John Bolton jokes about nuking Chicago, entire CPAC audience erupts in laughter.  —  This morning, former U.N. ambassador John Bolton spoke to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).  He tried to up the fear quotient in the room by raising the prospect of an Iranian-sent nuclear attack on an American city.

Pelosi butts heads with Obama  —  Nancy Pelosi repeatedly stood to applaud Barack Obama when he addressed a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.  But in the days since, the speaker of the House has been standing up for herself —distancing herself from the president on Iraq …

Jewish Leaders Blast Clinton Over Israel Criticism  —  Zuckerman, Lawmakers, Local Jews Say Secretary Of State Not The Hillary Clinton They Used To Know  —  Hillary Pressuring Israel To Speed Up Aid To Gaza  —  NEW YORK (CBS) ― In a swift about face from her views as New York's senator …

Steele to CPAC: The Republican party is just fine  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Capping off a day of conservative soul-searching, strategizing and navel-gazing at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele announced Thursday …

59% Still Believe Government Is the Problem  —  In early October, as the meltdown of the financial industry gained momentum following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 59% of U.S. voters agreed with Ronald Reagan that …

We're on the brink of disaster  —  Violent protests and riots are breaking out everywhere as economies collapse and governments fail.  War is bound to follow.  —  Editor's note: This article has also appeared on TomDispatch.com.  —  A destroyed street market burns in the aftermath of riots …

U.S. Will Give Qaeda Suspect a Civilian Trial  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department, in an abrupt change in policy from the Bush administration, is preparing to bring terrorism-related charges against a man identified as an operative of Al Qaeda who has been held in a military brig …

Obama's big-bath accounting  —  Analysts have long recognized the tendency of companies who are forced to report bad news to make the news worse than they have to, piling every single thing that might goi wrong into one hell of a charge-off.  The logic of this is simple …

Senate Passes Bill Giving the District a House Vote  —  The Senate today passed a bill that for the first time would give the District a full voting member of the House of Representatives.  But senators managed to attach an amendment that would scrap most of the District's local gun-control laws.

Rocky Mountain News to close, publish final edition Friday  —  Executives from E.W. Scripps Co., announce their decision on the future of the Rocky Mountain News in the 150-year-old newspaper's newsroom on 2/26/09 in Denver.  In December 2008, the Rocky's parent company put the paper up for sale …

Reid: Coleman should concede  —  Senate Democratic leaders said Thursday they were prepared to seat Al Franken as soon as the beginning of April, regardless whether Republican Norm Coleman files legal appeals.  —  “We're feeling pretty confident,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …

Insight: Time to expose those CDOs  —  Just how much should a debt vehicle backed by subprime mortgage bonds be worth these days?  Two years ago, most banks and insurance companies assumed the answer was close to 100 per cent of face value - or more.  —  Since then, however, that “price” …

Freeman's in  —  The Obama administration has notified Congress that Chas Freeman has been appointed chairman of the National Intelligence Council, demonstrating a willingness to rebuff pro-Israel activists and an embrace of a more realist foreign policy line.

National Security Structure Is Set  —  President Obama's first presidential directive, outlining the organization of his national security structure, adds the attorney general, the secretaries of energy and homeland security, and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to the formal National Security Council.

A Bold Plan Sweeps Away Reagan Ideas  —  The budget that President Obama proposed on Thursday is nothing less than an attempt to end a three-decade era of economic policy dominated by the ideas of Ronald Reagan and his supporters.  —  The Obama budget — a bold, even radical departure from recent history …

U.S. Is Said to Agree to Raise Stake in Citigroup  —  The Treasury Department reached a deal late Thursday to take a stake of 30 to 40 percent in Citigroup as part of a third bailout of the embattled bank, according to several people close to the deal.  —  Vikram S. Pandit, the chief executive …

Senate tunes out Fairness Doctrine, 87-11  —  The Senate voted Thursday in favor of an amendment to the District of Columbia voting-rights bill that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reinstating the so-called Fairness Doctrine, which critics say would decimate conservative talk radio.