Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani expected to announce Tuesday he will not run for U.S. Senate  —  So long, Rudy.  —  Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is expected to announce Tuesday he is not running for U.S. Senate or anything else in 2010, effectively ending his storied - and often stormy - electoral career, The Daily News has learned.

MSNBC Libtalker: ‘Morning Joe’ Team Takes Direction From WH  —  STATE CONTROL?  —  Schultz: WH Contacts Team ‘Joe’ Directly During Program!  —  For anyone wondering why an increasing number of conservatives now use the term “state-controlled media” (which originated with Rush Limbaugh) …

Jane Hamsher's 10 reasons to kill the bill  —  I've gotten a lot of requests to respond to Jane Hamsher's list of 10 reasons to kill the Senate bill.  At this point, I'm not sure there's much in the way of productive dialogue to be had here.  Some of the list is purposefully misleading …

The Protocol Society  —  In the 19th and 20th centuries we made stuff: corn and steel and trucks.  Now, we make protocols: sets of instructions.  A software program is a protocol for organizing information.  A new drug is a protocol for organizing chemicals.  Wal-Mart produces protocols for moving and marketing consumer goods.

Exclusive: ACORN Qualifies for Funding in Senate Health Care Bill  —  Senator Roland Burris is claiming credit for a provision in Harry Reid's “manager's amendment,” unveiled Saturday morning, that could funnel money to ACORN through the health care bill.  —  On December 9, Burris …

States' jobless funds are being drained in recession  —  The recession's jobless toll is draining unemployment-compensation funds so fast that according to federal projections, 40 state programs will go broke within two years and need $90 billion in loans to keep issuing the benefit checks.

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-RNC chiefs rip Steele speaking fees  —  Party chairman charging $8,000 to $20,000  —  Michael S. Steele, Republican National Committee chairman, is using his title to market himself for paid appearances nationwide, personally profiting from speeches with fees of up to $20,000 at colleges …

U.S. Voters Oppose Health Care Plan By Wide Margin, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Voters Say 3-1, Plan Should Not Pay For Abortions  —  As the Senate prepares to vote on health care reform, American voters “mostly disapprove” of the plan 53 - 36 percent and disapprove 56 …

Why I Left the Right, Exhibit P for Pawlenty  —  Newsweek has an interview with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, the very model of a modern GOP candidate, considered by many as a possible front runner for the Presidency in 2012: Anti-science and anti-gay. … Is this a kind of “moderate” creationism?

Democrats Face Challenge in Merging Health Bills  —  WASHINGTON — Even as the Senate took a significant step toward passing its version of a sweeping overhaul of the health insurance system before Christmas, Democrats were grappling Monday with deep internal divisions over abortion …

Mexico City backs gay marriage  —  Lawmakers in Mexico City have become the first in Latin America to legalise gay marriage.  —  City legislators passed the bill 39-20, with five abstentions.  The city's mayor is now widely expected to sign the bill into law.

Obama signs Franken's anti-rape amendment into law.  —  The White House Press Office sent out a statement today announcing that President Obama signed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 into law on Saturday: … Within the Appropriations Act is Sen. Al Franken's (D-MN) …

TV show exposes China's race issue  —  Shanghai, China (CNN) — It all started with the lure of the glitz, the glamour and the dream of being China's next pop star.  But, as with many reality shows, Lou Jing's instant fame came with unanticipated consequences.

Trial tarnishes Whitman's CEO glow  —  Meg Whitman's successful leadership as CEO of eBay is the central pitch in her bid to become California's Republican nominee for governor, but a legal spat between her former company and Craigslist, the groundbreaking online classified-ad company …

A Bill Well Worth Passing  —  The health care reform bill that Senate Democratic leaders have cobbled together to win support from all 60 members of their fractious caucus — the filibuster-proof majority needed to ensure passage — has drawn scornful attacks from a united Republican opposition.

CRIME RATES FALL  —  In the First Half of 2009  —  For the third year in a row, our Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report shows that violent crime, property crime, and arson have decreased.  The latest report compares January-June 2009 figures with the same time period in 2008.

We Are No Longer a Nation of Laws.  Senate Sets Up Requirement for Super-Majority to Ever Repeal Obamacare  —  If ever the people of the United States rise up and fight over passage of Obamacare, Harry Reid must be remembered as the man who sacrificed the dignity of his office for a few pieces of silver.

Copenhagen: well that made us think, didn't it?  —  Agreement was always going to be almost impossible.  But it wasn't a waste of time: it gave us a crash course eco-education  —  My Copenhagen reverie stopped the moment that I heard a man with an Australian accent casting his vote …

Listicle of the Day: Worst Washington Post Columnists of the Zeroes  —  It's beginning to feel a lot like listicle time: … I want to keep the explication to a minimum, but this is an award for the aggregate badness of one's Washington Post columns, not a holistic judgment of the character …

McCain: Ted Kennedy Would Have Been Disappointed Because Health Care Bill Isn't Bipartisan  —  Now that Senate Dems have voted for cloture on the health care bill, passing the major hurdle on the road to making reform a reality, Republicans have already rolled out their response …

Former speaker gets pricey perks  —  U.S. taxpayers are spending more than $40,000 per month on office space, staff, cell phones and a leased SUV for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, even as he works as a lobbyist for private corporations and foreign governments.

Obama's Engagement Fallout: Lebanon Surrenders  —  This past weekend, one of the genuine triumphs of American foreign policy in the past decade was officially reversed.  When Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Harriri went to Damascus to pay tribute to his country's Syrian overlord, the 2005 Cedar Revolution was buried.

Lieberman: Obama Never Pressed Me On Public Option  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) insists that the White House did not pressure him to get in line behind either a public health insurance option or a Medicare buy-in compromise during the health care debate this year.