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” …

GOP worries Murkowski write-in bid could cost party a Senate seat  —  Republican leaders are angry with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for jeopardizing their chances of winning the Senate.  —  Murkowski's decision to mount a write-in campaign risks splitting the Republican vote between …

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.

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 …

Jimmy Carter clarifies - sort of  —  After catching flack for declaring that his post-presidency work is “superior” to his successors, former President Jimmy Carter offered a somewhat halfhearted clarification Monday.  —  “What I meant was, for 27 years the Carter Center has provided …

Mosque ally's vid shows ‘Hez’ true colors  —  Tweet  —  Among the Islamic clerics defending plans for a mosque near Ground Zero yesterday was an outspoken critic of Israel who enthusiastically signaled his support for terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah during a rally a decade ago.

Fearing a soaring deficit, many analysts favor letting Bush tax cuts expire  —  The tax cuts at the heart of a fierce pre-election battle on Capitol Hill were designed when the economy was booming, the federal budget was in surplus and George W. Bush was campaigning for president on a promise to return the extra cash to taxpayers.

IT'S TRUE- Proof That the DNC and Team Obama Are Targeting Tea Parties and Top Conservatives  —  These Are Dangerous Times  —  With one-in-seven Americans living in poverty, with unemployment at record levels, with an unprecedented national deficit, with foreclosures up and businesses …

Madam President?  It could happen  —  Speculation that she will run for President in 2012 is reaching fever pitch.  But what do those who watched Sarah Palin grow up make of her meteoric ascent - and ruthless ambition?  By Shushannah Walshe  —  The first thing you notice …

Aunt Zeituni: ‘The System Took Advantage Of Me’  —  President Obama's Aunt Speaks Exclusively With WBZ-TV  —  BOSTON (WBZ) ― “If I come as an immigrant, you have the obligation to make me a citizen.”  Those are the words from 58-year-old Zeituni Onyango of Kenya in a recent exclusive interview with WBZ-TV.

Poll: Voters clueless about Charlie Baker  —  Gov. Deval Patrick 41, Baker 34 and Tim Cahill 14 percent in Suffolk University/7News poll  —  Nearly half of all prospective voters either don't know who Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker is or haven't made up their minds about him …

NY-18: Lowey's challenger opposes interracial marriage and school integration; supports eugenics.  —  I wish that this were something out of the Onion, I really do.  —  Jim Russell, a right-wing activist running against Congresswoman Nita Lowey in the 18th district mid-state, has a rather interesting past.

Generic Ballot Virtually Tied: Democrats 46%, Republicans 45%  —  Republicans losing strength in September compared with August  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's generic ballot for Congress for the week of Sept. 13-19 shows a 46% Democratic and 45% Republican split in registered voters' preferences for the midterm congressional elections.

Assessing the G.O.P. and the Tea Party  —  Whatever the outcome of the Nov. 2 elections, you can be certain that commentators around the country will be fixated on the impact of the Tea Party movement.  If Republican candidates do well on Election Day — and particularly if Tea Party-backed candidates …

Twitter Mouseover Security Flaw Affecting Thousands of Users [WARNING]  —  A new Twitter security flaw has been widely exploited on thousands of Twitter accounts, redirecting users to third-party websites without their consent.  —  Update: Twitter announced on its Status blog that it identified attack …

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.

A warning from Israeli ambassador?  —  Was Israel's ambassador warning the Jewish community on Kol Nidre that Israel has decided to take a preemptive strike in Iran?  —  Some congregants at Adas Israel Congregation in D.C. thought so following Ambassador Michael Oren's remarks there on Friday night.

Disappointed Supporters Question Obama  —  WASHINGTON — It was billed as “Investing In America,” a live televised conversation between President Obama and American workers, students, business people and retirees on the state of the economy, a kind of Wall Street to Main Street reality check.

DCCC outpaces NRCC in August  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee heads into the final stretch of the midterm campaign season with a $14 million cash edge over its GOP counterpart.  —  The DCCC announced Monday that it outraised the National Republican Congressional Committee $8.3 million to $6.6 million during August.