Gregg suggests Obama may renege on fixing Senate health bill  —  The White House may renege on passing fixes to the Senate's healthcare bill once the House has passed it, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) claimed Thursday.  —  Gregg, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee …

Second Ways and Means boss ousted; Levin replaces Stark  —  Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) will be the acting chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced to her caucus on Thursday.  —  The startling announcement comes a day after Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) …

Anti-Gay Lawmaker At Gay Club Before DUI Arrest  —  SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ― Sources tell CBS13 a state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento, early Wednesday morning.

New York gone wild  —  Once a source of national leaders of both political parties, New York state has descended into a bizarre, riveting spectacle of corruption and political debasement, with its governor facing calls to resign and new charges of accepting illicit perks and lying under oath …

Surprised about Blanche Lincoln's fight for survival?  I'm not.  —  Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln is fighting for her political survival.  Republicans are in full attack mode, and polls indicate she's the most vulnerable Senate incumbent in the country.  —  Frankly, I'm not surprised.

Darwin Foes Add Warming to Targets  —  Critics of the teaching of evolution in the nation's classrooms are gaining ground in some states by linking the issue to global warming, arguing that dissenting views on both scientific subjects should be taught in public schools.

Does Anybody Still Like Karl Rove?  — Home - Cheat sheet - Buzz board - Big Fat Story - Blogs & stories - Videos - Galleries - Crossword  —  Blogs and Stories  —  As the “Turd Blossom” peddles his new book, even name-brand conservatives are taking shots at him.  Plus, Rove's secret stint as Harold Ford's guru.

Obama Now Selling Judgeships for Health Care Votes?  —  Obama names brother of undecided House Dem to Appeals Court.  —  Tonight, Barack Obama will host ten House Democrats who voted against the health care bill in November at the White House; he's obviously trying to persuade them to switch their votes to yes.

Eliot Spitzer's Mission Impossible  —  Spitzer has the resources to tackle any challenge — except maybe another campaign  —  Eliot Spitzer was his usual agitated self.  It was a brisk Tuesday evening, and the former governor of New York was bundled in the back of a black sedan …

Woman charged with killing husband is lobbyist  —  A 45-year-old woman, charged with ending a domestic dispute by killing her 26-year-old husband of five days, is a registered lobbyist for a group fighting domestic violence.  —  Arelisha Bridges was ordered held without bond in the Fulton County Jail.

Palin pitching TV show  —  Palin is pitching a TV show.  —  Washington (CNN) - Will Sarah Palin and her family be starring in a new reality television series?  Not quite, a source close to the former Alaska governor tells CNN.  —  While Palin and famed reality TV producer Mark Burnett …

The fable of Emanuel the Great  —  In the space of 10 days, thanks in no small part to my own newspaper, the president of the United States has been portrayed as a weakling and a chronic screw-up who is wrecking his administration despite everything that his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, can do to make things right.

The Republicans' big lie about reconciliation  —  For those who feared that Barack Obama did not have any Lyndon Johnson in him, the president's determination to press ahead and get health-care reform done in the face of Republican intransigence came as something of a relief.

Stupak: 12 Dems ready to oppose health care bill  —  WASHINGTON - A congressman who has played a key role in the long-running health care debate says he and 11 other Democrats will vote against the overhaul unless a provision subsidizing abortion is removed.

Swamp Things: Eerie Memories of '06 Haunt Democrats in '10  —  The swamp, it turns out, is still wet.  And it's muddy enough to create a muddle.  —  What if 2010 isn't 1994 or 1982, but 2006?  —  Congress lurches forward on health care haunted by old memories: If you're not thinking about Tom DeLay …

Pending Home Sales Down; Severe Weather Impacting Market  —  Pending home sales are down and additional declines are expected from abnormal weather conditions, according to the National Association of Realtors®.  —  The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based …

Divorced Before Puberty  —  It's hard to imagine that there have been many younger divorcées — or braver ones — than a pint-size third grader named Nujood Ali.  —  Nujood is a Yemeni girl, and it's no coincidence that Yemen abounds both in child brides and in terrorists (and now …

Rockefeller pushes to rein in EPA  —  Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-WVa.) will introduce legislation Thursday to impose a two-year moratorium on the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate greenhouse gases from power plants and other stationary emitters, a move that could undermine …

Mitt Romney Calls Emergency Rooms “Entirely Free Care”  —  Mitt Romney apparently doesn't think anyone is responsible for their bill after they leave an emergency room.  Here's his response after Mike Barnicle asks him if he believes in universal health care coverage on Morning Joe.