America’s top spy chiefs and intelligence experts come together every year to share their best guesses about the biggest threats that will face the country in the year ahead. In the annual threat-assessment hearing in Congress Tuesday, America’s top intelligence officers pointed to some strides made in American’s espionage – and some considerable shortfalls, as well. 

Here are the top four pieces of good and bad news to come out of the annual assessment:

In an interview, Admiral Dennis C. Blair - the former director of national intelligence - says the US needs to back moderate Islamic societies, and urges Israel to keep pace with a changing Middle East.

Chinese residents in the coast village of Wukan rebelled last year and won the right to a free election. The rest of China watches to see if they, too, can demand democracy.

AP - The stock market appeared headed Tuesday for its best January finish in more than a decade. An unexpected drop in consumer confidence dragged stocks down on the final day.

AP - Florida Republicans were putting an end to a raucous, big-spending, character-bashing primary campaign Tuesday as they decided whether a confident Mitt Romney or a defiant Newt Gingrich would win the state's 50 delegates, the biggest prize of the GOP race so far.