Official Says Terrorism Suspect Is Cooperating  —  WASHINGTON — Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a jetliner bound for Detroit on Dec. 25, started talking to investigators after two of his family members arrived in the United States and helped earn his cooperation …

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.

Quinn declares victory but Hynes won't concede in Democratic governor's race  —  Posted by Rick Pearson, David Heinzmann, Monique Garcia, Michelle Manchir and Jared Hopkins at 6:53 p.m.; last updated at 12:35 a.m.  —  The races for governor went down to the wire tonight with razor-thin margins separating …

Obama responds to Reid about Las Vegas remarks  —  President Barack Obama on Tuesday responded to criticism from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) regarding comments he made that Reid deemed derisive of Las Vegas.  —  In a letter to addressed “Dear Harry,” Obama said he …

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 …

Giannoulias declares victory in Democratic Senate race  —  Says Kirk's days in Washington are over  —  State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias beat back a strong challenge from former City Inspector General David Hoffman for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate from Illinois — the former seat of President Obama.

Our licence fees pay for climate denial  —  The BBC spouts rightwing bias while ignoring environmental science.  So why not give other conspiracies a platform too?  —  After watching last night's Newsnight, I can only come to one conclusion: the BBC has become this country's …

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.

Former Sen. Coats to Challenge Sen. Bayh  —  INDIANAPOLIS - Informed and reliable sources are telling Howey Politics Indiana that former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats will announce Wednesday he will challenge U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh.  —  The source, former aide Curt Smith of the Indiana Family Institute …

No Help in Sight, More Homeowners Walk Away  —  In 2006, Benjamin Koellmann bought a condominium in Miami Beach.  By his calculation, it will be about the year 2025 before he can sell his modest home for what he paid.  Or maybe 2040.  —  “People like me are beginning to feel like suckers,” Mr. Koellmann said.

White House Gets Reuters To Pull Budget Story  —  Obama administration aides appealed to the Reuters White House reporting team to kill a story by another reporter of the news service that suggested the president's new budget blueprint included “backdoor” tax hikes.

AIG plans to pay $100 million in another round of bonuses  —  American International Group plans Wednesday to pay another round of employee bonuses, worth about $100 million, said several people familiar with the matter, a year after similar payments at the bailed-out insurance giant infuriated many Americans and inflamed Washington.

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 …

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 …

Exclusive: The Jenny Sanford Interview  —  S.C. First Lady Tells Barbara Walters: ‘I Thought He Loved Me in His Own Way, Which Is Not a Warm, Bubbly Way’  —  South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford recalls how she made the “leap of faith” to marry husband Gov. Mark Sanford even though …

Climategate Update 1: The China Syndrome*  —  Climategate just gets more interesting all the time doesn't it?  The Guardian is reporting that the Climatic Research Unit (the U.K. research group at the center of the Climategate affair) has somehow lost critical temperature data again …

McCain appears to shift on 'don't ask, don't tell'  —  Three years ago, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was pretty clear about his stand on the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy.  —  A former war hero, McCain said he would support ending the ban once the military's top brass told him that they agreed with the change.

Stumping for Jobs Plan, Obama Pushes Health Bill  —  NASHUA, N.H. — President Obama hit the road again Tuesday to promote the new job-creation program he described as his No. 1 priority, but he refused to abandon his embattled health care legislation, vowing to “punch it through” resistance in Congress.