NEVADA U.S. SENATE POLL: Reid hits new low in poll  —  Rating is worst in R-J's surveys for 2010 election  —  More than half of Nevadans are unhappy with Sen. Harry Reid, according to a new poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  It's the worst “unfavorable” …

Scott Brown swearing-in would be stalled to pass health-care reform  —  It looks like the fix is in on national health-care reform - and it all may unfold on Beacon Hill.  —  At a business forum in Boston today, interim Sen. Paul Kirk predicted that Congress would pass a health-care reform bill this month.

Courts Roll Back Limits on Spending in Election Law  —  WASHINGTON — Even before a landmark Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance law expected within days, a series of other court decisions is reshaping the political battlefield by freeing corporations, unions and other interest groups …

Healthcare bill excise tax likely to survive, labor leader says  —  A union-opposed tax on high-cost health insurance will probably remain part of healthcare reform, a prominent labor leader said Friday.  —  Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) …

The Fall of Mexico … Those famous words came to mind when another man named Díaz offered me an equally concise observation about the realities of life in the country today: “In Mexico it is dangerous to speak the truth.  It is even dangerous to know the truth.”  —  His full name is Fernando Díaz Santana.

Obama Tries to Turn Focus to Jobs, if Other Events Allow  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama keeps trying to turn attention to “jobs, jobs, jobs,” as his chief of staff has put it.  But he is finding that it can be hard to focus on any one issue when so many demand attention, often unexpectedly.

A letter to the White House  —  Umar Abdulmutallab has been provided a lawyer and clammed up in connection with this efforts to take down Northwest Flight 253 as it approached Detroit on Christmas Day.  Yesterday Abdulmutallab was arraigned in federal court in Detroit.

G.O.P. Grief and Grieving  —  The attack on the Republican establishment by the tea party folks grabs the gaze like a really bad horror flick — some version of “Hee Haw” meets “28 Days Later.”  It's fascinating.  But it also raises a serious question: Are these the desperate thrashings …

What if it's Beck with a tax ‘accident’?  —  No one has been less forgiving than Glenn Beck when it comes to Democrats with tax problems.  Not just the well-known ones like Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner but also less serious ones such as Labor Secretary Hilda Solis …

White House Aides Said to Chafe at Slow Pace of Afghan Surge  —  WASHINGTON — Senior White House advisers are frustrated by what they say is the Pentagon's slow pace in deploying 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and its inability to live up to an initial promise to have all of the forces …

Palin's tea party raises eyebrows  —  Sarah Palin's plan to deliver the keynote address — for a fee — at next month's first-ever National Tea Party Convention is getting renewed attention in light of her rejection Thursday of an invitation to speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

Jean Biden Dead: Joe Biden's Mother Catherine Dies At 92  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Catherine “Jean” Biden died today in Wilmington, Delaware, surrounded by family, according to a statement released by the White House.  —  Born Catherine Eugenia Finnegan, the mother of Vice President Joe Biden was 92.