EXCLUSIVE: Dems ‘Almost Certain’ to Bypass Conference  —  Now that both the House and Senate have passed health care reform bills, all Democrats have to do is work out a compromise between the two versions.  And it appears they're not about to let the Republicans gum up the works again.

Inside Obama's War on Terrorism  —  The evening before he was sworn into office, Barack Obama stepped out of Blair House, the government residence where he was staying across from the White House, and climbed into an armored limousine for the ride to a bipartisan dinner.

U.S. Intensifies Screening for Travelers From 14 Nations  —  WASHINGTON — Citizens of 14 nations, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, who are flying to the United States will be subjected indefinitely to the intense screening at airports worldwide that was imposed after the Christmas …

That 1937 Feeling  —  Here's what's coming in economic news: The next employment report could show the economy adding jobs for the first time in two years.  The next G.D.P. report is likely to show solid growth in late 2009.  There will be lots of bullish commentary …

BRIT HUME SAID WHAT?.... As regular readers know, I've made no mention of Tiger Woods on this blog.  I don't care about golf; I don't care about golfers' private lives; I don't care about any aspect of this “story” at any level.  —  But I was taken aback when I saw that Fox News' Brit Hume …

Photo-Smearing Obama  —  Glenn Reynolds finds a photo in the White House Flickr basket and publishes it to, er, point out how bad the White House's p.r. is, or how blind they are to perceptions of Obama or some such thing.  I tried to puzzle this one out and can just about see how an elusive photo …

Brown will not seek re-election  —  CONGRESSMAN TO RETIRE AFTER 5TH TERM IN OFFICE  —  Republican Congressman Henry Brown, who has served South Carolina in the U.S. House since 2001, will retire at the end of his term, sources tell The Palmetto Scoop.  —  Brown will announce his intention …

Americans' Role Seen in Uganda's Anti-Gay Push  —  KAMPALA, Uganda — Last March, three American evangelical Christians, whose teachings about “curing” homosexuals have been widely discredited in the United States, arrived here in Uganda's capital to give a series of talks.

Former Sen. Chafee to announce gubernatorial bid  —  (CNN) - Lincoln Chafee Monday will formally announce his bid for Rhode Island governor Monday.  —  The former Republican senator-turned-independent will officially jump into the race at an event in Warwick, where he once served as mayor.

Stimulus Funds Went to Nonexistent Zip Code Areas [Updated]  —  First it was phantom Congressional districts.  Now it's phantom zip codes.  —  Last month, we reported on federal stimulus money credited with creating jobs in nonexistent New Mexico Congressional districts.

Choudary compares British troops to Nazi stormtroopers as 200,000 sign Facebook bid to stop his Islamic extremist march  —  The hate preacher organising a march of Islamic extremists through the streets of Wootton Bassett sparked outrage today by comparing British troops fighting in Afghanistan to Nazi stormtroopers.

Romney will hit key primary states on book tour  —  ‘No Apology’ looks at nation's standing in world  —  While campaigning in Iowa, Mitt Romney met the Red Hat Divas of Hampton.  He will return to Iowa, where he was second in the presidential caucus, to promote his second book.

Barack Obama Poll Numbers and the Midterm Elections  —  Over at Pollster, President Barack Obama is starting the new year with a collective average job approval that is a net negative (48.1% disapprove to 48.0% approve).  If you filter out Rassmussen and internet polls, Obama climbes to 50.4% approval …

Peru's mountain people face fight for survival in a bitter winter  —  For alpaca farmer Ignacio Beneto Huamani and his young family, life in the Peruvian Andes, at almost 4,700m above sea level, has always been a struggle against the elements.  His village of Pichccahuasi, in Peru's Huancavelica region …

Lax Oversight Caused Crisis, Bernanke Says  —  ATLANTA — Regulatory failure, not low interest rates, was responsible for the housing bubble and subsequent financial crisis of the last decade, Ben S. Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, said in a speech on Sunday.