Behind the War Between White House and Fox  —  WASHINGTON — Late last month, the senior White House adviser David Axelrod and Roger Ailes, chairman and chief executive of Fox News, met in an empty Palm steakhouse before it opened for the day, neutral ground secured for a secret tête-à-tê te.

Pelosi lacks votes for most sweeping public option  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi counted votes Thursday night and determined she could not pass a “robust public option” — the most aggressive of the three forms of a public option House Democrats have been considering as part of a national overhaul of health care.

Morning Fix: Palin Endorses Hoffman  —  Sarah Palin's decision to endorse the Conservative party candidate over the Republican nominee in a special House election in upstate New York is the latest example that the former Alaska governor's allegiance is to her conservative principles rather than the edicts of the party.

Top employees leave financial firms ahead of pay cuts  —  Grass is greener where bonuses are sky-high  —  NEW YORK — Even before the Obama administration formally tightened executive compensation at bailed-out companies, the prospect of pay cuts had led some top employees to depart.

SUNDAY SHOW BOOKERS REFUSE TO READ POLITICAL ANIMAL.... Maybe I should start taking this personally. … For crying out loud.  As of this weekend, there will have been 40 Sundays since President Obama's inauguration in January.  With his 15th Sunday show appearance, McCain will have been a guest on one of the programs every 2.6 weeks.

CNN Poll: GOP favorable rating lowest in a decade  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Republican Party's favorable rating among Americans is at lowest level in at least a decade, according to a new national poll.  —  Thirty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday …

Former governor calls for party reform  —  Jeb Bush argues Republicans need to be more welcoming  —  Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, unveiled a six-point plan to help strengthen the Republican Party Wednesday night - including shedding the image of being the “old white guy party” and advocating for limited government.

Suicide bomber strikes suspected nuclear weapons site in Pakistan  —  ISLAMABAD — A suspected nuclear weapons site in Pakistan was hit by a suicide bomb attack, raising fears about the security of the nuclear arsenal, while two other terrorist blasts made it another bloody day in the country's struggle against extremism.

Soupy Sales dies at 83; slapstick comic had hit TV show in 1960s  —  The comedian acquired a cult-like following among adults with a show ostensibly meant for children.  His signature routine, which he elevated to an art form, was pie-throwing.  —  Soupy Sales is embraced backstage …

J Street's Ben-Ami On Zionism and Military Aid to Israel  —  Jeremy Ben-Ami of the liberal lobbying group J Street is the man of the moment: The group's upcoming conference in Washington has become a source of great controversy for many reasons.  I interviewed Ben-Ami yesterday by telephone …

Graydon AWOL as Vanity Fair cuts staff  —  VANITY Fair yesterday took some of the deepest staff cuts at Condé Nast, but Editor  —  Graydon Carterdidn't deliver the bad news himself.  —  Although Carter was said to have been at his restaurant, The Monkey Bar last night, he was a no-show at the office during the day.