Gregg: U.S. could be on path to a ‘banana republic’ situation  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - A leading fiscal mind on Capitol Hill and a one-time Obama Cabinet pick sounded the alarm Sunday over the projected long-term financial challenges the country faces.  —  “This deficit is driven by us,” …

Decision on Afghan Troops May Wait  —  WASHINGTON — The White House signaled Sunday that President Obama would postpone any decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan until the disputed election there had been settled and resulted in a government that could work with the United States.

The Banks Are Not Alright  —  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.  O.K., maybe not literally the worst, but definitely bad.  And the contrast between the immense good fortune of a few and the continuing suffering of all too many boded ill for the future.

Hillary Clinton suffers ‘mis-speaking’ relapse with Belfast bomb claims  —  Hillary Clinton has been caught out “mis-speaking” again in a manner that suggests that she hasn't learnt from past experiences of her globe-trotting, “lily-gilding” speeches.  —  The US Secretary of State …

Top Obama advisers walk away from public option  —  There was a reason the White House sent out Obama's top three advisers to the talk shows today.  As I said below, “they're selling something as we approach the final push for health insurance reform.”  Unfortunately, what they're selling, most of us aren't buying.

Foreclosures Force Ex-Homeowners to Turn to Shelters  —  CLEVELAND — The first night after she surrendered her house to foreclosure, Sheri West endured the darkness in her Hyundai sedan.  She parked in her old driveway, with her flower-print dresses and hats piled in boxes on the back seat …

The GOP's Rangel dilemma  —  Convinced that Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) is on the ropes because of a tangle of ethical issues, House GOP leaders are debating whether to aggressively press for his removal as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee or try to drag out the controversy as long as possible for maximum political advantage.

Superfreakingmeta  —  Brad DeLong does the heavy lifting.  Legalistic quibbling about who said what in an email isn't going to help Dubner and Levitt here: in this crucial chapter, there's an average of one statement per page that's either flatly untrue or deeply misleading.

White House admits: We ‘control’ news media  —  Communications chief offers shocking confession to foreign government  —  TEL AVIV - President Obama's presidential campaign focused on “making” the news media cover certain issues while rarely communicating anything to the press unless it was …

READY TO REVOLT: Oath Keepers pledges to prevent dictatorship in United States  —  Group asks police and military to lay down arms in response to orders deemed unlawful  —  Depending on your perspective, the Oath Keepers are either strident defenders of liberty or dangerous peddlers of paranoia.

Lawmakers Battle on Census Question  —  WASHINGTON — A measure gaining traction in Congress would require the 2010 Census to include a question about citizenship, a change that would cost millions of dollars and possibly derail a full count.  —  Two Republican senators …

Energy Firms Deeply Split on Bill to Battle Climate Change  —  WASHINGTON — As the Senate prepares to tackle global warming, the nation's energy producers, once united, are battling one another over policy decisions worth hundreds of billions of dollars in coming decades.