Reid calls Gillibrand the ‘hottest’ member at fundraiser  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had an unusual form of praise for New York's junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, this morning at the fundraiser Mayor Bloomberg hosted for him at his townhouse - referring to her as “the hottest member” …

Christine O'Donnell down 15 points in new poll  —  In Delaware, the tea is lukewarm.  —  A new Fox News poll, conducted Sept. 18 and released Tuesday, shows Democratic Senate nominee Chris Coons leading Republican Christine O'Donnell by 15 points, 54 to 39 percent.

Summers Expected to Leave White House After Election  —  White House officials expect Lawrence Summers to leave his job as the president's National Economic Council director after November's congressional elections, according to three people familiar with the matter.

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in August indicates that the pace of recovery in output and employment has slowed in recent months.  Household spending is increasing gradually, but remains constrained by high unemployment …

Fund-raiser: Jackson behind $6M Senate-seat scheme  —  Feds had questions about Senate-seat deal and flights for a Jackson acquaintance  —  Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. directed a major political fund-raiser to offer former Gov. Rod Blagojevich millions of dollars in campaign cash in return …

Election 2010: Alaska Senate  —  Alaska Senate: Miller (R) Holds Double-Digit Lead Over McAdams (D), Murkowski  —  Republican Joe Miller attracts 42% of the vote in the first Rasmussen Reports poll of the Alaska Senate race since GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski announced her write-in campaign to try to keep her job.

Close Race in West Virginia  —  PPP's first look at the West Virginia Senate contest finds a very tight race with John Raese up 46-43 on Joe Manchin, a result within the poll's margin of error.  —  The contest provides a fascinating choice for voters in the state who love their Democratic Governor …

GOP and deficit: Death by 1000 cuts  —  If the federal government collected a dime for every time someone said, “All we have to do to balance the budget is cut spending,” we wouldn't have a deficit problem.  Far from true deficit hawks, these “deficit peacocks” all fail to acknowledge …

WI-Sen/WI-Gov: Dems hurting with six weeks to go  —  Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos.  U.S. Senate.  9/18-9/19.  Likely Voters.  MoE 3.8% (6/27 results)  —  Ron Johnson (R) 52 (43)  —  Sen. Russ Feingold (D) 41 (45)  —  An enormous enthusiasm gap, coupled with a Republican nominee fresh …

The Big Dog that didn't bark  —  I'm at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York today, awaiting a panel on Middle East peace where Bill Clinton will sit on stage with two really major players — Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli President Shimon Peres, as well as the Crown Prince of Bahrain.

Major health insurers to stop offering new child-only policies  —  Some of the country's most prominent health insurance companies have decided to stop offering new child-only plans, rather than comply with rules in the new health-care law that will require such plans to start accepting children …

Can I ‘call him an a—hole?’  Andrew Cuomo in tizzy after GOP foe Carl Paladino questions his manhood  —  ALBANY - Stung by Carl Paladino's below-the-belt attacks, an angry Andrew Cuomo summoned his war council on Monday to figure out how to fight back against his slash-and-burn GOP rival.

The Most Progressive Legislation In 40 Years  —  One of the arguments forwarded during the health bill debate was that the provisions would get stronger over time, as a constituency for new services developed.  I thought it a doubtful assertion at the time (consider that no new government program …

The Brothers Koch and AB 32  —  Four years ago, bipartisan majorities in the California Legislature approved a landmark clean energy bill that many hoped would serve as a template for a national effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil and mitigate the threat of climate change.

Republican lawmaker: Reagan would face ‘tough time’ in today's GOP  —  President Ronald Reagan, a Republican icon, might not be welcome in today's GOP, Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) suggested Tuesday.  —  Inglis, a Palmetto State Republican who was defeated earlier this year in a conservative primary challenge …

Afghan Boys Are Prized, So Girls Live the Part  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Six-year-old Mehran Rafaat is like many girls her age.  She likes to be the center of attention.  She is often frustrated when things do not go her way.  Like her three older sisters, she is eager to discover …

New poll: Tax cut fight is winner for Dems in battleground states  —  If this new poll conducted for the labor powerhouse SEIU doesn't persuade Dems to hold a vote on extending the middle class tax cuts, then nothing will.  —  The toplines of the poll, which were first reported by Alex Burns …