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” …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Watchdog: Christine O'Donnell “Clearly a Criminal”  —  Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, today filed a pair of complaints concerning Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell's use of more than $20,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses.

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 Sarah Palin puzzle: A plurality disapproves yet a growing majority now identifies with her views  —  For someone who's so widely deemed unqualified to be president and disapproved by a plurality of Americans, Sarah Palin the politician sure has convinced an awful lot of people that she thinks like they do.

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 …

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 …

The Anti-Dog Whistler  —  So Obama's nominee to head OMB told a Senate panel that deregulation didn't lead to the financial crisis.  Urk.  I think he may technically be right — it wasn't so much deregulation as the failure to extend regulation to keep up with financial innovation that did it.

Twitter Mouseover Security Flaw Affecting Thousands of Users [WARNING]  —  Update (10:00 a.m. ET): A spokesperson for Twitter tells us “This should now be fully patched and is no longer exploitable.”  —  A new Twitter security flaw has been widely exploited on thousands of Twitter accounts …

Promise to Repeal Gay Ban Faces Filibuster  —  In his State of the Union address last January, President Obama repeated a campaign-trail promise to the gay community.  —  By the end of the year, Mr. Obama said, he would seek a full repeal of the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy …

Bell officials arrested as prosecutors are set to file criminal charges [Updated]  —  At least eight city of Bell officials were arrested Tuesday morning, a source said, as L.A. County Dist.  Atty. Steve Cooley prepared to announce criminal charges in the municipal salary scandal.

The Case for Webtimism  —  When blogging was new, bloggers were really excited about it.  Then came a slightly odd backlash associated with use of the term “internet triumphalism” in a disparaging way, and tons and tons of hand-wringing.  Personally, though, I'm an unabashed web optimist …

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.