Breaking: Stupak Will Retire  —  Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) plans to announce his retirement today, Democrats briefed on his decision said.  Stupak, the leader of a pro-life faction within his party, had received death threats and was under intense political pressure after he agreed to support …

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens retiring  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the court's oldest member and leader of its liberal bloc, says he is retiring.  President Barack Obama now has his second high court opening to fill.

Stephanopoulos Defends Asking Obama About Palin Critique  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  ABC News' George Stephanopoulos is defending his decision to ask President Barack Obama to respond to Sarah Palin's criticism of his nuclear non-proliferation policy, after several observers questioned …

Gingrich Pledges Government Shutdown If GOP Wins Back House And Senate  —  On Wednesday night, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Sean Hannity that he's been tasked by the House Republican leadership to “to organize an effort over the next four or five months to develop a [new] compact or contract [with America].”

Generic Ballot Points Toward Possible 50+ Seat Loss for Democrats  —  A couple of weeks ago, we examined the potential upside case for Democrats in November's midterms.  If the party were able to limit their losses to about 20 House seats and 3-4 Senate seats, it might not have as deleterious …

Union Memo Hints At Gov.'s Death  —  Teachers Union's Memo The Latest Salvo In War Of Words With Gov. Christie  —  HACKENSACK, N.J. (CBS) ― New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie isn't laughing about a teachers union's memo that hints of his death.  —  The memo is the latest salvo in a war …

Big Banks Mask Risk Levels  —  Quarter-End Loan Figures Sit 42% Below Peak, Then Rise as New Period Progresses; SEC Review  —  Major banks have masked their risk levels in the past five quarters by temporarily lowering their debt just before reporting it to the public, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Learning From Greece  —  The debt crisis in Greece is approaching the point of no return.  As prospects for a rescue plan seem to be fading, largely thanks to German obduracy, nervous investors have driven interest rates on Greek government bonds sky-high, sharply raising the country's borrowing costs.