Betting on News, AOL Is Buying The Huffington Post  —  The Huffington Post, which began in 2005 with a meager $1 million investment and has grown into one of the most heavily visited news Web sites in the country, is being acquired by AOL in a deal that creates an unlikely pairing of two online media giants.

Rep. Jane Harman likely to leave House  —  Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) is likely to resign from Congress to succeed Lee H. Hamilton as president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a close friend of Harman's told POLITICO.  The nine-term intelligence expert notified House officials …

THE HILL POLL: Voters oppose raising the $14.3T debt ceiling  —  Only 27 percent of likely voters favor raising the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, while 62 percent oppose it, according to an exclusive poll for The Hill.  —  The poll found solid opposition from Republicans …

An ObamaCare Appeal From the States  —  Twenty-one governors representing more than 115 million Americans have written to Kathleen Sebelius asking for more flexibility on health-care reform.  —  Unless you're in favor of a fully nationalized health-care system, the president's health-care reform law is a massive mistake.

HJS003  —  By Yasmin Alibhai: Muslims are not wanted-david cameron and his cronies, must have asked independent to remove the comments section which makes these no 10 cronies in par with their friend blair and mubarak.  FREEDOM OF SPEECH: Only say what we like, or else?  —  coastman

Obama: I'm not moving to center  —  President Obama on Sunday dismissed the notion that his administration in recent weeks has pivoted toward the political center to raise his approval ratings as the 2012 campaign nears.  —  After ushering through Congress measures to throw a lifeline …

Droughts, Floods and Food  —  We're in the midst of a global food crisis — the second in three years.  World food prices hit a record in January, driven by huge increases in the prices of wheat, corn, sugar and oils.  These soaring prices have had only a modest effect on U.S. inflation …

Bush 2012  —  John J. Miller has a cover story in the new issue of National Review that's a compelling portrait of the accomplishments of Jeb Bush.  Four years after leaving the Florida governor's mansion, he remains one of the most impressive Republican politicians in the country …

How President Obama plays media like a fiddle  —  In early November, Barack Obama was one sad sack of a president—his agenda repudiated by midterm voters, his political judgment scorned by commentators, his future darkened by a growing belief he might be a one-time president.

Senators look for immigration deal  —  Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have rekindled their alliance on immigration reform, taking some early steps to test the political will for addressing the contentious issue this year.  —  Their call list hasn't focused …

Donald Rumsfeld to Diane Sawyer: 'It's Possible' Troop Decisions Were a Mistake in Iraq  —  ‘Not the Case’ That Iraq Is Like Vietnam; Denies Turning Bush's Attention to Iraq Post-9/11  —  More than four years after leaving public life, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld continues …

Blue Dogs have ‘no communication’ with Pelosi, Dem leadership, says Shuler  —  There's been “no communication” this Congress between House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and members of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, one of its top members said Monday.

Texas' finances not as rosy as they seemed  —  The state prides itself as a model of conservative spending and responsible budgeting.  But a new $27-billion budget gap undercuts its image as a business-seducing, fiscally adaptive state.  —  Reporting from Austin, Texas …

A License to Shampoo: Jobs Needing State Approval Rise  —  Amid calls for shrinking government, lawmakers across the country are vowing to cut regulations that crimp economic growth.  President Barack Obama recently said it's time to root out laws that “are just plain dumb.”