McCain has rare 1-on-1 with Obama  —  With a “rapidly deteriorating” situation in Egypt, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had a rare one-on-one meeting at the White House with 2008 campaign rival Barack Obama to discuss policy in the Middle East and several other domestic issues.

Egypt Protests Turn Violent  —  Pro- and Anti-Mubarak Crowds Collide in the Worst Clashes Since Friday  —  We just got back to the hotel after trying to film on the bridge into Tahrir Square.  —  An angry mob surrounded us and chased us into the car shouting that they hate America.

Senate rejects healthcare repeal  —  The Senate on Wednesday voted down a repeal of President Obama's healthcare law in a 47-51 party-line vote.  —  The vote came two weeks to the day the Republican House voted 245-189 to repeal the law, and just days after a federal judge ruled Obama's …

In Book, Rumsfeld Recalls Bush's Early Iraq Focus  —  WASHINGTON — Just 15 days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush invited his defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld, to meet with him alone in the Oval Office.  According to Mr. Rumsfeld's new memoir …

President Obama Signs START Treaty, Doesn't Allow Reporters in the Room  —  President Obama signed the START nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia this morning.  —  Despite the great attention the president has devoted to this treaty — and the vast coverage of the treaty negotiations by the media …

Democrats reach for the shiny object  —  Look At the Shiny Object  —  Yesterday Debbie Wasserman-Shultz came out swinging against the latest GOP assault on women, calling the new requirement that only those who are the victims of “forcible” rape be entitled to government funded abortion, “violence against women” and she's right.

Kirk Cites Al Gore's Personal Life As Impetus For Climate Flip-Flop  —  Back when he was a member of the House, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) was one of a few Republicans who voted for a far-reaching climate change bill.  That legislation quickly fueled Tea Party rage, and conservatives went on the attack against the plan's backers.

WikiLeaks: US and China in military standoff over space missiles  —  The United States threatened to take military action against China during a secret “star wars” arms race within the past few years, according to leaked documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

SEIU fights healthcare repeal after obtaining waivers from law  —  The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is lobbying hard against the amendment offered by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) to repeal the healthcare reform law.  —  SEIU has sent e-mails …

Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps?  (MIchael Fletcher of the Washington Post Edition)  —  Fresno, CA—along with much of the rest of the great Central Valley—has long had a structural unemployment problem.  Back at the start of the 1990s when the unemployment rate in the country …

How Super Is Our Debt?  —  One problem political organizations often face is a wealth of complex information and the challenge of presenting that information in an easily digestible format.  Our goal, as a firm, is to help clients identify new and compelling ways to make a point.

John Thune faces tough choice on 2012  —  South Dakota Sen. John Thune just landed two plum posts in the Senate — seats on the influential Finance and Budget committees — that crystallize the decision he now faces: Stay in the Senate to climb the leadership ladder, or jump into the 2012 presidential contest.

Fox Takes 50 Minute Break From Regular Programming To Run News Corp Infomercial  —  As Americans and the world are gripped by the ongoing crisis in Egypt, news organizations have devoted wall-to-wall coverage to the protests — that is, except for Fox News, which interrupted its news programing …

Florida to Barack Obama: Keep your health care reform cash  —  No thanks.  That's what the state of Florida is saying to the Obama administration, declining a $1 million grant to implement the health law.  —  The move follows this week's federal court decision declaring the law unconstitutional.

Egypt Is A Very Large Proportion of the Arab World  —  I knew Egypt was the largest population of the Arab countries, but until I looked up the numbers I didn't realize how dramatically the demographics of the Arab world are weighted toward Egypt:  —  What's more, a healthy share of Iraqis …