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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Egypt Quietly Invades Libya  —  The rebellion against the Kadaffi dictatorship in Libya has not produced any official outside help, but Egypt has apparently sent some of its commandos in to help out the largely amateur rebel force.  Wearing civilian clothes, the hundred or so Egyptian commandos …

John McCain claims iPad, iPhone made in U.S.A.  —  During a discussion of free trade Sunday on ABC's “This Week” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) touted Apple iPads and iPhones as products made in America.  There's just one problem, though: Both products are made in China.

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 …

Liberal group pushes for $382 billion stimulus  —  Liberals have come up with a counterpoint to House Republicans' “cut and grow” austerity plan: have the government spend billions to hire millions of the unemployed.  —  With conservatives clamoring to cut federal spending and public sector jobs …

Lack of GOP Front-Runner for 2012 Is Atypical  —  John McCain and Barry Goldwater the only GOP presidential nominees to emerge late  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The wide-open battle for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination — with nearly a three-way tie among Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin …

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.

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 …

Republicans in Iowa for caucus curtain raiser  —  Much of the likely Republican presidential field will be at a suburban Des Moines mega church Monday night to court a large gathering of social conservatives.  —  Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum are the top contenders on the program …

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.

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 liberal campaign against SCOTUS conservatives  —  Still reeling from a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to an explosion of political ads from corporate interests, and fearful the court could overturn President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul, liberal groups have launched an aggressive …