Kagan Was ‘Not Sympathetic’ as Law Clerk to Gun-Rights Argument  —  Elena Kagan said as a U.S. Supreme Court law clerk in 1987 that she was “not sympathetic” toward a man who contended that his constitutional rights were violated when he was convicted for carrying an unlicensed pistol.

Arizona lawmaker laughs at McCain's border fence ad  —  Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) couldn't contain himself Thursday when he saw footage of Sen. John McCain's latest campaign ad.  —  Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) couldn't contain himself Thursday when he saw footage of Sen. John McCain's (R) latest campaign ad.

Sources: Dems Seek To Protect Lincoln By Delaying Action On Wall Street Reform  —  One of the most far-reaching pieces of the Senate's Wall Street reform bill has powerful enemies.  The White House doesn't like it.  FDIC chief Sheila Bair doesn't like it.  Obama adviser Paul Volcker …

Oil spill: BP had wrong diagram to close blowout preventer  —  WASHINGTON — In the days after an oil well spun out of control in the Gulf of Mexico, BP engineers tried to activate a huge piece of underwater safety equipment but failed because the device had been so altered that diagrams BP got …

Two detained in FBI sweep from Times Square probe  —  Watertown, Brookline locations connected to Faisal Shahzad  —  Three men were taken into custody on immigration violations today after raids in Watertown, Brookline and in other parts of the Northeast in connection with the attempted …

The New Poor: The Economy Shifts, Leaving Some Behind  —  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Many of the jobs lost during the recession are not coming back.  —  Period.  —  For the last two years, the weak economy has provided an opportunity for employers to do what they would have done anyway …

White House pushes back against criticism of NYC anti-terror funding  —  The White House rejected criticism of cuts to some New York City anti-terror programs Thursday, saying that overall funding for the city is higher than it was under President George W. Bush.

Cuomo Is Said to Question Banks' Influence on Ratings  —  The New York attorney general has started an investigation of eight banks to determine whether they provided misleading information to rating agencies in order to inflate the grades of certain mortgage securities, according to two people with knowledge of the investigation.

Dicks bent on appropriations gavel  —  In today's Politico, Jonathan Allen covers Rep. Norman Dicks's desire to assume the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee.  Dicks seeks to succeed the retiring David Obey as chairman of the committee.  Allen reports that Dicks began burning …

Voters Shifting to GOP  —  Republicans have solidified support among voters who had drifted from the party in recent elections, putting the GOP in position for a strong comeback in November's mid-term campaign, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

A Hidden History of Evil  —  In the world's collective consciousness, the word “Nazi” is synonymous with evil.  It is widely understood that the Nazis' ideology—nationalism, anti-Semitism, the autarkic ethnic state, the Führer principle—led directly to the furnaces of Auschwitz.

Sestak Surges Against Toomey In November Matchup, Quinnipiac University Pennsylvania Poll Finds; Corbett Has Small Lead In Governor's Race  —  U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, who has narrowed the gap against Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary, also is surging …

In Kentucky's Senate race, ties to Mitch McConnell could be helpful or harmful  —  MONTICELLO, KY. — When Senate candidate Rand Paul told a lunchtime crowd at Shearer's Buffet that “we have to do things differently” in Washington and “bring 'em home and send some different Republicans,” …

I Don't Like Roger Ebert  —  I love Twitter.  I use it all the time.  When I say use, hear it the way an addict would say it.  I use Twitter.  I'm pretty good at it too.  Not in the sense of having lots of followers, or being really popular, or anyone knowing who I am.

Our activists' coalition against Arizona's xenophobic immigration law is spreading: Diamondbacks CEO is nervous  —  Here's the audio from our activist coalition that sent a letter signed by all parties to Bud Selig and Major League Baseball, and we're demanding that they denounce Arizona's SB 1070 …

Jupiter loses one of its stripes and scientists are stumped as to why  —  Jupiter has lost one of its iconic red stripes and scientists are baffled as to why.  —  The largest planet in our solar system is usually dominated by two dark bands in its atmosphere, with one in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere.

Russia warns U.S. against unilateral Iran sanctions  —  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the United States and other Western nations on Thursday against imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Interfax news agency reported.

Barack Obama, Campaign Manager: How The 2008 Playbook Passed Health Care  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Shortly before 11 a.m. on a Sunday in mid-December, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was driving through Washington D.C. when he received a nervous phone call from one of his trusted deputies, Sen. Chuck Schumer.

USNA reconsiders Herndon Climb  —  The Herndon Climb is a signature annual event at the United States Naval Academy.  Each May, a thousand first-year midshipmen surge to the top of a 21-foot granite obelisk coated with 200 pounds of lard.  The first mid to the top plants a midshipman's cap.