Coakley Takes Slap Shot At Fenway Fans  —  The Massachusetts special election continues to amaze.  Democratic candidate Martha Coakley has taken a swipe at Fenway Park fans: … Well yes, politicians go out to meet the voters even if it means standing out in the cold.

Reid, Lieberman clash over letter  —  For the second time in a week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) finds himself at the center of a political imbroglio stemming from something that he said in private that was subsequently broadcast to the outside world by unnamed sources.

Obama's Bank Tax Seeks $90 Billion to Repay Bailout  —  WASHINGTON—President Obama plans to call on Thursday for taxing about 50 big banks and major financial institutions for at least the next decade to recoup all taxpayer losses from the bailout of Wall Street.

Palin, Beck rail against ‘system’  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin portrayed herself as a reluctant warrior for freedom on Tuesday during an hour-long interview with Fox News host Glenn Beck.  —  Despite having just signed a multi-year deal with Fox that will require her to spend time in New York …

The Never-Ending Horror of Pat Robertson  —  Last night, as I was updating my Facebook status, I briefly considered a post wondering how long it would take before Pat Robertson made some monstrous insinuation about the earthquake in Haiti being God's will.  I remember thinking, No …

Majority Would Vote Against Obama  —  A year into his tenure, a majority of Americans would already vote against Pres. Obama if the '12 elections were held today, according to a new survey.  —  The Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll shows 50% say they would probably or definitely vote for someone else.

Sex sting in Poconos nets former chief U.N. weapons inspector … A former chief United Nations weapons inspector is accused of contacting what he thought was a 15-year-old girl in an Internet chat room, engaging in a sexual conversation and showing himself masturbating on a Web camera.

Gingrich says he's a potential 2012 contender  —  (CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he's among a handful of Republican candidates who are thinking about running for president in 2012.  —  “I think I'm probably on a list of seven or eight possible candidates at this stage,” …

Amid Untold Dead, Haiti's Devastation Hobbles Efforts to Reach Survivors  —  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Foreign aid trickled into Haiti's devastated capital on Thursday morning as the victims of Tuesday's earthquake, many of them injured and homeless, began to wake from another night spent in makeshift accommodations or out in the open.

Harold Ford's Manhattan makeover  —  The success of Harold Ford's prospective run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand would seem to rest largely on a curious strategy - convincing New Yorkers that he didn't really believe in most of the centrist positions that made him a Tennessee political wunderkind.

Jobless Claims, Retail Sales Show Economy Still Weak  —  The number of newly laid-off workers requesting unemployment benefits rose last week as jobs remain scarce amid a sluggish economic recovery, while holiday retail sales were weaker than expected as well.

Nelson tries to repair damage at home  —  Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson and his wife were leaving dinner at a new pizza joint near their home in Omaha one night last week when a patron began complaining about Nelson's decisive vote in favor of the Senate's health care bill.  —  Other customers started booing.

EXCLUSIVE: Obama wins more cuts in spending than Bush  —  Congress accepts 60% of proposals  —  President Obama notched substantial successes in spending cuts last year, winning 60 percent of his proposed cuts and managing to get Congress to ax several programs that had bedeviled President George W. Bush for years.

A new day is coming: restore faith and balance  —  I DIDN'T grow up with all the advantages in life.  My mom was on welfare for a time, but I had the support of a loving family and good friends and neighbors.  I don't have all the advantages in this race either, and that's fine by me.

Mistakes a High School Newspaper Wouldn't Make  —  The New York Times—described by a reader earlier today as “the junk-bond issuing, Mexican-controlled New York Times”—continues to decline.  The paper's grasp of history is illustrated by these corrections, just a few days apart.

Google China cyberattack part of vast espionage campaign, experts say  —  Computer attacks on Google that the search giant said originated in China were part of a concerted political and corporate espionage effort that exploited security flaws in e-mail attachments to sneak into the networks …