‘Top kill’ effort succeeds in blocking oil leak, Coast Guard admiral says  —  Thad Allen, who is coordinating the government response, says the well still has low pressure, but cement will be used to cap the well permanently as soon as the pressure hits zero.

Birnbaum forced out of MMS  —  The head of the Minerals and Management Services has resigned the top post at the agency that has come under fire for lax oversight of offshore drilling amid an increasingly devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, sources with knowledge of the move said Thursday morning.

Sarah Palin Gets a New Neighbor  —  Keith Olbermann talks to the Washington Post's Dave Weigel who apparently isn't too popular with the right wingers for defending journalist Joe McGinniss who has moved in next door to Sarah Palin while working on an unauthorized biography of the ex-half-term-Governor.

Justice Scalia Praises Elena Kagan's Lack of Judicial Experience  —  ABC News' Teddy Davis reports:  —  Obama Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan has been criticized by some Republican senators for lacking judicial experience.  But Justice Antonin Scalia, the High Court's most outspoken conservative …

US money supply plunges at 1930s pace as Obama eyes fresh stimulus  —  The M3 money supply in the United States is contracting at an accelerating rate that now matches the average decline seen from 1929 to 1933, despite near zero interest rates and the biggest fiscal blitz in history.

Counterterror Adviser Defends Jihad as ‘Legitimate Tenet of Islam’  —  White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan speaks to reporters in the White House Jan. 7.  (AP Photo)  —  The president's top counterterrorism adviser on Wednesday called jihad a “legitimate tenet of Islam,” …

Mullen: Proposed Legislation Retains Prerogative  —  The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday that he's comfortable with proposed legislation that seeks to repeal the law that bans gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military because it includes “very clear language” …

BP Used Riskier Method to Seal Oil Well Before Blast  —  WASHINGTON — Several days before the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, BP officials chose, partly for financial reasons, to use a type of casing for the well that the company knew was the riskier of two options, according to a BP document.

Rove Finally Admits That Bush Really Blew It During Katrina  —  Today in the Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove pens an op-ed titled: “Yes, the Gulf Spill is Obama's Katrina.”  He predictably places blame on Obama for a “lethargic,” “slow,” and “unacceptable” response to the BP oil spill.

Easy Money, Hard Truths  —  ARE you worried that we are passing our debt on to future generations?  Well, you need not worry.  —  Before this recession it appeared that absent action, the government's long-term commitments would become a problem in a few decades.

Election 2010: Wisconsin Senate  —  Wisconsin Senate: Feingold 46%, Johnson 44%  —  Businessman Ron Johnson, endorsed at last weekend's state Republican Convention, is now running virtually even against incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold in Wisconsin's race for the U.S. Senate.

Witnesses, Evidence Mounting Against Haley  —  For a campaign employee she claims to have barely known, S.C. Rep. Nikki Haley certainly paid plenty of late night visits to our founding editor's town house in early 2007.  —  In fact, multiple witnesses are coming forward …

GOP NARRATIVES VS. PUBLIC NEEDS.... House Democrats are ready to move forward on a package of economic policies — jobless benefits, temporary health care subsidies, job creation investments — that would bolster the ongoing recovery.  But it's struggling, not because of its merits …

Obama gives press conference on Deepwater Horizon oil leak, containment efforts, oversight reforms  —  President Obama on Thursday began a news conference in which he was expected to announce a six-month ban on drilling new deepwater oil wells and cancel plans for exploratory drilling …

A thug too far, part 5  —  When Nina Easton found a mob of union thugs demonstrating at her neighbor's Chevy Chase house last week, she used her professional skills to ascertain what all the fuss was about.  She filed an illuminating report.  The mainstream media have avoided the story.

Lieberman open to backing McMahon  —  Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Thursday he's open to supporting Republican Linda McMahon over Democrat Richard Blumenthal in the Connecticut Senate race, a move that would once again infuriate Democrats in his home state and in Washington.