In shift, GOP leaders embrace Hoffman  —  The House Republican leadership is prepared to welcome Doug Hoffman into its ranks, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) said Thursday, a sign that the GOP establishment is recalibrating its approach toward …

BREAKING: Comprehensive List of Taxes In House Democrat Health Bill  —  H.R. 3962, the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” has been introduced—all 1990 pages of it.  This gargantuan beast contains thirteen new tax hikes.  Here they all are, with description and page number (PDF version):

Ethics to investigate Reps. Richardson, Waters; Graves criticizes the OCE  —  The House ethics panel voted Thursday to launch investigative subcommittees into separate charges against California Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson.  —  The moves signal the panel believes …

Fox News Viewed as Most Ideological Network  —  Swine Flu Tops Weekly News Interest  —  The Fox News Channel is viewed by Americans in more ideological terms than other television news networks.  And while the public is evenly divided in its view of hosts of cable news programs having …

Evan Bayh: Hypocrisy on the Public Option  —  Stock quotes in this article: WLP , EMMS , LLY  —  WASHINGTON (TheStreet) — Evan Bayh, the junior senator from Indiana, is in the middle of a heated debate in the Senate on whether a public option should be included as part of President Obama's health care reforms.

Disgraceful: In 8 Years, George W. Bush Never Greeted Fallen Troops  —  This is what a president does. … NPR notes that, … Why? … Bush also preferred to go bed early, but apparently, could never get his ass out of bed early enough to honor the soldiers he so recklessly sent off to die.

Iowa Republicans wince at Palin fee  —  A conservative Iowa group's effort to lure Sarah Palin to its banquet next month has had an unintended effect: Rather than exciting conservatives about the prospect of a visit from the former Alaska governor, the group's plan to raise a six-figure sum …

New Jersey Police: Reports Like Lou Dobbs' ‘Not At All Uncommon’ During Hunting Season  —  Several media sources have reported that shots were fired at the residence of CNN's Lou Dobbs.  While Dobbs and his anti-immigrant supports were quick to jump to conclusions about the motive of the shooting …

Bayh reversal?  —  Hours after POLITICO posted results of a poll showing a possible backlash by Indiana Dems, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) backed off of previous statement saying he was considering siding with the GOP on a public option filibuster.  —  A spokesman emailed me the following statement just now:

Brooklyn Law Won't Proactively Rat Out Its Students  —  Yesterday we reported on this announcement by Brooklyn Law School: … This stance proved unpopular with BLS students, as well as ATL readers.  In a poll, about 75 percent of readers answered “yes” when asked, “Should Brooklyn Law School …

McConnell: The Public Option ‘May Cost You Your Life’  —  For months now, conservatives have been scare-mongering about health care reform with outrageous claims that it would lead to “death panels” that could “pull the plug on grandma.”  In Congress, some Republican backbenchers have claimed …

Orly Taitz Smacked Down: Birther Lawsuit Dismissed  —  Central District of California Judge David O. Carter has dismissed Barnett et al v. Obama et al, Orly Taitz's most successful lawsuit — that is, the one that got the furthest through the legal system — demanding proof of the president's citizenship.

Gates, Crowley Spotted Together In Cambridge Bar  —  CAMBRIDGE (WBZ) ― Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge police Sergeant James Crowley were spotted at a pub in Cambridge Wednesday night.  —  The owner of “River Gods” told WBZ the two sat in a booth together and talked for about an hour.

U.S. Economy Began to Grow Again in the Third Quarter  —  Ending the longest contraction since World War II, the United States economy finally grew in the third quarter of this year, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.  —  The nation's gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate …

President Signs Law Giving Defense Department Authority To Exempt Photos From Freedom Of Information Act  —  ACLU Renews Call For Secretary Gates Not To Block Release Of Torture Photos  —  CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org  —  WASHINGTON - President Obama today signed into law …

Iran reply on nuclear deal ‘inadequate’  —  A Western diplomat says Tehran seeks to send its uranium abroad for enrichment in smaller batches and over a longer period of time than foreseen by the U.S.-backed proposal.  —  U.N. nuclear inspectors arrive in Vienna after a visit to a previously secret Iranian uranium enrichment site.

‘Audacity to Win’: Excerpt by Plouffe on Obama Campaign  —  In a new memoir, The Audacity to Win, David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama's 2008 race for the White House, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse inside the campaign.  Here's an excerpt:  —  Agony.  Ecstasy.