Media Creates New Palin Scandal!  Sarah Accused of Bringing Hairdresser on Haiti Trip  —  Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin traveled to Haiti this weekend as a guest of the Rev. Franklin Graham and Samaritan's Purse to spotlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the earthquake and cholera-stricken Caribbean (half an) island nation.

In Tax Benefits to the Middle, Political Lift for Obama  —  WASHINGTON — With the Senate poised to hold a key vote on Monday on the tax cut deal between President Obama and Republicans, the political jousting has focused on what the agreement does for the wealthy by extending all of the Bush-era tax rates …

Block Those Metaphors  —  Like it or not — and I don't — the Obama-McConnell tax-cut deal, with its mixture of very bad stuff and sort-of-kind-of good stuff, is likely to pass Congress.  Then what?  —  The deal will, without question, give the economy a short-term boost.

RNC Chairman Steele to Announce He Won't Run for Second Term  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is expected to announce he will drop out of the highly contested race to keep his post, sources told FoxNews.com on Sunday.  —  Fox News has confirmed Steele sent an e-mail …

Government Unions vs. Taxpayers  —  The moral case for unions—protecting working families from exploitation—does not apply to public employment.  —  When Americans think of organized labor, they might think of images like I saw growing up in a blue-collar meatpacking town: hard hats, work boots, tough conditions and gritty jobs.

Amazing  —  A year ago, no one took seriously the idea that a federal health care mandate was unconstitutional.  And the idea that buying health care coverage does not amount to “economic activity” seems preposterous on its face.  But the decision that just came down from the federal judgment in Virginia …

John Boehner: Obama disrespectful to me  —  John Boehner thinks President Barack Obama is “engaging” and “smart” — but the speaker-elect is also still smarting over the president's claim that he took taxpayers hostage to secure a tax break for the rich.  —  In an interview with Leslie Stahl of …

Breyer: Madison wrote 2nd Amendment to appease the states  —  It's not just the Constitution that is a “living document,” as Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer proved yesterday when discussing the Second Amendment.  Breyer argued that James Madison only included the right to bear arms reluctantly …

Manchin Supports Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal, But Will Vote Against It Until World Peace Is Achieved  —  This morning, during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) — the only Democrat to support a Republican filibuster of Don't Ask, Don't Tell …

Rep. Ron Paul, G.O.P. Loner, Comes In From Cold  —  WASHINGTON — As virtually all of Washington was declaring WikiLeaks's disclosures of secret diplomatic cables an act of treason, Representative Ron Paul was applauding the organization for exposing the United States' “delusional foreign policy.”

FAQ: Compromised Commenting Accounts on Gawker Media  —  This weekend we discovered that Gawker Media's servers were compromised, resulting in a security breach at Lifehacker, Gizmodo, Gawker, Jezebel, io9, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Deadspin, and Fleshbot.  If you're a commenter on any of our sites, you probably have several questions.

Stockholm bomber was thrown out of Luton mosque for trying to recruit extremists  —  The Stockholm bomber was thrown out of a mosque in Luton three years ago following a row over his extremist beliefs, it has emerged.  —  Taimur Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, 28, tried to recruit other Muslims …

Poll finds broad bipartisan support for tax package  —  About seven in 10 Americans back the tax deal negotiated last week by President Obama and congressional Republicans, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.  —  The high bipartisan support for the package masks …

Federal Judge to Rule on Health Law's Constitutionality  —  A Virginia federal judge is expected to rule Monday on whether the Obama administration's health law violates the Constitution, opening a new stage in the administration's defense of its biggest legislative achievement.

Incoming GOP Financial Services Chairman: Washington's Role Is ‘To Serve The Banks’  —  During the financial reform debate, Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) — who will become chairman of the House Financial Services Committee in the 112th Congress — continually criticized the reform effort.