kid in a candy store.

On Sunday, sweater-vest-loving GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum will visit the Lake Bemidji, Minn., manufacturing plant that makes his famous sweater vests for sale on his campaign website.

Bemidji Woolen Mills, founded in 1920, has been family owned since it was created in an effort to produce "the highest quality, authentic outdoor woolen apparel for the early logging era in Minnesota and surrounding states", according to the website.

The sweater vest has become a signature fashion item for the former Pennsylvania senator who has donnned one frequently on the campaign trail. Earlier this month the campaign began offering them to supporters who donated $100 or more to help fuel the Iowa caucuses winner's presidential bid.

Bill Batchelder, fourth-generation owner of Bemidji Woolen Mills, told The Bemidji Pioneer last month that the plant was rushing to fill the influx of orders.

"We're not exactly sure what our daily capacity is, but all hands are on deck. Our employees are extremely excited to be a part of this," Batchelder said.

As promised, a group of senior Republican senators influential on defense policy unveiled a bill Thursday to divert a portion of the $1.2 trillion in mandatory cuts set to take effect in January 2013.

"I believe the cuts are a threat to national security," said lead bill sponsor John McCain of Arizona, top Republican on the Armed Services Committee.

The "Down Payment to Protect National Security Act," whose ultimate goal is to unwind the full reduction, achieves $127 billion in savings over 10 years, to cover $110 billion in scheduled cuts to defense and certain domestic programs in 2013 alone, by continuing a freeze on federal government worker pay as well as by slicing the workforce by 5 percent through attrition.

The $1.2 trillion in across-the-board cuts, falling equally on defense and domestic budgets, came about as part of a bipartisan compromise to raise the nation's debt ceiling.  The failure of the deficit reduction super committee triggered the cuts, called a "sequestration." 

"You don't eat a steak in one bite. You try to do it in bite size pieces," said the Senate's No. 2 Republican, Jon Kyl of Arizona, who worked with McCain and four other GOP senators on the plan, which would buy time for lawmakers to find the remaining offsets, an Olympic-caliber task which members have, to date, failed.

The measure also contains a national emergency and national security waiver. (read more)

Schoolchildren dare each other on the playground all the time.

And sometimes lawmakers dare each other on Capitol Hill.

Such was the case Wednesday when the House of Representatives considered two simple, but potentially-radioactive pieces of legislation which were essentially dares. These were instances where House Republicans dared rank-and-file Democrats to vote no.

It's an election year. And it's no surprise that there are "dare" votes on the House floor.

The first measure was a bill to freeze the pay of federal workers and lawmakers. The second bill would bar those who receive welfare checks from using that money to purchase alcohol, gamble or pay for strippers.

Who would dare vote against either of those bills?