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 …

The C-SPAN Lie?  See Eight Clips of Obama Promising Televised Healthcare Negotiations  —  “One of my jobs as President will be to guide this process...”

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 …

Hoeven planning to run for the Senate  —  Republicans look like they've landed their top recruit in the North Dakota Senate race: Popular Gov. John Hoeven is letting his political allies know that he's preparing to run for the seat of retiring Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.)

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 …

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.

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.

DCCC Chief: ‘Couple More’ Retirements Possible — But No More Party Switchers  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: Despite a recent spike in retirements, top House Democrats say they're still confident that they'll avoid a “wave” of departures that would jeopardize their hold on Congress.

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 …

14 terror suspects mistakenly kill themselves  —  Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Fourteen suspected terrorists died Tuesday night when the bus they rigged with explosives blew up prematurely, police said.  —  The explosion occurred as the suspects were riding the bus in the province of Kunduz, said police chief Abdul Raziq Yaqobi.

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.

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 …

‘Frozen Gore’ sculpture returns in Fairbanks to fuel climate change debate  —  FAIRBANKS - In what might become an annual tradition, an ice sculpture of former Vice President Al Gore has taken its place in front of Thrifty Liquor along Airport Way.  —  The two-ton “Frozen Gore” sculpture isn't exactly a tribute.

The First Senator From the Tea Party?  —  Charlie Crist's perma-tanned face bears none of the strain you would expect from the archetype of the embattled Republican.  Politicians are supposed to keep up appearances, but Crist is especially convincing, one of the more earnest politicians you will see, whether or not he means it.

More Ex-Detainees Resort to Terror, Officials Say  —  Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) — As many as one in five former Guantanamo Bay detainees are suspected of or confirmed to have engaged in terrorist activity after their release, U.S. officials said, citing the latest government statistics.

Slow Start for Military Corps in Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — The military's effort to build a seasoned corps of expert officers for the Afghan war, one of the highest priorities of top commanders, is off to a slow start, with too few volunteers and a high-level warning to the armed services …