National: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became somewhat emotional this morning testifying about the attack on the Benghazi consulate. “For me, this is not just a matter of policy, it’s personal,” she said.  So far there have been no revelations in her testimony. Mrs. Clinton said diplomats can’t hide inside walled compounds. “Our men and women who serve overseas understand that we accept a level of risk to protect the country we love.”

• The Governor of Nebraska has approved a route for the Keystone XL Pipeline through his state. The pipeline would carry heavy crude oil from Canadian tar sands to refineries on the Gulf coast. Opponents say oil from tar sands is the dirtiest on the planet and would contribute to global warming. President Obama rejected a previous route for the pipeline and will have to weigh in on the new one.
• An argument ended up with a shooting yesterday at Lone Star College outside Houston. Three people were wounded, one badly. A 22-year-old student was arrested.

World: Russia airlifted about 100 of its citizens, mostly women and children, out of Syria on Tuesday, raising questions as to whether Russian leaders think the Syrian government is on the verge of collapse. Russia still has about 40,000 workers and dependents in Syria.

Cold: Winter has finally arrived. It’s 30 below zero in Northern Minnesota and down into the single digits in other parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Two below zero in NY.

Small Screen: “Mad Men” returns to AMC on April 7 with a two-hour episode.

On Toast, Please: Twenty-seven tons of burning cheese closed a traffic tunnel in the arctic North of Norway. The cheese called Brunost is 30% fat and authorities said it burned like gasoline.

Read Her Lips: The first scandal of the second Obama administration has broken with the news that Beyonce may have lip-synced her crowd-pleasing version of The National Anthem at the inauguration Tuesday. Reporters could see that the band was not really playing and at one point Beyonce pulled her earpiece, which would have made it nearly impossible for her to stay in time with the music. The President, however, is still believed to have delivered a live speech.

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