Haley Barbour's Account Of Civil Rights Era In Mississippi Assailed By NAACP, Historians  —  What's Your Reaction: … WASHINGTON — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) has set off a firestorm of controversy over his comments on the civil rights era in his hometown of Yazoo City …

Obama FCC Caves on Net Neutrality — Tuesday Betrayal Assured  —  What's Your Reaction:  —  Late Monday, a majority of the FCC has indicated that they're going to vote with Chairman Julius Genachowski for a toothless Net Neutrality rule.  —  According to all reports, the rule …

GOP senators concede arms treaty will secure enough votes to pass  —  Republican senators say privately they expect the Senate to ratify the New START treaty this week, which would hand President Obama his third major victory of the lame-duck session.  —  GOP senators — including those who plan …

Christie frees man in gun case  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gave the Aitken family all they wanted for Christmas Monday.  —  Christie signed a letter ordering Brian Aitken, a New Jersey man sentenced to seven years in jail for having weapons he legally purchased in Colorado …

That snow outside is what global warming looks like  —  Unusually cold winters may make you think scientists have got it all wrong.  But the data reveal a chilling truth  —  There were two silent calls, followed by a message left on my voicemail.  She had a soft, gentle voice and a mid-Wales accent.

Dems prepare defense of healthcare law in face of repeal threats  —  Democrats are preparing a spirited defense of the healthcare law in the face of Republican efforts to dismantle it.  —  Statements from lawmakers, advocates and the administration reveal a multi-pronged strategy …

Janet Napolitano: We're Working “24/7, 364″ To Keep The American People Safe  —  Ya gotta wonder which day America's anti-terror forces are kicking their feet up with a book and maybe a nap, instead of, you know, “keeping the American people safe?”  —  On ABC's World News tonight …

U.S. Military Seeks to Expand Raids in Pakistan  —  WASHINGTON — Senior American military commanders in Afghanistan are pushing for an expanded campaign of Special Operations ground raids across the border into Pakistan's tribal areas, a risky strategy reflecting the growing frustration …

Nancy Pelosi: No regrets  —  “Every minute is a new minute to me,” says Nancy Pelosi, and, with boxes packed in the hall outside, the soon-to-be-former speaker has already jumped ahead to her vision of the “humming, whirling entity” House Democrats can still be in the coming Congress.

Attorney General's Blunt Warning on Terror Attacks  —  AG Eric Holder Says ‘Terrorists Only Have to Be Successful Once’  —  Attorney General Eric Holder has an urgent message for Americans: While he is confident that the United States will continue to thwart attacks, “the terrorists only have to be successful once.”

Coburn may block 9/11 bill  —  New York Democrats hoping for quick action on a bill to give health care compensation to Ground Zero workers are about to run into Tom Coburn.  —  The Oklahoma Republican and physician — known in the Senate as “Dr. No” for his penchant in blocking bills …

Justice Dept. Is Criticized as Corruption Cases Close  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has shut down a wave of high-profile investigations of members of Congress over the past few months, drawing criticism that the government's premier anticorruption agency has lost its nerve …

Debt crisis threatens 100 US cities  —  Overdrawn American cities could face financial collapse in 2011, defaulting on hundreds of billions of dollars of borrowings and derailing the US economic recovery.  Nor are European cities safe - Florence, Barcelona, Madrid, Venice: all are in trouble

Omnibus Libertarian Reply Post  —  I'm not sure how much interest you all have in following my running debates with the libertarian world, so I'm trying to wrap a couple of these threads up here in one place.  —  A while ago, Will Wilkinson argued that the fact that people like Peter Orszag …

Toyota Motor Corp will Pay $32.425 Million in Civil Penalties as the Result of Two Department of Transportation Investigations  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that Toyota Motor Corporation has agreed to pay an additional $32.425 million …

Vince Cable: I could bring down the Government  —  Vince Cable has privately threatened to “bring the Government down” if he is “pushed too far” during fractious discussions with his Conservative colleagues, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.  —  The Business Secretary also claims …

RNC chair candidate proposes ballot measures  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A candidate to lead the Republican National Committee warned Monday that the GOP will hand a second term to Democratic President Barack Obama if the party doesn't elect a chairman who can harness voters' frustrations …

Obama Finds Lame Duck Ally In Murkowski  —  One of Pres. Obama's biggest supporters in the Senate in the past week is not even a member of his own party: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).  —  Murkowski supported the president's position on the Senate's four biggest votes since last Wednesday.

Quiet deal on Obama's judge nominees in the Senate  —  WASHINGTON — After a monthslong blockade, Senate Republicans have agreed to let at least 19 of President Barack Obama's non-controversial judicial nominees win confirmation in the waning days of the congressional session in exchange …