Bunning Accepts Deal Allowing Benefits Bill to Advance  —  Under increasing pressure from Democrats and members of his own party, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) Tuesday night abandoned his one-man filibuster of a one-month extension to unemployment benefits and other programs.

Rangel on the brink  —  Charlie Rangel emerged from a closed-door meeting in Nancy Pelosi's office Tuesday night to declare that he's still the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and hasn't agreed to give up his gavel - even as some media outlets were reporting that he'd done just that.

Romney Tells Letterman: Palin “Has a Rifle, You Know”  —  Posted by Brian Montopoli 5 comments - Share - - - Share - E-mail - Print - Font Likely 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appeared on CBS's “Late Show with David Letterman” Tuesday as part of his tour to promote his new book …

Rick Perry, Bill White win Texas primaries for governor  —  Gov. Rick Perry cruised to a victory tonight in a three-way Republican primary fight, crushing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and setting the stage for a run for a third full term this fall.  —  Hutchison conceded the race …

President Obama to Say Democrats Will Use Reconciliation to Pass Senate Health Care Reform Fix, If Not Given Up or Down Vote  —  White House officials tell ABC News that in his remarks tomorrow President Obama will indicate a willingness to work with Republicans on some issue …

Liz Cheney group accused of McCarthyism  —  My colleague Ben Smith has word this morning of a video from the Liz Cheney-backed group Keep America Safe questioning the loyalty of Justice Department attorneys who previously represented Guantanamo detainees.  —  The video provocatively calls …

AR-Sen: Public Option Proves Enduring Democratic Campaign Issue  —  Bill Halter's support for the public option symbolizes a thread of liberal politics that will last well beyond this current Congress, regardless of what happens with health care.  The public option now becomes a litmus test …

Mortimer Zuckerman announces he will not run for the Senate  —  Daily News publisher Mortimer Zuckerman has announced he will not run for the Senate  —  The field in the battle for a New York Senate seat became a little clearer Tuesday when Mortimer B. Zuckerman announced he would not join the race.

Coffee Party Parasites  —  The New York Times and Washington Post are promoting a group called the “Coffee Party” organized by filmmaker Annabel Park.  —  The Coffee Party is a political parasite which presents itself as something it is not.  As reported in the NY Times [see update below] …

Justices signal they're ready to make gun ownership a national right  —  A high court majority reviewing a handgun ban in Chicago indicates that it sees the right to ‘bear arms’ as national in scope, and can be used to strike down some state and local gun regulations.

‘The View’ Couch Not So Cozy for Romney  —  ABC News' Teddy Davis reports:  —  Mitt Romney bounded onto the set of ABC's “The View” this morning, perhaps expecting a light chat about his new book and possible presidential run.  —  But once the former Massachusetts governor settled onto the couch …

Investigators Are Told of Paterson Bid to Quiet Accuser  —  A key figure in the domestic abuse scandal bedeviling Gov. David A. Paterson told investigators that the governor phoned her to enlist her help in quieting the accuser, according to a person with knowledge of her account.

Hillary's Falklands Provocation  —  Bagehot of the Economist is beginning to have some doubts about the Obama administration: … What stance?  Well Hillary Clinton has been visiting Argentina and was asked about the status of the Falklands.  Here's what she had to say: … And:

Taliban cave network found in Pakistan mountains  —  Pakistan's army has discovered a complex network of 156 caves used by the Taliban and al-Qaeda dug into rocky mountains close to the Afghan border.  —  The tunnels, which are thought to have been created over five to seven years …