Conservative bloggers agree: Haley Barbour is toast  —  I noted here yesterday that the real problem with Haley Barbour's comments about the Citizens Councils is that they show an unwillingness to avoid urinating on the third rail of race.  Today several conservative bloggers came …

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 …

Census Data Show 308 Million People and a Regional Shift  —  WASHINGTON — The Census Bureau rearranged the country's political map on Tuesday, giving more Congressional seats to the South and the West, and taking away from the Northeast and the Midwest, in largely anticipated changes …

For Obama, START treaty is ‘personal’  —  President Obama is making a final push to secure the votes for an arms treaty that stands not just as a political goal but a highly personal one.  —  The president needs nine Republican votes to win the two-thirds Senate majority to ratify …

That snow 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.

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.”

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 …

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 …

Thanks for the Tax Cut!  —  THERE is a God!  It passed!  The Bush tax cuts have been extended two years for the upper bracketeers, of which I am a proud member, thank you very much.  I'm the last person in the world I'd want to be beside, but I am beside myself!  This is a life changer, I tell you.

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.

Transcript: The Assange interview  —  The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been holed up in a mansion in East Anglia since he was released from prison last week.  —  He is under strict bail conditions while he fights extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning about claims of sexual assault.

Reapportionment costs Obama 6, leaves path  —  Tom Bonier, one of the Democratic Party's leading redistricting wizards, e-mails:  —  With seats shifting mostly from the Northeast and Midwest into the South and West, if you apply the new apportionment to the 2008 results, Obama loses 6 electoral votes.

The RNC food fight everyone saw coming  —  Jonathan Martin wrote months ago that Republican leaders feared that dumping Michael Steele would lead to a racially charged food fight, and, well, here we go, as former Steele aide and current rival Gentry Collins looks to shake up the race and pick …

Harry Potter actress was beaten and branded a prostitute by her brother after dating man ‘who was not a Muslim’  —  A Harry Potter actress fled her home after her father and brother threatened to kill her for going out with a Hindu man, a court heard yesterday.

Actor Injured in Fall During ‘Spider-Man’ Performance  —  An actor playing Spider-Man was injured during a performance of the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” on Monday night.  Above, an image from a video taken by a New York Times reader.  —  Updated