In Massachusetts, Anxiety for Favored Democrats  —  BOSTON — Martha M. Coakley, the Democrat running for Senator Edward M. Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts, had seemed so certain of winning the special election on Jan. 19 that she barely campaigned last month.  —  But the dynamic has changed in recent days.

U.S. Job Losses in December Dim Hopes for Quick Upswing  —  The United States economy lost more jobs than expected in December, tempering hopes for a swift and sustained recovery from the Great Recession.  —  The Labor Department said on Friday that the economy shed another 85,000 jobs last month …

Shock: Obama Forced to ‘Order’ Follow-Ups of Terrorist Tips  —  President Pledges ‘Accountability’ But No One Fired for Systemic Intel Failures  —  In a revealing admission, President Barack Obama said today he was directing U.S. intelligence agencies to begin to do something many had assumed …

Janet Napolitano Says She's Most Surprised By “Al-Qaeda's Determination” (Video)  —  Janet Napolitano told reporters today that she was most surprised by Al-Qaeda's determination.  —  Where has she been for the last 9 years?  —  They're terrorists, Janet.  It's what they do.

Why Heads Should Roll  —  How courageous is Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, the father of terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab?  If, as it is argued, the Islamic world sees the War on Terror as a War on Islam, it must have been quite intimidating to walk into the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.

Palin aide warned of ‘epic debacle’  —  Sarah Palin's charming opening debate line for now-Vice President Joe Biden — “Hey, can I call you Joe?”  — was scripted after she repeatedly referred to him as “O'Biden” in preparation sessions, former McCain campaign senior adviser Steve Schmidt told “60 Minutes.”

Steele comments have GOP aides pleading, ‘Get him to stop’  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele, under fire this week for a string of controversial statements he has made while promoting his new book, has so angered the party's congressional leaders that their aides …

Walk Away From Your Mortgage!  —  John Courson, president and C.E.O. of the Mortgage Bankers Association, recently told The Wall Street Journal that homeowners who default on their mortgages should think about the “message” they will send to “their family and their kids and their friends.”

New Jersey Senate Defeats Gay Marriage Bill  —  TRENTON — The State Senate on Thursday rejected a proposal that would have made New Jersey the sixth state in the nation to allow marriages involving same-sex couples.  The vote was the latest in a succession of setbacks for advocates of gay marriage across the country.

CBO estimates $390 billion budget deficit for first quarter of FY 2010  —  The Congressional Budget Office late Thursday released a report estimating that the federal budget deficit was $390 billion for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010.  —  During the same quarter in 2009 …

Iran State TV Suggests Neda's Iconic Death Was ‘Faked’  —  Iranian state television has made a documentary about the death of Neda Agha Soltan, a young Iranian woman who was shot dead during the June postelection protests in Tehran, suggesting she was an agent of the United States and Britain who staged her own death.

Giuliani says Obama ‘turned the corner’ on terror  —  Rudy Giuliani had some rare words of praise for President Obama today, saying the commander in chief had “turned the corner” in efforts to fight terrorism,.  —  In an appearance on Good Morning America, Giuliani praised Obama for stating …

More Americans Went Uninsured in 2009 Than in 2008  —  Increase in number without health insurance spans across demographic groups  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — While President Obama works with House and Senate leaders to hammer out a final healthcare bill before the State of the Union address …

Potential Ford Senate Bid Sets Off Scramble  —  The New York political world reacted swiftly and strongly to the possibility of Harold Ford Jr.'s candidacy for the United States Senate, with top Senate leaders trying to squash the bid and close advisers to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg meeting …

Obama pivots to jobs as key theme  —  President Barack Obama on Friday is making his promised hard pivot to jobs, following up the morning's release of December unemployment figures with an East Room announcement at 2:40 p.m. ET about stimulus dollars going to clean-tech jobs.