Obama joins Wisconsin's budget battle, opposing Republican anti-union bill  —  MADISON, WIS. - President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits …

DNC Expands Role In Labor Protests To Ohio, Indiana … WASHINGTON — Building on the momentum in Wisconsin, where tens of thousands of protesters have turned out to oppose Republican Gov. Scott Walker's effort to strip collective-bargaining rights from the state's public-employee unions …

Willie Sutton Wept  —  There are three things you need to know about the current budget debate.  First, it's essentially fraudulent.  Second, most people posing as deficit hawks are faking it.  Third, while President Obama hasn't fully avoided the fraudulence, he's less bad than his opponents …

GOP votes to defund Obama's policy ‘czars’  —  The House GOP approved an amendment to a government-spending bill that would block funding for the Obama administration's so-called policy “czars,” appointed advisers to the president that have been much-criticized by Republicans.  —  The vote was 249-171.

On Long Island, Palin Opens Up and Plays Coy  —  WOODBURY, N.Y. — Sarah Palin did not visit Iowa or New Hampshire on Thursday, and she did not drop by South Carolina or Nevada.  But inside a country club ballroom here, as she logged another stop as a paid speaker, she said she could not wait much longer to decide her future.

Warning for GOP: Beware ‘Arrogance of Power’  —  The Ohio Republican Says His Party Could Suffer Same Fate as Dems at the Polls  —  Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has a warning for his fellow Republicans: Beware “the arrogance of power,” or voters will do to you what they did to Democrats last year.

GOP activists in Iowa divided on whether Palin can carry 2012 banner  —  WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - A group of Republican activists was sorting out the field of prospective 2012 presidential candidates on a cold night here recently when talk turned to Sarah Palin.

Who's Polarizing America?  —  American politics just keeps getting more polarized.  Be assured that Obama wants it that way.  I argue in Radical-in-Chief that Obama's long-term hope is to divide America along class lines (roughly speaking, tax payers versus tax beneficiaries).

Tensions flare on spending bill  —  With tensions rising, House Republicans pushed through a third long night, hoping to win passage late Friday of more than $60 billion in immediate spending cuts that would severely affect agencies in the second half of this fiscal year.

Ont. couple's appeal to bring baby home dismissed  —  A Superior Court judge has dismissed a Windsor couple's appeal of a decision to have their dying baby's breathing tube removed in hospital.  In this undated handout photo, Joseph Maraachli, a one-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. …

Pawlenty to keynote large tea party event  —  (CNN) - Tim Pawlenty will headline an inaugural policy summit being put on by one of the largest national tea party groups in the U.S.  —  Tea Party Patriots announced Friday morning that the former Minnesota governor and probable 2012 GOP presidential candidate …

Administration asks judge to tell the states that healthcare law isn't optional  —  The Obama administration is asking a federal judge who struck down the healthcare reform law to clarify that states must still implement the overhaul as the appeals process plays out.

Groups supporting 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal or gay marriage will no longer be allowed to participate at CPAC  —  Al Cardenas, the new chairman of the American Conservative Union (ACU), announced on CSPAN Wednesday that the his organization, which hosts the annual CPAC event …

Security Forces in Bahrain Fire on Mourners and Journalists  —  MANAMA, Bahrain — Government forces opened fire on hundreds of mourners marching toward Pearl Square Friday, sending people running away in panic amid the boom of concussion grenades.  But even as the people fled …

Tomorrow Never Comes  —  Jonathan Alter wrote a book about Barack Obama's first year in office called “The Promise.”  That's a great title because it works on so many levels.  For example, over the past four years, Obama's career has been marked by a constant promise: He has continually …

Bill OK'd to end collective bargaining with schools  —  Register or log in using your account on these websites.  —  Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH  —  NASHVILLE — The Senate Education Committee voted along party lines Wednesday to abolish collective bargaining between teachers unions and school boards across the state.

Tucson Firefighter Refused to Respond  —  PHOENIX — A Tucson firefighter refused to respond to the Jan. 8 shooting rampage that wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords because of political differences with his crew, delaying his unit's arrival at the scene, according to internal department records.

Libya: Security Forces Fire on ‘Day of Anger’ Demonstrations  —  Government Should Respect Right to Peaceful Protest and Investigate Deaths  —  (New York) - The Libyan security forces killed at least 24 protesters and wounded many others in a crackdown on peaceful demonstrations across the country, Human Rights Watch said today.