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.

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 …

Economy loses 85K jobs, unemployment rate steady  —  Employers cut more jobs than expected in December, unemployment rate holds at 10 percent  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy lost more jobs than expected in December while the unemployment rate held steady at 10 percent …

Palin rebuffs CPAC, Keene  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Pain is turning down an invitation to speak at one high-profile conservative gathering while accepting another.  —  Palin is declining an invitation to address the Conservative Political Action Conference next month because, a source said …

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.”

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.

Can we stop the hysteria about AQAP please?  —  Greetings everyone.  Allthingsct is officially back on deck for 2010.  —  Tonight's cynical Friday task is some myth busting in relation to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, especially since the Xmas Day plots have spawned a good deal …

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 …

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.

As Climategate Becomes Pressgate, Questions for the Media  —  Trillions of dollars are at stake in the man-made global warming debate.  The Climategate scandal - where leaked emails and computer programs involve dozens of prominent scientists worldwide - has almost everything …

Bubbles and the Banks  —  Health care reform is almost (knock on wood) a done deal.  Next up: fixing the financial system.  I'll be writing a lot about financial reform in the weeks ahead.  Let me begin by asking a basic question: What should reformers try to accomplish?

Former White House lawyer charged with attempting to kill wife in New Canaan  —  NEW CANAAN — A prominent attorney and former White House lawyer was charged with attempting to kill his wife Wednesday night.  —  John Michael Farren, 57, of New Canaan, was charged with attempted murder …

Failed Christmas bomb plot will likely alter Obama's agenda  —  Was Christmas Day 2009 the same kind of wake-up call for Barack Obama that Sept. 11, 2001, had been for George W. Bush?  —  The near-miss by a passenger plotting to blow up an American airliner as it flew into Detroit seems …

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.