Deficit to Hit All-Time High  —  Obama's $3.8 Trillion Budget Forecasts a $1.6 Trillion Shortfall for 2010 Before It Drops  —  WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will propose on Monday a $3.8 trillion budget for fiscal 2011 that projects the deficit will shoot up to a record $1.6 trillion this year …

‘Iran will deliver telling blow to global powers on Feb. 11’  —  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the nation will deliver a harsh blow to the “global arrogance” on this year's anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.  —  “The Islamic Revolution opened a window to liberty for the human race …

Obama to Seek Sweeping Change in ‘No Child’ Law  —  The Obama administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of President Bush's signature education law, No Child Left Behind, and will call for broad changes in how schools are judged to be succeeding or failing, as well as for the elimination …

The Obama Spell Is Broken  —  Unlike this president, John Kennedy was an ironist who never fell for his own mystique.  —  The curtain has come down on what can best be described as a brief un-American moment in our history.  That moment began in the fall of 2008, with the great financial panic …

Forces Pushing Obama on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama and top Pentagon officials met repeatedly over the past year about repealing “don't ask, don't tell,” the law that bans openly gay members of the military.  —  But it was in Oval Office strategy sessions …

Election 2010: Florida Republican Primary for Senate  —  Florida GOP Senate: Rubio 49%, Crist 37%  —  Former state House Speaker Marco Rubio has now jumped to a 12-point lead over Governor Charlie Crist in Florida's Republican Primary race for the U.S. Senate.

PUTTING THE PENTAGON BUDGET ON THE TABLE?.... When the White House started talking up the notion of a spending freeze (which isn't really a spending freeze) last week, officials outlined a proposal with modest reductions in discretionary spending not related to national security.

Media Notes: Jon Stewart's Obama barbs on ‘The Daily Show’ are creating buzz  —  Days before the 2008 election, Jon Stewart jokingly asked Barack Obama whether his “white half” would have trouble making a decision in the voting booth.  —  “Yeah,” the candidate said, “I've been going through therapy to make sure that I vote properly.”

Ponzi on the Potomac  —  The U.S. attorney general recently announced that the Justice Department is beefing up its efforts to fight financial fraud such as Ponzi schemes.  Good.  The agency should start by reviewing the spending habits of the federal government, which is running the largest Ponzi scheme our country has ever seen.

Editorial Shake-Up as Harper's Tries to Stabilize in a Downturn  —  Just before noon last Wednesday, John R. MacArthur, the president, publisher and chief benefactor of Harper's Magazine, joined his editorial staff after its monthly meeting.  —  “We are going through a crisis,” Mr. MacArthur …

Pelosi's Children and Grandchildren Used Military Jets As Private Cross-Country Shuttle Service So They Could Avoid Dealing With the Rabble … Is it a legitimate use of military jets to transport the Speaker of the House and her favored Congressional coterie for routine travel?

Democrats squabble over jobs bill  —  Democrats from the president on down say jobs are their No. 1 priority, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expects to announce details of a bill this week.  But a squabble among Senate Democrats is complicating early efforts to bring a bill to the floor.

Sarah Palin endorses  —  National political icon and conservative leader Sarah Palin has endorsed Dr. Rand Paul in his bid for United States Senate from Kentucky.  The Paul campaign has received a generous donation from Governor Palin's PAC.  —  Sarah Palin has clearly seen that Rand Paul supports smaller …

New media help conservatives get their anti-Obama message out  —  In November, the morning after Election Day, a conservative blogger in Georgia blasted an e-mail to 65,000 people.  —  Erick Erickson's 5 a.m. “Morning Briefing” seemed counterintuitive — the election of a Democrat …

Colorado Springs cuts into services considered basic by many  —  COLORADO SPRINGS — This tax-averse city is about to learn what it looks and feels like when budget cuts slash services most Americans consider part of the urban fabric.  —  More than a third of the streetlights in Colorado Springs will go dark Monday.

Free James O'Keefe  —  In case you wonder what the future is for justice and law enforcement and media control in this country, take a look at two cases.  —  During the last Presidential election, a gang of men calling themselves Black Panthers showed up at a polling place in Michigan.

Sex Ed in Washington  —  Liberals hated almost everything about George W. Bush's presidency, but they harbored a particular animus toward a minor domestic policy priority: abstinence-based sex education.  The abstinence effort accounted for about a hundred million dollars in a trillion-dollar budget …

Good and Boring  —  In times of crisis, good news is no news.  Iceland's meltdown made headlines; the remarkable stability of Canada's banks, not so much.  —  Yet as the world's attention shifts from financial rescue to financial reform, the quiet success stories deserve at least as much attention as the spectacular failures.

U.S. Attorney Reviews Call for Probe of SEIU Activities with White House, Congress  —  (CNSNews.com) - Federal prosecutors are reviewing a request for an investigation into whether Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), violated the Lobbying Disclosure Act …

Dem. senators spent weekend with bank, energy, tobacco lobbyists  —  Twelve Democratic Senators spent last weekend in Miami Beach raising money from top lobbyists for oil, drug, and other corporate interests that they often decry, according to a guest list for the event obtained by POLITICO.

Financial executives spent big on Brown  —  May be precursor to midterm elections; Obama's proposed regulations key issue  —  In a six-day span just before the US Senate election, Republican Scott Brown collected nearly $450,000 from donors who work at financial companies …