GOP plots Senate health roadblock  —  Democrats might like to think that health care reform is all but a done deal if it clears the House, but the Senate is where Republicans have been plotting for months to sentence it to a painful procedural death.  —  Republican aides have been mining …

Stupak: Health fight has been ‘a living hell’  —  Leading a revolt against President Barack Obama's healthcare legislation over abortion has been a “living hell” for Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.).  —  The telephone lines in his Washington and district offices have been “jammed” …

Don't Be Morose!  Get Even!  —  David Brooks says he's out on the ledge, morose, and about to have a “Howard Beale” moment.  Just last week he was telling us that Obama was a misunderstood moderate.  Now he confesses that Obama is aiding and abetting unlawfulness of the worst kind.  He explains:

I-Team: DOJ Serves Subpoenas in Senator Ensign Investigation  —  LAS VEGAS — Nevada Senator John Ensign is in the crosshairs of a Department of Justice criminal investigation.  —  The criminal probe stems from a romantic affair Ensign had with the wife of his key staffer and close friend …

Rules Panel Dem To Vote Against Bill  —  A key House Dem has begun informing party leaders he plans to vote against health care legislation both on the House floor and in the rules committee, on which he sits.  —  Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY), a sophomore Dem who had a tougher …

Steve Levy Plans Switch to G.O.P., Stirring Governor's Race  —  ALBANY — A governor's race that seemed all but settled is about to be upended again, by a popular Democrat from Long Island who is set to announce that he is switching parties.  The move is certain to excite Republican leaders pessimistic …

Pete Sessions Agrees That ‘Deem And Pass’ Is Legitimate  —  Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) is now the second Republican to reluctantly admit that “deem and pass” is a legitimate procedure that Republicans have used is the passed.  Asked if he had ever voted for reconciliation or “deem and pass” …

Five Questions With: The Uncaucus  —  With the race for mayor of Providence wide open thanks to incumbent David N. Cicilline's decision to run for Congress instead, a group of seven familiar faces from the local technology and design community - Andy Cutler, Owen Johnson, Clay Rockefeller …

Alex Chilton, Rock Musician, Dies  —  Alex Chilton of the rock band Big Star performed at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple last November.  —  10:48 a.m., March 18 |  Updated Alex Chilton, the mercurial if influential rock musician, whose work spanned an eclectic gamut from the soul songs …

Has Rahm's assumption about progressives been vindicated?  —  Politico's Ben Smith yesterday suggested that one important aspect of Rahm Emanuel's health care strategy — to ignore the demands of progressives on the ground that they would fall into line at the end no matter what — has been vindicated.

Code Red Moves Cardoza and Costa to “Yes” Votes on Gov't Healthcare Takeover After Water Deal  —  Is this Another Backroom Deal to Force Obama's Bill Down the American People's Throats?  —  As a vote approaches on Obama and Pelosi's government takeover of healthcare, Code Red is now considering …

Access, Access, Access  —  First, a question: When in American history did life expectancy improve the most?  —  Was it the late 1800s, when anesthesia made surgery easier and far more common?  Was it the 1930s, when antibacterial medicines became available?  Or recent decades, when CAT scans and heart bypasses proliferated?

Madoff Was Beaten in Prison  —  Ponzi Schemer Was Assaulted by Another Inmate in December; Officials Deny Incident  —  The Butner federal prison in July.  A man who served time with Bernard Madoff there says the financier gave him investment advice.  —  Bernard Madoff, who is serving …

Connecticut Voters Say No To Keno, Highway Tolls, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Bysiewicz Only Clear Leader In Gov, A.G. Primaries  —  By a 70 - 27 percent margin, Connecticut voters oppose allowing keno gambling in restaurants, bars and convenience stores, with strong opposition among …