Tycoon who took over Segway firm dies in freak accident after riding one of the machines off a cliff and into a river  —  The multi-millionaire owner of the Segway company died in a freak accident yesterday when he rode one of the high-tech two-wheel machines off a cliff and into a river.

Poll: Bill O'Reilly is popular, but Rachel Maddow is unknown to likely voters  —  More people are getting their news about the upcoming election from cable television than any other source, and from Fox News more than any other cable channel, according to a POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll released Monday.

U.S. Tries to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet  —  WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” …

The Fox primary: complicated, contractual  —  With Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee all making moves indicating they may run for president, their common employer is facing a question that hasn't been asked before: How does a news organization cover White House hopefuls when so many are on the payroll?

Structure of Excuses  —  What can be done about mass unemployment?  All the wise heads agree: there are no quick or easy answers.  There is work to be done, but workers aren't ready to do it — they're in the wrong places, or they have the wrong skills.  Our problems are “structural,” and will take many years to solve.

Weekend at Fidel's  —  Jeffrey Goldberg is not the first American journalist to cuddle up to Castro.  —  At most marine parks in the world the animals provide the entertainment.  But at the Havana aquarium last month, Fidel Castro had a couple of humans eating out of his hand and clapping like trained seals.

Senate Democrats not backing down on filibuster reform despite expected losses  —  Despite expected losses this fall, Senate Democrats are not backing down on their commitment to filibuster reform.  —  In the wake of two failed procedural votes last week, some Democrats in the upper chamber say reform is necessary.

Manchin Calls for Partial Repeal of Health Reform  —  ROANOKE, W.V. — In Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin's quest to strike a bipartisan chord as he campaigns to fill the late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd's seat, he's joining the GOP's call to repeal pieces of health care reform.

SMALL CHANGE  —  Why the revolution will not be tweeted.  —  At four-thirty in the afternoon on Monday, February 1, 1960, four college students sat down at the lunch counter at the Woolworth's in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.  They were freshmen at North Carolina A.  & T., a black college a mile or so away.

Illegal Immigration is No Joke (Video)  —  Last Friday, Congressman Zoe Lofgren, chairman of the immigration subcommittee, invited comedian Stephen Colbert to Congress to testify on the subject of illegal immigration.  —  Colbert testified in character, a parody of Fox News Bill O'Reilly.

Vulnerable Dem Rep. Embraces Bush In Latest Ad  —  ABC News' Amy Walter reports:  —  We've seen plenty of Democrats in tight races trying to distance themselves from President Obama.  But one Democrat, North Dakota's Rep. Earl Pomeroy, is taking this a step farther by actually embracing President George W. Bush.

What's Eating David Axelrod?  —  The disillusionment of Obama's guru.  —  Among the many distinctions David Axelrod has achieved in his career, there is one that requires special elaboration: He is, it turns out, one of the few customers to have ever run a tab at Manny's, the Chicago cafeteria and deli.

Morning Jay: Obama's Falling Numbers, How To Read The Polls, The Jon Corzine Effect, and More!  —  1. Obama's Falling Numbers.  Barack Obama's job approval numbers reached a new low over the weekend in the RealClearPolitics average.  Generally, I've seen two types of explanations for the president's decline.

“Inexplicable, Masochistic Affection”  —  That's how Marty Beckerman describes the dynamic between Ann Coulter and gay attendees of Homocon 2010: … It's important to note that this bigot was not invited by Log Cabin Republicans (GOProud is a splinter group) and that her words received what Politico called a “mixed response.”

Dem Whip: GOP majority will issue birther subpoenas against Obama  —  House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) warned Republicans will investigate President Obama's birthplace if they take over Congress.  —  Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, said Republicans will grind …

Liberal Groups Planning to Rally on National Mall  —  Hoping to overshadow last month's rally led by Glenn Beck that drew thousands of Tea Party advocates and other conservatives, a coalition of liberal groups plan to descend on Washington on Saturday to make the case that they …

Military thwarted president seeking choice in Afghanistan  —  The first of three articles adapted from “Obama's Wars” by Bob Woodward.  —  President Obama was on edge.  —  For two exhausting months, he had been asking military advisers to give him a range of options for the war in Afghanistan.

CNN Poll: Plurality say GOP would do a better job fixing economy  —  (CNN) - Although more people blame the Republicans than the Democrats for the country's economic problems, a larger number of people think the Republicans are more likely to fix those problems, according to a new national poll.

FBI Escorts Known Hamas Operative Through Top-Secret National Counterterrorism Center as “Outreach” to Muslim Community  —  Sheikh Kifah Mustapha (third from left) touring the National Counterterrorism Center (Photo: FBI)  —  A known Hamas operative and unindicted co-conspirator …

The Seduction of the Tea Partiers  —  On the surface, the Pledge to America that House Republicans unveiled last week, in obvious imitation of Newt Gingrich's famous Contract With America, feels like a triumph for the Tea Party.  —  Whereas the Gingrich-era contract was a terse …

The makings of a trade war with China  —  No one familiar with the Smoot-Hawley tariff of 1930 should relish the prospect of a trade war with China — but that seems to be where we're headed and probably should be where we are headed.  Although the Smoot-Hawley tariff did not cause the Great Depression …

Report: Fla. adds 2 seats, N.Y. loses  —  A new estimate of House reapportionment gains and losses resulting from this year's Census reveals a larger-than-expected impact on Florida and New York.  According to Washington-based Election Data Services, which reviewed new Census data …

Obama looks to reenergize youth vote, get late Democratic surge for midterms  —  MADISON, WIS. - President Obama will swoop into the heartland this week in a high-stakes bid to boost enthusiasm for Democrats by reigniting the coalition of young and minority voters who were critical to his success two years ago.