Webb won't seek reelection  —  Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb plans to announce today that he won't seek reelection, the Senator confirmed Wednesday.  —  Webb appeared likely to face a rematch with former Senator George Allen, whom he beat in a bruising 2006 contest.

Patriot Act extension fails in the House by seven votes  —  House Republicans suffered an embarrassing setback Tuesday when they fell seven votes short of extending provisions of the Patriot Act, a vote that served as the first small uprising of the party's tea-party bloc.

Arianna Huffington's ideological transformation  —  Did Arianna Huffington just sell out her fellow progressives?  —  In the literal sense, she undoubtedly has: The sale of Huffington Post to AOL for $315 million (including a large pile of cash going to Huffington herself) …

Obama's Approval Rating on Deficit Sinks to New Low  —  Egypt ranks among issues on which Obama is best rated  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama's approval rating for handling the federal budget deficit has gone from bad to worse in recent months, even as his ratings …

Labor  —  Surveying the GOP's latest efforts to usher forth a particular species of fiscal responsibility, I was recalled to a bit of personal history, which I try to not to think about.  Like a lot of couples, the notice that our family would increase by a half was greeted with great joy.

Democrats: Justice Thomas should recuse himself in healthcare reform case  —  A group of 73 House Democrats on Wednesday demanded U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself from any case examining the constitutionality of healthcare reform.  —  Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) …

Who's Policing Amtrak Joe Biden's Rail Boondoggles?  —  At Philadelphia's 30th Street Station on Tuesday, lifelong government rail promoter Vice President Joe Biden unveiled a $53 billion high-speed train initiative and half-joked: “I'm like the ombudsman for Amtrak.”

ABC7 poll: Emanuel leading mayor's race  —  ABC7's exclusive poll on the Chicago mayor's race provides a snapshot of how the candidates are doing as we head into the final two weeks of the campaign.  —  Rahm Emanuel's 54 percent share in the survey suggests an overwhelming lead …

Insurance reality hits House GOP  —  Ask any House Republican about repealing President Barack Obama's health care law, and you'll get the same fiery, self-assured talking points about tearing down what Speaker John Boehner has called a “monstrosity.”  —  But talk to some of the 16 freshman lawmakers …

Is ‘Eat Real Food’ Unthinkable?  —  In recent weeks we've seen a big, powerful government agency, a big, powerful person and a big, powerful corporation telling us what to eat.  Even with all this big, powerful input, we know nothing that we didn't know last year.

Breaking the Sarah Palin Trademark Story: A Lesson in Journalism Ethics … Sometimes a light bulb goes off.  —  One night at 2 a.m. I was reading a story by Matt Lewis about Herman Cain, a possible 2012 presidential candidate from Georgia.  Pursuing the Cain story further …

RNC's former Tampa convention team spent $1 million  —  TAMPA - They rented an exclusive waterfront mansion, wined and dined at five-star restaurants and hired family members and friends, all on the taxpayers' dime.  —  Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's 2012 convention team based …

At CPAC, the race for second place as Paul goes all out  —  The Conservative Political Action Conference's annual straw poll typically indicates three things: Whom CPAC's segment of the conservative base prefers for president; who bought tickets for their supporters; and whether Ron Paul is really trying.

Why Egypt Should Worry China  —  print recommend Send link clip secure rights  —  BERKELEY - A strictly economic interpretation of events in Tunisia and Egypt would be too simplistic - however tempting such an exercise is for an economist.  That said, there is no question …

Saudi oil reserves ‘overstated by 40%’  —  US diplomat convinced by Saudi expert that reserves of world's biggest oil exporter have been overstated by nearly 40%  —  • Peak oil alarm revealed by secret official talks  —  • Datablog: Are we running out of oil?

Jackson Lee blasts ‘demeaning’ Pepsi Super Bowl ad  —  Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) took to the House floor Tuesday night to criticize what she called a “demeaning” Pepsi ad that aired during the Super Bowl.  —  In the ad for Pepsi Max, a black woman sitting on a park bench gets angry …

Apple's New iPad in Production  —  Apple Inc. has started manufacturing a new version of its iPad tablet computer with a built-in camera and faster processor, said people familiar with the matter.  —  The new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the first model, these people said.