Air Marshals Stop Alleged ‘Shoe Bomb’ Attempt On United Jet to Denver  —  Qatari Diplomat In Custody After Attempting to ‘Light Up’ His Shoes  —  Federal air marshals subdued a man who authorities say attempted to “light his shoes on fire” on a United flight from Washington Reagan to Denver Wednesday night …

Palin, Bachmann enthrall Minn. rally  —  Two of the conservative movement's biggest stars, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), lavished praise on each other Wednesday at a boisterous rally held at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Republicans Lead In Pennsylvania Senate, Governor Races, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Rendell Approval Up, While Obama Approval Is Down  —  Republican Pat Toomey is back on top 46 - 41 percent over Sen. Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania's seesaw U.S. Senate race, while Attorney General Tom Corbett …

Obama and Medvedev Sign Nuclear Arms Reduction Pact  —  PRAGUE — With flourish and fanfare, President Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia signed a nuclear arms control treaty on Thursday and opened what they hoped would be a new era in the tumultuous relationship between two former cold war adversaries.

Chart of the Day: Cutting the Deficit  —  Ah, the American public.  God love 'em.  The Economist asked if they'd rather tackle the federal deficit by cutting spending or raising taxes, and the runaway winner was cutting spending, by a margin of 62% to 5%.  So what are we willing to cut?

It's On: CBO Fielding VAT Questions From Congress  —  White House advisor Paul Volcker made news this week by calling a value-added tax (VAT) “not as toxic an idea” as it's been in the past for tackling the nation's deficit problem.  Today, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf confirmed he's …

Virginia governor amends Confederate history proclamation to include slavery  —  RICHMOND — After a barrage of nationwide criticism for excluding slavery from his Confederate History Month proclamation, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) on Wednesday conceded that it was “a major omission” …

Augusta's Chairman Rebukes Woods  —  AUGUSTA, Ga. — The annual Masters address by the chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club is usually a routine, even humdrum, affair.  The principal topic of conversation is often the speed of the greens, and the closest thing to controversy …

Pelosi Celebrates Healthcare in SF  —  SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in San Francisco on Tuesday, celebrating the passage of healthcare reform.  —  She received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Mark Hopkins Hotel, describing the passage of healthcare reform …

Glenn Beck Inc  —  In his empire there's the ideology—and then there's the money machine.  —  Five and a half hours before showtime Glenn Beck still isn't quite sure how he'll provide tonight's entertainment, “The Future of History”—two hours of monologue (and answers to preselected questions) …

The Female Century vs The Hetaerae Century & The John Edwards “Affair”  —  Now, that the slogan “job creation” is being paraded by the democrats in office as an accomplishment of great significance meant to alleviate the serious economic precarious situation facing the country.

The anti-Stupak Express — and the backlash against Beltway incumbency  —  If Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak, who sold his Obamacare vote and his pro-life principles for a cheap piece of paper, thinks voters in Michigan are willing to forgive and forget, he's sadly mistaken.

Election 2010: Colorado Senate  —  Colorado Senate: Norton 46%, Bennet 41%  —  Incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet has edged slightly closer to his strongest Republican rival, ex-Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton, in Colorado's U.S. Senate race.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey …

Nearly half of US households escape fed income tax  —  Recession, new tax credits have nearly half of US households paying no federal income tax  —  FILE - In this April 5, 2010 file photo, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman gestures while speaking at the National Press Club in Washington.