House GOP votes to ban all earmarks  —  House Republicans approved a conference-wide moratorium on earmarks on Thursday, one day after a House committee enacted a ban on for-profit earmarks.  —  The Republicans' moratorium is more extensive than the House Appropriations Committee's ban …

House Democrats' ‘no’ votes are piling up on healthcare reform  —  More than two dozen Democrats are expected to vote against the healthcare reform bill that will hit the House floor in the coming weeks.  —  At least 25 House Democrats will reject the healthcare reform legislation …

More Messages Link Senator to Job Effort  —  WASHINGTON — Previously undisclosed e-mail messages turned over to the F.B.I. and Senate ethics investigators provide new evidence about Senator John Ensign's efforts to steer lobbying work to the embittered husband of his former mistress and could deepen his legal and political troubles.

Holder Failed To Alert Senate To Old Brief  —  During his confirmation more than a year ago, Attorney General Eric Holder failed to notify lawmakers he had contributed to a legal brief dealing with the use of federal courts in fighting terrorism, the Justice Department acknowledged on Wednesday.

Estimate of the Budgetary Effects of the Senate-Passed Health Bill  —  CBO has just released an estimate of the budgetary effects of the health bill, H.R. 3590, that passed the Senate on December 24.  Today's estimate differs from the estimate for a slightly earlier version of the legislation …

Nancy Pelosi's office was told of concerns about Eric Massa  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office was notified in October by then-Rep. Eric Massa's top aide of concerns about the New York Democrat's behavior, two congressional sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday night.

What Biden told Netanyahu behind closed doors: “This is starting to get dangerous for us”  —  Publicly, Vice President Joe Biden tried to keep up a positive tone in his good will visit to Israel this week.  But privately, the Israeli press reports, he had sharper words for Israeli decisions Biden …

Americans' Global Warming Concerns Continue to Drop  —  Multiple indicators show less concern, more feelings that global warming is exaggerated  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's annual update on Americans' attitudes toward the environment shows a public that over the last two years …

Woods hires ex-Bush aide to prep for return in two weeks  —  MIAMI — Tiger Woods has summoned someone even more significant than swing coach Hank Haney to help facilitate his wildly anticipated comeback.  —  Two sources in the golf community have told The Post that Ari Fleischer …

Hillary Rodham Clinton widens her circle at the State Department  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton ran a presidential campaign notoriously insular and unhappy, managing a group of egos and backstabbers whose dysfunction may have cost her the White House.  Understandably, people wondered what kind …

Reid, In Letter To McConnell, Outlines The Path Forward On Health Reform  —  Washington, D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell explaining the path forward on health insurance reform.  In the letter, Senator Reid details the steps …

Miss. prom canceled after lesbian's date request  —  JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi county school board announced Wednesday it would cancel its upcoming prom after a gay student petitioned to bring a same-sex date to the event.  —  “Due to the distractions to the educational process caused …

As a progressive, Obama hews to the Wilsonian tradition  —  There are legislative miles to go before the government will be emancipated from its health-care myopia, but it is not too soon for a summing-up.  Whether all or nothing of the legislation becomes law, Barack Obama has refuted critics who call him a radical.

Chefs Call Proposed New York Salt Ban ‘Absurd’  —  MYFOXNY.COM - Some New York City chefs and restaurant owners are taking aim at a bill introduced in the New York Legislature that, if passed, would ban the use of salt in restaurant cooking.  —  “No owner or operator of a restaurant …

Texas Hearing Considers Deeper Conservative Stamp on Textbooks  —  AUSTIN, Tex. — Even as a panel of educators laid out a vision Wednesday for national standards for public schools, the Texas school board was going in a different direction, holding hearings on changes to its social studies curriculum …

House Rejects Plan to Leave Afghanistan by Year's End  —  WASHINGTON — In a strong bipartisan endorsement of the Obama administration's policy in Afghanistan, the House of Representatives on Wednesday soundly rejected a call to withdraw American troops by the end of the year.

Obama family health care fracas  —  A doctor savages his cousin Barack's reform plan  —  “Primum nil nocere.”  First, do no harm.  This guiding principle is a bedrock of medical care.  Sadly, those politicians who would rewrite our health care laws do not live in the same universe …