IN Dem Misses The Deadline  —  Restaurant owner Tamyra d'Ippolito (D) has enough signatures to make the ballot in the race to replace Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), she told Hotline OnCall in a brief interview, but an official in a key district says she has failed to reach the threshold.

Secret Joint Raid Captures Taliban's Top Commander  —  WASHINGTON — The Taliban's top military commander was captured several days ago in Karachi, Pakistan, in a secret joint operation by Pakistani and American intelligence forces, according to American government officials.

Tea Party Lights Fuse for Rebellion on Right  —  SANDPOINT, Idaho — Pam Stout has not always lived in fear of her government.  She remembers her years working in federal housing programs, watching government lift struggling families with job training and education.

Excise Tax Loses Support Amid White House Push  —  WASHINGTON — An agreement to tax high-cost, employer-sponsored health insurance plans, announced with fanfare by the White House and labor unions last month, is losing support from labor leaders, who say the proposal is too high a price …

Does Dick Cheney Want to Be Prosecuted?  —  After he was indicted for the murder of Alexander Hamilton, vice president Aaron Burr fled to South Carolina, to hide out with his daughter.  Another vice president, Spiro Agnew, kept completely silent before pleading nolo contendere on corruption charges.

Most Americans think Congress should start over on healthcare reform, poll says  —  In a brutal assessment of the Democratically authored healthcare reform bills pending in Congress and the party's approach to healthcare, more than half of the respondents to a new Zogby International-University …

What's the Deal?  —  One of the most intriguing news stories of the past week is the murder of Hamas terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.  The team that carried out the assassination allegedly included eleven members, ten men and a woman.  They were evidently traveling on fake passports …

Sens. seek Obama boost on campaign trail  —  GOP hopes to see him on stump  —  President Obama kicks off what might be called his “Save the Senate” tour this week, heading west to campaign for two embattled Democrats trailing badly against Republican challengers - including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

Oh, Canada for HRC if Pres. Palin?  —  From NBC's Courtney KubeSecretary of State Hillary Clinton could not escape U.S. politics during her trip to Saudi Arabia.  Early this morning during a town hall meeting with students at Dar Al Hekma College, a student asked Clinton if she thinks Sarah Palin …

47% Blame Global Warming on Planetary Trends  —  Questions continue to mount over the science behind years of studies that say humans are chiefly to blame for global warming.  But reflecting a trend that has been going on for more than a year, just 35% of U.S. voters now believe global warming is caused primarily by human activity.

Obama to announce loan help for U.S. nuclear power  —  * Two nuclear reactors could be in service in 2016, 2017  —  * Obama asks Congress to triple nuclear loan guarantee fund  —  The Obama administration, advancing nuclear power use to help cut greenhouse gas emissions …

Milbank writing Beck book: ‘Tears of a Clown’  —  Dana Milbank recently wrote how a Fox News star has really “captured the moment,” before posing the question: “Is Glenn Beck America?”  —  Milbank, who only had about 750 words to tackle that question in his Washington Post column …

Lake Erie Frozen over; First Time in 14 Years  —  Following a cold snap in the Northeast, Lake Erie's surface is virtually frozen over for the first time in about 14 years.  —  The ice ranges in thickness between paper thin along the northern shore and several inches along the southern shore, where many people are ice skating.

Romney Assaulted on Flight Leaving Olympics  —  A passenger became “physically violent” when the former Massachusetts governor asked him to move his seat upright for take-off.