Internal Memo To Top Dem Donors Warns Mass Senate Race Is “Very Tight,” “Urgent”  —  In a sign of serious worry about the increasingly tense battle for Ted Kennedy's seat, the Democratic National Committee and the Martha Coakley campaign have blasted a private memo to top national Dem donors …

Conan O'Brien Says He Won't Host ‘Tonight Show’ Following Leno  —  Conan O'Brien released a statement Tuesday saying that he no longer wants to host NBC's “Tonight Show” and intends to seek a way to end his contract with the network.  —  The host, who saw his brief run at host of “Tonight” …

Palin, Bachmann Tea Party sessions closed to press  —  It looks like the revolution will not be televised, after all.  —  At least not the Tea Party's revolution.  —  Word from Nashville on Monday was that the First National Tea Party Convention next month will be closed to the press …

Divorce Rates Higher in States with Gay Marriage Bans  —  Over the past decade or so, divorce has gradually become more uncommon in the United States.  Since 2003, however, the decline in divorce rates has been largely confined to states which have not passed a state constitutional ban on gay marriage.

McCain on claims of campaign's lax vetting of Palin: 'I wouldn't know.'  —  Buzz up!  —  An interview on “The Today Show” this morning became contentious when host Matt Lauer questioned Sen. John McCain about allegations in a new book that his campaign did little background research …

Ensign: Lay off Reid  —  Washington (CNN) - Sen. John Ensign, himself no stranger to controversy, is breaking with other Republicans to defend his fellow Nevada Sen. Harry Reid for describing President Obama as “light skinned” and “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”

After Withholding Endorsement, Specter To Support Key Obama DOJ Nominee  —  Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) says he's revisited his initial concerns over Obama Justice Department nominee Dawn Johnsen, and has decided to support her confirmation.  —  “After voting ‘pass’ (which means no position) …

Ford: I'm gearing up for Senate race  —  It's true: I am strongly considering running for the United States Senate.  —  I do so because our best as a nation has always come when we test our ideas and ourselves, and when we trust competition to refine the steel of our convictions and the truth of our arguments.

CNN Poll: Americans split on success of Obama presidency  —  Washington (CNN) - Americans are giving Barack Obama a split decision on his first year in office, according to a new national poll.  —  Forty-eight percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday …

Tax on Investment Income Is Weighed  —  Health-Bill Negotiators Consider Extending Medicare Levy as They Face Pressure to Ease Proposed Hit on Generous Insurance Plans  —  WASHINGTON — House and Senate negotiators are considering applying for the first time the Medicare payroll tax …

Field of (my) Screams!  —  What's a worse crime than trumping up evidence to stage an illegal war that kills tens of thousands, if not more than a million, and costs $2 trillion and counting?  —  Why not immediately admitting the taking of steroids in baseball, that's what!

Obama to address House GOP  —  President Barack Obama will address House Republicans next week at their annual retreat in Baltimore, deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton said Tuesday afternoon.  —  It's a show of bi-partisanship after a year rife with tumult in the relationship between …

Federal Reserve earned $45 billion in 2009  —  Wall Street firms aren't the only banks that had a banner year.  The Federal Reserve made record profits in 2009, as its unconventional efforts to prop up the economy created a windfall for the government.  —  The Fed will return about $45 billion …

Sources: Hickenlooper intends to enter guv's race  —  Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has told top Democrats he intends to run for governor, sources tell The Denver Post.  —  Hickenlooper has been meeting with key advisers since Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter last week unexpectedly announced he was dropping his re-election bid.

The Tel Aviv Cluster  —  Jews are a famously accomplished group.  They make up 0.2 percent of the world population, but 54 percent of the world chess champions, 27 percent of the Nobel physics laureates and 31 percent of the medicine laureates.  —  Jews make up 2 percent of the U.S. population …

U.S. Chamber warns of ‘double-dip’ recession because of Dem policies  —  U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue warned the U.S. faces a double-dip recession because of the taxes and regulations under consideration by the Democratic Congress and President Barack Obama.

The Real Harold Ford: Why I Support the White Woman Over the Black Dude  —  Harold Ford presents a formidable challenge to New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in the 2010 Democratic primary.  —  Why?  The former Tennessee congressman is a light-skinned African American with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.

Strange reunion  —  Why would a former Guantanamo Bay prison guard track down two of his former captives - two British men - and agree to fly to London to meet them?  —  “You look different without a cap.”  —  “You look different without the jump suits.”  —  With those words, an extraordinary reunion gets under way.