Steele to Rush: I'm sorry  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says he has reached out to Rush Limbaugh to tell him he meant no offense when he referred to the popular conservative radio host as an “entertainer” whose show can be “incendiary.”

Obama ‘ready to drop shield plans for Russian help on Iran’  —  Washington has told Moscow that Russian help in resolving Iran's nuclear program would make its missile shield plans for Europe unnecessary, a Russian daily said on Monday, citing White House sources.

Obama releases secret Bush anti-terror memos  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration threw open the curtain on years of Bush-era secrets Monday, revealing anti-terror memos that claimed exceptional search-and-seizure powers …

Panel Says Ron Kirk Underpaid Taxes  —  (Credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)  —  Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee this afternoon revealed that another of President Obama's nominees — U.S. Trade Representative-designate Ron Kirk — has tax problems.

Upper-Income Taxpayers Look for Ways to Sidestep Obama Tax-Hike Plan  —  President Would Slap More Taxes on Those Who Make Over $250K to Fund Health Care  —  President Barack Obama's tax proposal - which promises to increase taxes for those families with incomes of $250,000 or more …

Limbaugh misquotes Constitution while arguing Obama policies are ‘bastardization’ of Constitution.  —  During his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Rush Limbaugh got some of his loudest applause when he declared that President Obama's policies represent a “bastardization of the Constitution.”

Pelosi Snowed-Out of Global Warming Rally  —  (CNSNews.com) - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had to cancel an appearance Monday at a global warming rally in Washington, D.C., that was hit by a snowstorm because her flight was delayed, her office told CNSNews.com.

Is Obama embracing the lawless, omnipotent executive?  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  As I detailed over the weekend, the Obama administration — in the case brought by two American lawyers and their charity-client claiming that their conversations were illegally intercepted …

Pelosi's list: Who's on her bad side?  —  Nancy Pelosi likes to keep lists.  —  As a young political protégé of her father, Baltimore Mayor Tommy D'Alesandro, the preteen speaker-to-be would spend hours leafing through the list of voters her father had helped in some way …

Dow Falls Below 6,800; Lowest Close Since '97  —  Fears that the world's economies are even weaker than had been thought ricocheted around the globe on Monday as investors from Hong Kong to London to New York bailed out of stocks.  —  Losses cascaded from one market to the next as concern spread …

A Dow Unworthy of FDR  —  Who knows?  Maybe the Dow will rally tomorrow, and here's hoping it does.  But so far the markets have greeted Obama's program with a resounding thud.  I have never thought that Obama's rhetorical tone was making much difference one way or the other, that he was “talking down the markets.”

U.S. rescue efforts may risk double-dip recession  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. companies, consumers and communities may grow so addicted to government financial help that cutting them off could trigger another recession soon after the current one ends.  —  Between the U.S. Federal Reserve's …

‘Potential’ Disruption?  —  REP. DAVID R. Obey (Wis.) and other congressional Democrats should spare us their phony concern about the children participating in the District's school voucher program.  If they cared for the future of these students, they wouldn't be so quick as to try to kill …

Department of Justice Releases Nine Office of Legal Counsel Memoranda and Opinions  —  WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice today released two previously undisclosed Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memoranda and seven previously undisclosed opinions.  —  “Americans deserve a government …

Funds for ‘Bad Banks’ Get Fleshed Out  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, filling in some of the blanks in its bank bailout, is considering creating multiple investment funds to purchase the bad loans and other distressed assets that lie at the heart of the financial crisis, according to people familiar with the matter.

CNBC's Kudlow mulls Senate bid  —  The political blogosphere has been abuzz with rumors that CNBC anchor and syndicated columnist Larry Kudlow is considering running for the Senate against Chris Dodd (D-Conn.)  —  Kudlow confirmed his interest in an interview with POLITICO this afternoon …