SC senator: We've 'got one raghead in the White House, we don't need a raghead in the governor's mansion.'  —  Today, the Christian Broadcasting Network published a story about Nikki Haley, the frontrunner to become South Carolina's GOP gubernatorial nominee, saying that she …

Obama: Gaza flotilla incident 'not good for Israel's long-term security'  —  President Barack Obama said Thursday that the Gaza flotilla incident is damaging to the long-term security of Israel.  —  The shooting of nine pro-Palestinian activists by Israeli commandos aboard ships …

Amateur blogosphere, RIP … Only five years ago, the progressive political blogosphere was still predominately a gathering place for amateur (that is, unpaid or barely paid) journalists and activists unattached to existing media companies and advocacy organizations.  Those days are almost completely over.

We had no choice, commando who killed 6 tells ‘Post’  —  “They were coming at us with murder in their eyes,” says S., describing the “battlefield” aboard the ‘Mavi Marmara’; He hit the deck to see three officers lying wounded.  —  Talkbacks (18)  —  Make JPOST.COM your Home Page  —  Iranian Threat

Jobs flap seeps across Senate map  —  Blowback from White House attempts to dangle administration jobs in front of insurgent Democratic challengers is now threatening to burn candidates in some of the most competitive Senate contests in the nation, expanding the scope of damage well beyond the two states where the furor originated.

Admiral Says Oil Pipe Is Cut, a Key Step in Halting Leak  —  NEW ORLEANS — Delicately manipulating a 20-foot-long shear at depths of nearly a mile, technicians successfully snipped a key riser pipe on Thursday in their effort to contain the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico.

Caught in the oil  —  A short entry - AP Photographer Charlie Riedel just filed the following images of seabirds caught in the oil slick on a beach on Louisiana's East Grand Terre Island.  As BP engineers continue their efforts to cap the underwater flow of oil, landfall is becoming more frequent, and the effects more evident.

Congresswoman: White Supremacist Groups Behind Arizona Immigration Law  —  Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif. views a older NFL football helmet during a hearing entitled “Legal Issues Relating to Football Head Injuries, Part II” in Detroit, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010.  (AP)

Ocean currents likely to carry oil along Atlantic coast … BOULDER—A detailed computer modeling study released today indicates that oil from the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico might soon extend along thousands of miles of the Atlantic coast and open ocean as early as this summer.

EXCLUSIVE: Documents Show Kagan's Liberal Opinion on Social Issues  —  Elena Kagan has kept her cards so close to the vest that in the days after President Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court, some on the left worried she was too moderate to replace liberal Justice John Paul Stevens.

Obama Cancels Asia Trip as Concern on Spill Mounts  —  WASHINGTON - President Obama canceled his trip to Australia, Indonesia and Guam late Thursday night as oil continued to stream into the Gulf of Mexico in what he has called the worst environmental disaster in American history.

Interview: Alexander Zaitchik on his new biography of Glenn Beck, ‘Common Nonsense’  —  Last summer, when Glenn Beck was rocketing from talk radio stardom to the status of a national icon, he got the full profile treatment from Alexander Zaitchik at Salon.  That profile was the first serious …

Gov. Christie to NJEA bullies taking money from taxpayers: “You punch them, I punch you.”  —  Governor Chris Christie gives remarks regarding teachers and the teachers Union, the NJEA during a Town Hall Meeting in Robbinsville, NJ.  —  Christie explained that his fight is not against teachers.

Wal-Mart to Offer Its Workers a College Program  —  FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Now on sale at Wal-Mart: college degrees for its employees.  —  The purveyor of inexpensive jeans and lawnmowers is dipping its toe into the online-education waters, working with a Web-based university to offer …

Pentagon Told to Save Billions for Use in War  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has ordered the military and the Pentagon's civilian bureaucracy to find tens of billions of dollars in annual savings to pay for war-fighting operations, senior officials said Thursday.

New York City to Pay $9.9 Million in Frame-Up Case  —  New York City agreed on Thursday to pay $9.9 million, the largest personal settlement in its history, to a man who served almost two decades in prison but was released after evidence surfaced that he had been framed for murder by a corrupt detective.

Obama: ‘Wonderful story’ if LeBron James stays in Cleveland  —  The country's basketball-fan-in-chief seemed to change his tune on NBA superstar LeBron James' potential free agent destination on Thursday.  —  In an interview with CNN's Larry King, President Barack Obama said it would be …