Democrats to End Union Standoff  —  Playing a game of political chicken, Democratic senators who fled Wisconsin to stymie restrictions on public-employee unions said Sunday they planned to come back from exile soon, betting that even though their return will allow the bill to pass …

Will Sarah Palin run for president and can she win?  —  Ms Palin outlines factors that will influence whether she enters the running  —  Sarah Palin, one of the best known and most controversial figures in American politics, told BBC Newsnight she was weighing up whether the US was ready for an …

The Fading Power of Beck's Alarms  —  Almost every time I flipped on television last week, there was a deeply angry guy on a running tirade about the conspiracies afoot, the enemies around all corners, and how he alone seemed to understand what was under way.

Supreme Court rejects appeal from ‘birther’ advocate  —  By: CNN Supreme Court Producer Bill Mears  —  Washington (CNN) - The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a so-called “birther” advocate to examine whether President Barack Obama was actually born in the United States.

Obama's hard line on leaks  —  The Obama administration, which famously pledged to be the most transparent in American history, is pursuing an unexpectedly aggressive legal offensive against federal workers who leak secret information to expose wrongdoing, highlight national security threats or pursue a personal agenda.

Degrees and Dollars  —  It is a truth universally acknowledged that education is the key to economic success.  Everyone knows that the jobs of the future will require ever higher levels of skill.  That's why, in an appearance Friday with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, President Obama declared that …

Bonds Show Why Boehner Saying We're Broke Is Figure of Speech  —  House Speaker John Boehner routinely offers this diagnosis of the U.S.'s fiscal condition: “We're broke; Broke going on bankrupt,” he said in a Feb. 28 speech in Nashville.  —  Boehner's assessment dominates a debate …

Brawl Mars DMV Music Awards Outside Washington  —  ARLINGTON, Va. - Arlington police say a brawl broke out during the DMV music awards ceremony, sending one person to a local hospital.  —  Police say five people were treated Saturday night at the scene of the awards ceremony, which honors local rap, hip-hop and R&B performers.

Recall drives could make history  —  Rarely have multiple lawmakers faced such action  —  By Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel  —  As improbable as the last three weeks have been in state politics, Wisconsin is about to embark on another wild ride into the political unknown …

How Boehner is playing the Democrats  —  Richard Nixon espoused what he called “the madman theory.”  It's a negotiating approach that induces the other side to believe you are capable of dangerously irrational actions and leads it to back down to avoid the wreckage your rage might let loose.

Number of healthcare reform law waivers climbs above 1,000  —  The number of temporary healthcare reform waivers granted by the Obama administration to organizations climbed to more than 1,000, according to new numbers disclosed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

BUSINESS INSIDER: The Full Monty  —  Most private companies zealously protect details about financial and operating performance, refusing to release so much as a revenue number.  —  The logic for this secrecy varies.  Sometimes, the information is “competitive.”  Sometimes it's “confidential.”

First Thoughts: Romney 3.0  —  In New Hampshire on Saturday, Romney unveiled Romney 3. (a presidential candidate who focuses more on the economy than on social issues)... How that compares with Romney 1. (the socially moderate Massachusetts governor) and Romney 2. (the 2008 presidential candidate …

THE HILL POLL: U.S. future depends on cutting debt, voters say  —  Likely voters overwhelmingly believe deficit reduction is crucial to America's future, but generally oppose raising revenue through tax reform to cut those deficits, a new poll conducted for The Hill found.

Homeless children: the hard times generation  —  Scott Pelley reports on the growing number of children who are falling victim to the financial crisis  —  Unemployment improved a bit last month but it is still nearly nine percent and the trouble is job creation is so slow …

Newsnight interviews Sarah Palin's parents  —  “We never talk politics with Sarah,” Chuck Heath said  —  JACKIE LONG: When Sarah was growing up, did you have any sense that there was something big to come?  —  Chuck Heath: [Sarcastically] Yeah right, we knew from the moment she was in her crib.

Guest column: Forefathers fought for religious freedom  —  In the heat of the American Revolution in 1777, the Continental Army was struggling to muster shoes and victory.  What were two of our most heroic founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, doing?

The conservatives' case for campaign finance reform  —  I've been listening to the conservative arguments against public-employee unions for the last few weeks, and it's left me with one big question: Why aren't more conservatives ferocious supporters of serious campaign-finance reform?