Letterman Top Ten: Palin has a “slutty flight attendant look”; Audio: “Pathetic,” says Palin  —  I bet Ashley Herzog's bummed he didn't pull this a day earlier, huh?  It would have made a sweet addition to her latest column.  The best part: Letterman wondering why Slutty Flight Attendant didn't stop by the show.

Deeds Surges to Stunning Win in Va.  —  Running with the least money and fewest ties to vote-rich Northern Virginia, State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds has won the three-way Democratic primary for governor, paving the way for a rematch with Republican Bob McDonnell in the fall.

Palau to Take Chinese Guantánamo Detainees  —  WASHINGTON — The United States has won an agreement to transfer up to 17 Chinese Muslims from the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Palau, a sparsely populated archipelago in the North Pacific, according to a statement released …

Biden pushes envelope with praise  —  Vice President Joe Biden offered an exuberant endorsement of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor at a White House event Tuesday - but some legal analysts believe he went too far by suggesting she would rule in favor of police if confirmed.

Governor Palin?  We Can Still Hear You Up Here...  There were several things that jumped out at Alaskans from the Hannity/Palin interview that taped on Sunday and aired the following night on Fox.  First was the gooey missive on how great it is that Alaskans own the resources of the state …

Court clears Chrysler sale, without dissent  —  UPDATE 8:29 p.m. Word was circulating in Washington and New York Tuesday night that the Chrysler deal could be wrapped up as early as Wednesday morning, with the electronic transfer of funds to pay Chrysler for most of its existing assets.

Rampaging militants kill 11, injure 50 in Peshawar hotel  —  PESHAWAR: A huge explosion ripped through the sole five-star hotel of the Frontier province's metropolis on Tuesday evening, killing 11 people.  A foreign national was among the dead.  —  More than 50 people, including foreigners, were injured.

Nine Banks to Repay TARP Money  —  At Least $50 Billion in U.S. Bailout Funds Is Expected to Be Recovered With Unexpected Speed  —  The Treasury Department expects an initial payback from the nation's largest banks of at least $50 billion in bailout funds, according to people familiar with the matter …

Poll: Most don't know who speaks for GOP  —  WASHINGTON — Republicans, out of power and divided over how to get it back, are finding even the most basic questions hard to answer.  —  Here's one: Who speaks for the GOP?  —  The question flummoxes most Americans, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds …

For U.S., a Sea of Perilous Red Ink, Years in the Making  —  There are two basic truths about the enormous deficits that the federal government will run in the coming years.  —  The first is that President Obama's agenda, ambitious as it may be, is responsible for only a sliver of the deficits …

Let it come down … Possibly the baddest few lines of script and stage direction in Shakespeare's plays, and here I've gone and appropriated it for a boring post on President Obama's looming budget deficits.  * This is reason no. 502 why the internet sucks.

Blue Dogs Backsliding On Anti-Health Care Reform Backsliding  —  Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) is “unwavering” in her opposition to a Blue Dog Coalition health care position issued late last week, she said Tuesday.  The Blue Dogs, a caucus of conservative Democrats, issued a set of principles opposing …

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL): I Told China Not To Believe U.S. Budget Numbers  —  Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) now appears to have taken a bold step in the debate over the budget deficit: Openly telling a foreign government not to trust the administration in Washington.  —  The Straits Times reports …

U.S. Lawmakers Feud Over Legislation Banning Release of ‘Torture’ Photos  —  Two senators who added an amendment to a war spending bill that prohibits the release of so-called “torture” photos are threatening a filibuster if House Democrats strip out the provision.  —  FOXNews.com

Democrats Nearing Consensus on Health Plan  —  WASHINGTON — A broad consensus on the contours of legislation to remake the nation's health care system appeared to be developing among Democratic leaders on Tuesday as three House committee chairmen outlined a bill generally similar to one being written in the Senate.

Budget woes have Oakland mulling bankruptcy  —  Even though city officials would prefer to avoid a public conversation, behind closed doors the Oakland City Council has discussed filing for bankruptcy protection in the midst of a $100 million budget deficit.

Breaking the wall  —  On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen killings, social networking sites such as Twitter and the photo-sharing site Flickr were blocked in China in an attempt by the government to prevent online discussion on the subject.  —  But Chinese twitterers proved …