Is the Senate majority now in play?  —  The victories in Illinois by Rep. Mark Kirk (R) and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) coupled with former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats' (R) decision to challenge Evan Bayh (D) in the fall is likely to stir chatter about the possibility that Republicans …

D-Day at CBS News  —  On the evening of Monday, Feb. 1, Katie Couric, anchor of the CBS Evening News, was wearing red.  For the next half-hour, she tore through the headlines.  There were allegations of bigotry among the federal air marshals in the U.S., an American church group accused …

Powell Favors Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'  —  Gen. Colin L. Powell, who as the nation's top military officer in the 1990s opposed allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, switched gears today and threw his support behind efforts to end the “don't ask, don't tell” law he helped shepherd in.

Obama: If Democrats don't pass health-care reform, 'I don't know what differentiates us from the other guys'  —  Today's televised session between Barack Obama and the Senate Democrats wasn't encouraging to those of us hoping the Democrats are spending their time worrying about how to pass the health care bill.

Eric Holder Joins Administration Pushback On Abdulmutallab.  —  Attorney General Eric Holder has just sent a letter responding to the concerns of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been critical of the administration's handling of the alleged underwear bomber, Umar Abulmutallab.

Republicans find loophole in budget ploy to push healthcare  —  As it turns out, Senate Democrats may not be able to force healthcare legislation through the chamber on a simple majority vote.  —  Republicans say they have found a loophole in the budget reconciliation process that could allow …

Countdown begins for end of Keith Olbermann's ‘Countdown’?  —  Remember Keith Olbermann?  —  He was the one-time must-see anti-Bush ranter who helped rescue MSNBC (yes, it's still on at night) from even worse oblivion years ago.  —  Well, quietly last month while no one was looking …

Obama Acts to Engage G.O.P., Testing Party's Intentions  —  WASHINGTON — Emboldened by the response to President Obama's face-off with House Republicans last week, the White House is intensifying its push to engage Congressional Republicans in policy negotiations as a way to share the burden …

The Case Against Gays in the Military  —  Open homosexuality would threaten unit cohesion and military effectiveness.  —  As expected, President Obama pledged during his State of the Union address to “work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans …

Brown wants to be sworn in right away  —  Sen.-elect Scott Brown is demanding to be seated as early as Thursday — a week earlier than he had initially planned.  —  Brown, who won his special election Jan. 19, sent a letter Wednesday afternoon to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Secretary …

Senators Warned of Terrorist Attack on U.S. by July  —  WASHINGTON — The threat of a crippling attack on computer and telecommunications networks is growing, America's top intelligence official told lawmakers on Tuesday, as an increasingly sophisticated group of enemies has “severely threatened” …

Why I'm speaking at Tea Party convention  —  Later this week I'll head to Nashville, where I'll have the honor of speaking with members of the Tea Party movement.  I look forward to meeting many Americans who share a commitment to limited government, common sense and personal responsibility.

Rush Limbaugh: 'I love the women's movement — especially when walking behind it.'  —  Last week, hate radio host Rush Limbaugh judged the Miss America pageant.  Today he went on Fox and Friends and spoke to host — and former Miss America winner — Gretchen Carlson to respond to the criticism he has been receiving.

Warning sign in Illinois  —  I think last night's Illinois primary results indicate some difficulties ahead in the state for Democrats that have nothing to do with who the winners and losers were.  —  Based on the current numbers 885,268 voters were cast in the Democratic primary for Senate compared to 736,137 on the Republican side.

Obama calls Quinn to congratulate him on governor's contest  —  Posted by Monique Garcia, Rick Pearson, Ray Long and Christi Parsons at 5 a.m.; last updated at 1:11 p.m.  —  President Barack Obama called Gov. Pat Quinn to congratulate him on his win in the Democratic primary …

James O'Keefe's race problem  —  A photo of the righty stuntman at a white-nationalist confab illustrates a career marked by racial resentment  —  Many of the conservatives who gleefully promoted James O'Keefe's past political stunts are feigning shock at his arrest on charges …

U.S. May Lose 824,000 Jobs as Employment Data Revised: Analysis  —  Feb. 3 (Bloomberg Multimedia) — The U.S. may lose 824,000 jobs when the government releases its annual revision to employment data on Feb. 5, showing the labor market was in worse shape during the recession than known at the time.

Left, right want Obama ‘question time’  —  A politically diverse group of bloggers, commentators, techies and politicos on Wednesday will launch an online campaign, Demand Question Time, urging President Barack Obama and GOP congressional leaders to hold regular, televised conversations …

Conservative Blogger Faces Criticism Over Protege … text sizeAAA  —  The conservative online news entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart is, for the moment, doing little to dispel stereotypes about bloggers.  During a recent visit to his home on the west side of Los Angeles, Breitbart, 41, is working from his own basement.

Poll Shows That Passing the Bill Improves Democrats' Popularity  —  I wouldn't put a ton of stock in the Public Policy Polling survey indicating that people would become slightly more inclined to vote Democratic in the midterm if health care passes, but it certainly counts as some evidence on the “pass the damn bill” side of the ledger.

Cross found at Air Force Academy's Wicca center  —  The opening of the worship area at the Colorado Springs academy had been hailed as a step for religious tolerance.  —  Reporting from Denver - The Air Force Academy, stung several years ago by accusations of Christian bias …

Feds: Phony U.S. Marshal made it into S.D. airport with ‘prisoner’  —  “We are working with law enforcement and other departments to make sure this does not happen again,” Trevino said.  —  bookmark  —  text size  —  Gregory R. Denny  —  A Hemet man who passed himself off as a U.S. Marshal …

Rep. Paul Ryan: ‘Rationing happens today!  The question is who will do it?’  —  Rep. Paul Ryan is the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee.  His budget proposal, 'A Roadmap for America's Future,' was scored (pdf) by the Congressional Budget Office as erasing the long-term deficit entirely.

The Tea Party Last Time  —  MORE than 100,000 angry citizens united in the nation's capital to take their country back: back from the tax collector and the political and financial elites, back from bureaucrats and backroom wheelers and dealers and, more elusively and alarmingly, back from those who, well, were not like them.

Traitors to the Cause — By: Mark Steyn  —  Twenty-four hours ago, I wrote here that the Warmergate scandal is also a media scandal.  Chris Wood, of something called “the Canadian Journalism Project,” agrees: … But, in his case, the journalistic scandal is that I and a tiny proportion …