Chris Dodd to step aside  —  Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans.  —  Dodd's retirement comes after months …

Dems agree that House will take up, tweak Senate healthcare bill  —  House and Senate leaders have formally agreed to bypass a bicameral conference committee to merge two healthcare bills, and have opted to instead “ping-pong” the Senate bill over to the House and back again, according to House leadership aides.

Amateur hour is over  —  Enough is enough.  There was a time when the amateur hour that has characterized the behavior of the staff in the Obama White Hour over the past year could be chalked up to innocent inexperience.  Now that behavior is nothing short of dangerous and President Barack Obama …

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Military Blogger Michael Yon Detained, Handcuffed by TSA in Seattle Airport  —  Award winning war correspondent Michael Yon was detained and handcuffed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Yesterday by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel.

It's Pretty Bad ...  When the local lefty broadsheet goes on jihad against the Liberal Lion's annointed successor, Martha Coakley, in the midst of said Lion's legacy health-care fight, the day after a leading pollster shows her opposition to be within pistol-shot in the race.

Boy, now he's in real trouble; Obama administration revokes U.S. visa of accused Nigerian bomber  —  Under the category of looks-like-about-12-days-too- late, the State Department has announced it is revoking the U.S. visa for suspected Nigerian underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

CHART OF THE DAY: How The Government Payroll Replaced Goods-Producing Jobs  —  In the just-so story of the evolution of our economy, our old manufacturing based economy has been replaced by an innovative knowledge economy.  That's not quite true.  —  In fact, the decline of the jobs …

Worst RNC cash flow in a decade  —  A 2009 spending spree has left the Republican National Committee (RNC) with its worst election-year cash flow this decade.  —  A 2009 spending spree has left the Republican National Committee (RNC) with its worst election-year cash flow this decade.

Blumenthal to run for Dodd's Senate seat  —  AP-CT — Dodd Retirement-Blumenthal,0127  —  Eds: APNewsNow.  —  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he will seek to succeed fellow Democrat Christopher Dodd in the U.S. Senate.

Without a movement, progressives can't aid Obama's agenda  —  Every Democratic president since Lyndon Johnson — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — has raised the hope that he would bring with him a new era of progressive reform.  The legislative torrents of the New Deal and the Great Society …

Ed Schultz Asked To Run For Senate  —  A top ND Dem has asked MSNBC host Ed Schultz to return to his native state and run for Senate, Schultz said today.  —  In an interview on MSNBC, where he hosts a nightly program, Schultz said he got a call from state Rep. Merle Boucher (D), the House Min. Leader, asking him to consider a bid.

A Bad Time For The Empire  —  Lot of doom-saying out there about election year 2010.  I don't use the word “doom-saying” to mock the predictions—it probably will be bad year—as much as to mock the notion that we shouldn't have seen this coming.  For my money, Ezra got it right a few months back:

Blanche Lincoln Rips Nebraska Health Care Deal  —  LITTLE ROCK - U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln on Tuesday said a political deal that benefits Nebraska and may have clinched a lawmaker's support for health care legislation should be removed from the bill.  —  The Democratic senator from Arkansas …

Romney On Fox: Not Intimidated By Palin's Crowds; Obama Should Be More Like Clinton  —  Mitt and Ann Romney sat for an interview with Fox News that aired this morning (video after the jump).  Here are some nuggets of interesting material:  —  When asked if he's intimidated by the big crowds …

Deregulation Now  —  A New Year's resolution for failing state governments.  —  As we enter a new decade, the political mood of the country can be captured in one word: glum.  In particular, there is widespread recognition at the state level that conditions have reached near crisis proportions.

Obama Starts 2010 With 50% Approval  —  More than 8 in 10 Democrats but less than half of independents approve  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama begins his second year as president with 50% of Americans approving and 44% disapproving of his overall job performance.