Kagan may get confirmed, but Thurgood Marshall can forget it  —  Oppo researchers digging into Elena Kagan's past didn't get the goods on the Supreme Court nominee — but they did get the Thurgood.  —  As confirmation hearings opened Monday afternoon, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee took …

Dems offer to scale back climate bill  —  Key Senate Democrats offered, during a White House meeting with President Barack Obama and skeptical Republicans on Tuesday, to scale back their ambitious plans to cap greenhouse gases across multiple sectors of the economy.

More on Research 2000  —  I have just published a report by three statistics wizards showing, quite convincingly, that the weekly Research 2000 State of the Nation poll we ran the past year and a half was likely bunk.  —  Since the moment Mark Grebner, Michael Weissman …

In Ireland, a Picture of the High Cost of Austerity  —  DUBLIN — As Europe's major economies focus on belt-tightening, they are following the path of Ireland.  But the once thriving nation is struggling, with no sign of a rapid turnaround in sight.  —  Nearly two years ago …

Dems quietly cheer gun ruling  —  When the Supreme Court extended the individual right to own a gun Monday, they handed Second Amendment advocates—many of whom are at home in the GOP—one of their most significant legal victories ever.  —  But who won the day in politics?  The Democrats.

Sharron Angle Is Against Abortion In The Case Of Rape Or Incest: It Would Interfere With God's ‘Plan’  —  In a radio interview with Bill Manders on Jan. 25, Sharron Angle — the GOP candidate and Tea Party darling challenging Harry Reid for Nevada's U.S. Senate seat — came out firmly against abortion.

Obama's good for GOP, Boehner says  —  PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW  —  House Minority Leader John Boehner, the Ohio Republican with his eye on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's gavel, said the tide is turning the GOP's way.  —  “The American people have written off the Democrats,” …

Spy ring's ‘femme fatale’  —  A ring of 11 Russian moles right out of a Cold War spy novel was smashed yesterday — and among those busted was a flame-haired, 007-worthy beauty who flitted from high-profile parties to top-secret meetings around Manhattan.  —  Russian national Anna Chapman …

Gen. Petraeus' nomination puts some Democrats in awkward spot  —  President Barack Obama's nomination of Gen. David Petraeus has put some Democrats in a politically awkward position.  —  While Senate Democrats are expected to rally behind Petraeus to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal …

Feingold leads by 2  —  It's looking more and more likely that Wisconsin will be in the top tier of competitive Senate races this fall.  Russ Feingold leads challenger Ron Johnson by only two points, 45-43.  Johnson is polling closer to Feingold than Tommy Thompson was as he contemplated a potential campaign.

From Washington Post To NBCU: Dave Weigel Joins MSNBC As Paid Contributor  —  Team Weigel rejoice - it didn't take Dave Weigel very long to land on his feet after he resigned last week from The Washington Post.  —  Tonight at the end of Countdown, Keith Olbermann introduced new “MSNBC contributor” Dave Weigel.

An update on China  —  Ever since we launched Google.cn, our search engine for mainland Chinese users, we have done our best to increase access to information while abiding by Chinese law.  This has not always been an easy balance to strike, especially since our January announcement …

Lara Logan, You Suck  —  Lara Logan, come on down!  You're the next guest on Hysterical Backstabbing Jealous Hackfest 2010!  —  I thought I'd seen everything when I read David Brooks saying out loud in a New York Times column that reporters should sit on damaging comments to save their sources from their own idiocy.

Wrong Track Distress  —  It's getting harder and harder for most Americans, looking honestly at the state of the nation, to see the glass as half full.  And that's why the public opinion polls contain nothing but bad news for Barack Obama and the Democrats.