What Kind Of Day Has It Been

• In contrast to expectations--and in a speech that can only be described as disconnected from reality--Pres. Hosni Mubarak did not step down. Something like one million [furious] people are in Tahrir Square right now. A coup d'etat tonight is not out of the realm of possibility.


• Amid the wave of unrest in the broader Middle East, the government of Iran is cracking down on opposition figures, including placing Mehdi Karroubi under house arrest and blocking access to opposition websites. Syria, though, turned Facebook and Youtube back on.


• Another day, another member of Congress declines to seek reelection. Today, it's Sen. Jon Kyl.


• ConocoPhillips is closing an Alaska LNG plant despite upward price pressure from oil markets.