Pirates Seize Ship With U.S. Crew Off Coast of Somalia  —  Pirates commandeered a United States-flagged container ship with 20 American crew members off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday, the first time an American-crewed ship was seized by pirates in the area.

What happened in Minnesota  —  Minnesota's excruciatingly close Senate election between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and former unfunny humorist Al Franken is in the final innings of the post-election proceedings.  Franken is of course a left-liberal Democrat about whom I have nothing good to say.

Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies  —  Robert Moran monitors an electric grid in Dallas.  Such infrastructure grids across the country are vulnerable to cyberattacks.  —  WASHINGTON — Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs …

U.S. to Offer Aid to Life Insurers  —  Firms Face Capital Crunch; How Much They Will Get From TARP Remains Unclear  —  The Treasury Department has decided to extend bailout funds to a number of struggling life-insurance companies, helping an industry that is a lynchpin of the U.S. financial system …

Bow-ow-ow: Obama's painful missteps  —  Let the new president grow into the job — but he'd better do it fast!  Plus: Readers ask about everything from talk radio, morality and Mary McCarthy, to that big movie about a sinking ship.  —  Dear Camille,  —  In your column, you say …

Fidel Castro praises congressional delegation to Cuba  —  A seven-member Congressional Delegation returned to the U.S. Tuesday from a five-day trip to Cuba, which included a meeting with current dictator Raul Castro.  —  The delegation, led by California Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee …

Gay marriage: Iowans weigh pros and cons of altering Iowa Constitution  —  If Iowans choose to open the hood on the Iowa Constitution, it could invite all sorts of tinkering, law professors and state lawmakers said today.  —  Voters soon have a once-a-decade chance to step around lawmakers and update the Constitution on their own.

Obama team readying for confrontation with Netanyahu  —  In an unprecedented move, the Obama administration is readying for a possible confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by briefing Democratic congressmen on the peace process and the positions of the new government in Israel regarding a two-state solution.

ACORN DIRECTOR: WHAT ARE TEA PARTIES?  —  I'm sort of fascinated by the latest ACORN conspiracy theory, that ACORN activists are crashing right wing “tea parties” in order to sabotage them.  I'm fascinated, because like Steve Benen, I don't know anyone who actually cares about these things.

Palin won't challenge Murkowski  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin won't challenge Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski in 2010, a decision that likely clears Murkowski's path to re-election and enables the GOP to avoid a potentially messy primary next year.  —  A Palin spokeswoman told the Anchorage Daily News …

Feminism as Natalism  —  Michelle Goldberg wades into the debate I've been having with various people about the macroeconomic implications of population decline with an observation I definitely agree with: … I actually agree with both of the points here.

Quigley claims victory in race to replace Rahm Emanuel  —  Democratic Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley claimed victory tonight in the 5th District race to replace Rahm Emanuel in Congress.  —  With 94 percent of the Chicago and suburban Cook precincts reporting totals …

Bob Corker to headline South Carolina GOP dinner  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker will headline the South Carolina Republican Party's annual Silver Elephant Banquet in May, a state party official tells CNN.  —  The speaking slot offers the senator a chance to impress …

Support for Gun-Control Laws at All-Time Lows  —  Americans evenly divided at 49% on need for stricter gun laws  — USA - Crime - Government and Politics - Guns - Personal Safety - Violence - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In Gallup polling conducted prior …

Gates: Why I Kept Troubled Ship, Swimming Vehicle  —  Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he only killed weapons programs in his reboot of the Pentagon's arsenal if the project's “budget was out of control, or they were overdue, or the technology was too great a risk.”

“I am under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD”  —  A secret recording reveals the Army may be pushing its medical staff not to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder.  The Army and Senate have ignored the implications. … Listen to a segment of the recording of an Army psychologist at Fort Carson …

Obama and Gates Gut the Military  —  The secretary's new budget will leave us weaker to pay for the president's domestic programs.  —  On Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a significant reordering of U.S. defense programs.  His recommendations should not go unchallenged.