House repeals healthcare law, 245-189  —  The House voted on Wednesday to repeal the sweeping healthcare law enacted last year, as Republicans made good on a central campaign pledge and laid down the first major policy marker of their new majority.  —  The vote was 245-189.

NBC/WSJ poll: Obama bouncing back  —  The president's approval rating returns to the 50s, but challenges remain, according to the latest poll  —  Below:  —  Deputy political director  —  WASHINGTON — What a difference a few weeks can make.  —  Last month, Republicans were celebrating …

A three-way pileup atop 2012 GOP presidential race  —  Former Govs. Mike Huckabee (Ark.), Sarah Palin (Alaska) and Mitt Romney (Mass.) make up the top tier of the 2012 Republican presidential field, according to a new poll from the Washington Post and ABC News.

The 50 Most Loathsome Americans of 2010  —  Charges: The A.Q. Khan of the culinary world, her secret recipes are demonstrably more dangerous to America than a nuclear armed North Korea.  When not delighting delusional hicks on “Huckabee,” she's cooking up coronary-clogging treats like the …

Goodbye to a Guy Named Joe  —  On Wednesday, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut announced that he won't be a candidate for re-election in 2012.  Normally people look particularly appealing when they're promising to go away.  This time, not so much.  —  “I can't help but also think about …

Palin Putting Out Presidential Feelers in Iowa  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has tasked her aides with quietly gauging her level of support for a potential presidential campaign by making inquiries to a select pool of likely allies and grassroots activists in Iowa, RealClearPolitics has learned.

Advocacy Group Says Justices May Have Conflict in Campaign Finance Cases  —  WASHINGTON — When the conservative financier Charles Koch sent out invitations for a political retreat in Palm Springs later this month, he highlighted past appearances at the gathering of “notable leaders” …

Rep. Chris Murphy Announces Connecticut Senate Candidacy (EXCLUSIVE) … UPDATE: Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) formally announced on Thursday morning that he will be running for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.)  —  In an exclusive statement …

FBI Rounding Up 100 Mobsters in Biggest Mafia Bust in New York History  —  Charges range from gambling to racketeering to murder  —  The FBI calls it the biggest mafia round-up in New York history.  More than 100 suspected mobsters are being arrested this morning in connection …

Parents of Giffords' doc supported Tea Partier Christine O'Donnell with Palm Beach cash  —  The name of Michael Lemole, the University of Arizona neurosurgeon who's been treating U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' brain injuries since the Jan. 8 shooting, may sound familiar to Palm Beachers.

Palinoia, the Destroyer  —  What's behind the left's deranged hatred.  —  Why does their hatred of her burn so hot?  —  Ask them, and they'll most likely tell you: Because she's a moron.  But that is obviously false.  To be sure, her skills at extemporaneous speaking leave much to be desired.

A number of the House GOP's leading conservative members on Thursday will announce legislation that would cut $2.5 trillion over 10 years, which will be by far the most ambitious and far-reaching proposal by the new majority to cut federal government spending.

Our Second Annual TV News Trust Poll  —  PPP's annual look at the public's trust in various TV news outlets finds that Fox News' credibility is on the decline, that the traditional networks are seeing an up tick in their numbers, and that PBS is at the top of the heap.

Mitt Hits the Road Again  —  Once more, Willard Mitt Romney looked great, and not just because of his rugged jawline, which showed no sign of slackening, or his thick blow-dry, which had gone more gray in just the right places.  No, there was something else, a feeling in the air as he moved through his adoptive state — where else?

If Obama wants to be bold, he should be bold  —  Peter Baker has a lot of juicy tidbits about the frequent infighting and petty spats that split the White House economic team over the past two years, but the individual who comes off worst in the article is not Larry Summers or Christina Romer or Peter Orszag or Rahm Emanuel.

Glenn Beck And Sean Hannity Dropped From Philadelphia Radio Station  —  Yesterday, hate radio hosts Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity had their nationally syndicated radio shows dropped from WPHT in Philadelphia, which is the second radio station to drop both of the conservative commentators.

Michelle Obama's ‘Get Moving’ Program Linked to Pedestrian Deaths  —  WASHINGTON — The Governors Highway Safety Association says pedestrian deaths increased in the first half of 2010 and the First Lady's program to get Americans to be more active could be partly responsible.

Business Leaders Make Cut at State Dinner With Hu  —  WASHINGTON - Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter made the cut.  So did Bill Clinton and his wife, the secretary of state.  The heads of Microsoft, Boeing, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Boeing and Walt Disney were on the list.

Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number (update: option disappears)  —  We'd be lying if we said we hadn't been waiting on this feature since the service's debut.  As one reader just notified us (and verified by a number of staffers), Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number …

Obama enjoys 2012 edge in bellwether state of Ohio  —  President Obama enjoys a slight advantage in the key battleground state of Ohio going into his 2012 reelection.  —  A slight plurality of Ohioans said that Obama deserves reelection, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Stands on Both Feet, Looks Out Window  —  Giffords to Be Moved to Houston Rehab Facility  —  Rep. Gabrielle Giffords stood on both feet with assistance and looked out a window, another milestone in her recovery after a gunman fired a bullet through her brain during …