Why is This GOP House Candidate Dressed as a Nazi?  —  An election year already notable for its menagerie of extreme and unusual candidates can add another one: Rich Iott, the Republican nominee for Congress from Ohio's 9th District, and a Tea Party favorite, who for years donned …

Activism of Thomas's Wife Could Raise Judicial Issues  —  RICHMOND, Va. — As one of the keynote speakers here Friday at a state convention billed as the largest Tea Party event ever, Virginia Thomas gave the throng of more than 2,000 activists a full-throated call to arms for conservative principles.

Projected Republican Gains Approach 50 House Seats  —  It has become fashionable to speak of a Democratic comeback, but we're not really seeing one in our forecasting models.  Certainly there are some individual races — particularly on the East and West Coasts, as well as some gubernatorial contests outside …

President Loses ‘Iron Hand,’ Gains Donilon  —  The key to understanding why President Obama picked deputy National Security Adviser Tom Donilon to replace Gen. James Jones has three grooves: one, Donilon is a civilian policy wonk loyal to the President who has been involved in every facet …

CNN courts Couric  —  Tweet  —  Friends of Katie Couric are saying the chances of her remaining at CBS are getting slimmer.  —  CNN appears especially eager to sign Couric now that the new show starring ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer is off to a stumbling start.  —  Jeff Bewkes, the CEO …

Jerry Brown announces NOW endorsement one day after Meg Whitman slur  —  Jerry Brown announced he has received the endorsement of the National Organization for Women, less than 24 hours after the emergence of a recorded message in which Brown can be heard in a conversation with advisors in which someone calls Whitman a “whore.”

Constellation Energy shelves plan for Calvert Cliffs reactor  —  Constellation Energy has shelved its proposal to build a new reactor at its Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant, Obama administration officials said Friday, even though the administration had decided to award the project a $7.5 billion loan guarantee.

Voting Test Falls Victim to Hackers  —  Hackers infiltrated the District of Columbia's online voting system last week.  They changed all votes for mayor to Master Control Pro and elected HAL 9000 the council chairman.  The blaring University of Michigan fight song played whenever a new ballot was successfully cast.

Obama says GOP wants to ‘cut education by 20 percent’  —  President Obama pitched education initiatives and funding as key to preparing kids for the jobs of the future, and accused congressional Republicans of standing in the way of goals to graduate more students from college.

Lured Into a Trap, Then Tortured for Being Gay  —  He was told there was a party at a brick house on Osborne Place, a quiet block set on a steep hill in the Bronx.  He showed up last Sunday night as instructed, with plenty of cans of malt liquor.  What he walked into was not a party at all …

Weekly Address: Strengthening Education, Not Cutting It  —  The President explains that even as we focus on creating jobs immediately, we must also ensure the economy is better for our children by investing in education - not cutting it by 20% as Congressional Republicans propose.

Obama Hits GOP Proposal to Cut Education Spending  —  Obama promotes learning agenda, says he won't 'shortchange our children's education' like GOP  —  Offering voters a reason to keep Democrats in power on Capitol Hill, President Barack Obama says Republicans would cut education spending …

APNewsBreak: Johnson nets savings on prison labor  —  Republican Senate candidate Ron Johnson, who has campaigned against government subsidies to business, employs up to nine prison inmates at his plastics factories whose health care costs are paid by the state, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.

US given one-month deadline to rescue Mid-East talks  —  Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (C) got backing in Sirte from Arab League ministers  —  Arab League ministers have given the US one month to rescue deadlocked Middle East peace talks.  —  The ministers, meeting in Libya …

Rock-Throwing Palestinian Boy Hit by Car in Jerusalem  —  A group of masked boys converge on a car and begin throwing rocks at it in Jerusalem.  In the midst of the chaos, the car up-ends one of the rock-throwers and speeds off.  —  This website uses IntenseDebate comments …

Mitch McConnell Open To A Government Shutdown, Joe Miller Says  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  In a fascinating interview with the National Review, Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller said that in a private conversation with Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader expressed openness to the idea of a government shutdown.

Kent State tape indicates altercation and pistol fire preceded National Guard shootings (audio)  —  KENT, Ohio — A noisy, violent altercation and four pistol shots took place about 70 seconds before Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on antiwar protesters at Kent State University …

Harry Reid Pleads with Nevada: Remember All I've Done  —  This post originally appeared on Slate.  —  RENO, Nev.— It used to be that if you needed to get a divorce, you came here.  Harry Reid came to Reno to stop one.  Nevada voters want a split from the Senate majority leader …