Republicans Seize Control of State Senate  —  ALBANY - Republicans seized control of the New York State Senate on Monday, in a stunning and sudden reversal of fortunes for the Democratic Party, which controlled the chamber for barely five months.  —  A raucous leadership fight erupted …

‘TOLD YA SO’  —  Sarah Palin hits FOXNEWS tonight for the big ‘Told Ya So’ interview, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.  —  As President Obama vows to spend the ‘stimulus’ faster, Governor Palin tells host Sean Hannity: ‘You gotta quit digging that hole!’  —  HANNITY: What do you make of - look at the state of the economy now...

U.S. says TARP issue out of Court's reach  —  The Obama Administration argued Monday that no court, including the Supreme Court, has the authority to hear a challenge by Indiana benefit plans to the role the U.S. Treasury played in the Chrysler rescue, including the use of “bailout” (TARP) funds.

Leveling the playing field  —  On Saturday, our friend Ed Whelan provided the identity of a previously anonymous blogger who has been attacking his work in rather nasty fashion.  That blogger, who went by the unoriginal and pretentious name “publius,” turned out to be a law professor at South Texas College of Law named John Blevins.

Trust on Issues  —  Voters Now Trust Republicans More than Democrats on Economic Issues  —  Voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on six out of 10 key issues, including the top issue of the economy.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% …

Breaking: Lieberman-Graham Dropped From Supplemental  —  According to sources on the Hill, the Lieberman-Graham detainee photo suppression amendment is out of the conference report of the supplemental.  —  For everyone who made phone calls — pat yourself on the back.

Nobel Winner Krugman Sees U.S. Recession Ending Soon  —  The U.S. economy probably will emerge from the recession by September, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman said.  —  “I would not be surprised if the official end of the U.S. recession ends up being, in retrospect …

Blue Dogs Backsliding On Health Care  —  Conservative House Democrats agreed to a set of health care principles late last week that angered advocates of a overhaul of the health care system.  —  The Blue Dog Coalition issued a statement that said it would only support the public health care option …

Re: The Cairo Speech  —  President Obama's Cairo speech was nothing short of an earthquake — a distortion of history, an insult to the Jewish people, and an abandonment of very real human-rights victims in the Arab and Muslim worlds.  It is not surprising that Arabs and Muslims in a position to speak were enthusiastic.

Court rejects challenge to 'don't ask, don't tell' … WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a challenge to the Pentagon policy forbidding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, granting a request by the Obama administration.

Hastert's son announces run for Congress, wants to be part of ‘next generation of leadership’  —  ELBURN - Ethan Hastert has announced he'll run for his father's old seat in Congress.  —  Hastert, 31, said Monday that he's forming a committee to begin his campaign and fundraising for the 14th District Congressional seat.

The 15 Hottest Conservative Women In The New Media  —  After doing The 10 Hottest Liberal Women In Politics last week, I thought that in order to be fair, I should feature the women on the Right as well.  So, in the spirit of the Hill's 50 Most Beautiful lists, I present to you “The 15 Hottest Conservative Women In The New Media.”

Sarkozy entertains Michelle and the girls after Obama heads home  —  Blog: Obama keeps his distance in France  —  He failed to persuade Barack Obama to socialise with him, but Nicolas Sarkozy enjoyed a consolation prize yesterday: lunch with the President's wife Michelle and their children.

One of THOSE round-ups  —  Yes, this is going to be one of THOSE round-ups, where I clear off all my open tabs of things I just read, and pass them off to you; covering everything from my personal stuff to a video recommendation or two.  —  Fluff: Ann Althouse is running the inevitable captioning thread on this picture.

Clinton orders review of State Department security  —  CNN State Department Producer  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday she has ordered a review of security and vetting procedures that let a State Department employee suspected of spying for Cuba slip through the cracks.

Obama's Top Targeter Bullish on Montana and Worried About Gingrich; Predicts Deeds Win Tomorrow  —  Ken Strasma, recognizable to many 538 readers as Barack Obama's national targeting director in 2008, is the first participant in a new series of interviews we will be conducting with consultants …

The Reintroduction of Kirsten Gillibrand  —  After a shaky first hundred days, the junior senator from New York is trying to start over.  —  The shuttle that transports senators from the Capitol to their offices shimmies a bit, like a kiddie roller coaster.

The genteel face of neo-fascism  —  British National party MEP and former National Front chairman who started political life in group set up in honour of Hitler  —  It was on Hitler's birthday, deliberately chosen, that the National Socialist Movement was formed in Britain in the 1960s.