An associate of Jerry Brown calls Meg Whitman a “whore” over pension reform (AUDIO)  —  In a private conversation that was inadvertently taped by a voicemail machine, an associate of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown can be heard referring to his Republican opponent Meg Whitman as a …

Federal judge upholds health care law  —  A federal judge in Michigan has upheld as Constitutional a provision in the health care reform bill requiring uninsured individuals to purchase insurance.  —  U.S. District Court Judge George Steeh ruled Thursday that the so-called individual mandate …

Rory Reid: Healthcare reform could end up hurting Nevada  —  Gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid (D) said Thursday that the new health reform law could hurt Nevada.  —  During a televised debate, Rory Reid, the son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said he does not support the legal challenges against the health overhaul.

Nobel Peace Prize Given to Jailed Chinese Dissident  —  BEIJING — Liu Xiaobo, an impassioned literary critic, political essayist and democracy advocate repeatedly jailed by the Chinese government for his writings, won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in recognition of …

Why President Obama is Not Signing H.R. 3808  —  Today, the White House announced that President Obama will not sign H.R. 3808, the Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010, and will return the bill to the House of Representatives.  The Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act …

Christie Halts Train Tunnel, Citing Its Cost  —  The largest public transit project in the nation, a commuter train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey to Manhattan, was halted on Thursday by Gov. Chris Christie because, he said, the state could not afford its share of the project's rising cost.

RED ALERT: MAJOR CARL PALADINO CAMPAIGN T.V. ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW  —  ...But nobody knows what the hell it is!!!  —  You cannot make this stuff up!!!  —  Republican gubernatorial nominee Carl Paladino is planning to make some sort of major television announcement tomorrow at 5:13 p.m., my sources tell me.

O'Donnell on the Maher tapes: 'I'm not saying that I'm prou...'  —  Wilmington, Delaware (CNN) - Delaware Republican senate candidate Christine O'Donnell says she's “matured” since her now well-known appearances on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher back in the 1990's.

Christine O'Donnell's Second Ad Debuts  —  I liked Christine O'Donnell's opening ad line of “I'm not a witch,” for lumping all of the criticism of O'Donnell together and labeling it with the wackiest and most ridiculous one.  —  Here's the follow-up, which . . . well, decide for yourself.

Sarah Palin Takes A Big Step Toward 2012 Run for President  —  Former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is raising new speculation in conservative circles that she is already preparing for a 2012 presidential bid.  In the latest and clearest example of her plans …

Biden: 'You're the dullest audience I've ever spoken to'  —  Vice President Joe Biden got a laugh from his audience at a Wisconsin fundraising event Thursday when he tried to rile the crowd about the economic collapse of 2008.  —  “We want to reward people who manufacture things in the United States …

Flawed Foreclosure Documents Thwart Home Sales  —  OCALA, Fla. — Amanda Ducksworth was supposed to move in to her new home this week, a three-bedroom steal here in central Florida with a horse farm across the road.  Instead, she is camped out with her 7-year-old son at her boss's house.

GOP Widens Lead in Generic House Ballot, CBS Poll Finds  —  CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.  —  Republicans have widened their lead against Democrats among likely voters in the generic ballot for the House …

GOP takeover of Congress would mean ‘hand-to-hand combat,’ Obama warns  —  A Republican majority would threaten policies to stabilize the economy, the president says during a radio interview, part of an effort to rally key Democratic constituencies.  —  Reporting from Washington …

Despite Anger At D.C., Dems Lead In All New York Races, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Women Propel Gillibrand To Double-Digit Lead  —  Democrats are surging in all New York statewide races as little-known Republican candidates struggle for name recognition, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Plouffe: Centrist Republicans considering a run should have their head examined  —  Centrist Republican candidates thinking of running for office should “have [their] head examined,” President Obama's top political strategist said Thursday.  —  Obama's 2008 presidential campaign manager …

BUSTED!  Video Documents Role of Democrat Consultant Neal Rauhauser in Smear Campaign Against Tea Party  —  WARNING: This video is filled with profanity.  What it documents — including pedophilia-inspired Twitter attacks against children of a Tea Party supporter — involves a network of …

Three dozen fall ill at Obama rally in Md.  —  BOWIE, Md. - About three dozen people have been treated for illness during a rally featuring President Obama at Bowie State University.  —  Prince George's County Fire and EMS spokesman Mark Brady tells WTOP numerous ambulances have been sent …

Boehner: Voters need a new GOP majority in Congress  —  Voters need a new party in control of the Congress to stand up to President Obama and address the nation's problems, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) will say Friday.  —  Boehner, the lawmaker who would likely become House speaker under …

Exclusive Bombshell of Foreclosure Fraud - Full Deposition of TAMMIE LOU KAPUSTA Law Office of David J Stern  —  HEY JUDGE COX, THIS IS WHAT THE MOTION TO QUASH IS PROTECTING!  —  MY GOD!  —  WHERE ARE THE FEDERAL AGENTS!!! … This just in and it is unbelievable!

The Colbert Democrats  —  A president's first midterm election is inevitably a referendum on his two years in office.  The bad news for Democrats is that President Obama's “reelect” number is 38 percent — precisely Bill Clinton's in October 1994, the eve of the wave election …

Inquiry Finds Guards at U.S. Bases Are Tied to Taliban  —  WASHINGTON — Afghan private security forces with ties to the Taliban, criminal networks and Iranian intelligence have been hired to guard American military bases in Afghanistan, exposing United States soldiers to surprise attack …

Burn your VFW cards; Vote Vets runs VFW - PAC????  (UPDATE 2)  —  UPDATE 2 AT BOTTOM  —  Last night, we received an interesting email from Bev Perlson, who heads the Band of Mothers group.  She's got an awesome email list that is good for keeping up on what's going on around the country.

Does ‘It Gets Better’ Make Life Better for Gay Teens?  —  At first glance, it seems impossible that any reasonable person could have a problem with the It Gets Better project.  The outreach campaign, started by writer Dan Savage, is a wonderful thing; it's a series of brief …

Some in G.O.P. Find Soft Spot for Bill Clinton  —  WASHINGTON — Many Republicans with a deep animus for President Obama find their hearts aflutter with the memory of a former leader.  He was a compassionate conservative, a guy who cared about free trade, a man who reached across the aisle.

Transit Economics  —  The usual suspects on the comment board are, inevitably, arguing that rail transit should pay for itself.  The obvious response is that road transit doesn't; why should only public transit have to self-finance, when private vehicles generally drive on free roads built and maintained out of taxes?