In U.S., Majority Favors Suspending Work on Healthcare Bill  —  Seven in 10 say Massachusetts election result reflects frustrations shared by Americans  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In the wake of Republican Scott Brown's victory in Tuesday's U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts, the majority of Americans …

Dem health care talks collapsing  —  Health care reform teetered on the brink of collapse Thursday as House and Senate leaders struggled to coalesce around a strategy to rescue the plan, in the face of growing pessimism among lawmakers that the president's top priority can survive.

Senate Dems Not Sure They Can Get Enough Votes to Reconfirm Bernanke  —  Amidst the voter anger at Wall Street and Washington, D.C., ABC News has learned that the Senate Democratic leadership isn't sure there are enough votes to re-confirm Ben Bernanke for another term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

A New Search for Consensus on Health Care Bill  —  WASHINGTON — Even as Speaker Nancy Pelosi affirmed her commitment to pass far-reaching health care legislation this year, members of Congress and health policy experts began Thursday to deal with the reality that a smaller bill would have a better chance.

So Is It Really Over?  —  Let me take a moment and explain where I think we are on the Health Care Reform front.  —  As I've argued, procedurally, with the senate Dems reduced to 59 votes, there's no way to get a better or revised bill through the senate.  (Frankly, it's not clear to me that there are still 59 votes.)

Will the Base Abandon Hope?  —  Imagine for a moment that you're a liberal.  Oh, I know, that won't be a stretch for some of you.  Over the years, you've developed a pretty thick skin, since while you've won an election now and then, you haven't had too many policy victories since ... well, since forever.

Justice Stevens Stumbles: A Step To Retirement?  —  Justice John Paul Stevens has left some clues he's planning to retire this year, shortly after he turns 90 years old.  He's only hired one law clerk for next term, for example, and not the four that sitting justices typically hire every year.

Senator John Thune: Obama seeks to spark ‘class warfare’ with populist rhetoric  —  A prominent Republican senator said Thursday that President Obama is seeking to spark “class warfare” with increasingly populist rhetoric and a series of regulatory measures aimed at Wall Street.

Obama's ‘Volcker Rule’ shifts power away from Geithner  —  For much of last year, Paul Volcker wandered the country arguing for tougher restraints on big banks while the Obama administration pursued a more moderate regulatory agenda driven by Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner.

Will Ben Bernanke Become the First Casualty of the Brown Election?  —  Dead man sitting?  Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke (photo: talkradionews)  —  No, health care was the first casualty.  But Roll Call has an incredible article up, reporting from the Senate that Ben Bernanke's nomination …