Taking a bite out of local politics: Jimmy the groundhog chomps on Sun Prairie, WI Mayor Jon Freund. (Photo: The Star, Christopher Mertes/AP)

Bud’s Round-up of Daily Drivel:

• Office affair:  Staples and Office Depot in merger talks.  (WSJ)
• Gallup Inc. CEO:  Unemployment rate is a Big Lie.  (Gallup)
• They’re not smartphones:  Tablets sales register first y-o-y quarterly drop, down 3.2% in 4Q.  (zdnet.com)
• He’s yellin’ at Yellen:  Harsh words for the Federal Reserve chair.  (NY Post)
• January hedge fund performance:  Best and worst.  (Zerohedge)
• S&P pays up: McGraw Hill subsidiary agrees to pay $1.5 billion in penalties over pre-recession mortgage ratings; Moody’s in cross hairs next.  (Investor’s Business Daily)
• Chris Christie in the spotlight:  Vaccine comments draw fire while NY Times attacks over travel.  (Courier Post and New York Times)