Emergency Workers Struggle to Cool Reactor at Japanese Nuclear Plant  —  TOKYO — Japan's struggle to contain the crisis at a stricken nuclear power plant worsened early Tuesday morning, as emergency operations to pump seawater into one crippled reactor temporarily failed …

Sadly, the primary process might help Sarah Palin  —  It is difficult to believe, but the first election for the next president of the United States is less than a year away.  —  The New Hampshire primary is alive and well and headed toward a date of Valentine's Day next year …

Fox News Signs Former Senator Evan Bayh As A Contributor … UPDATE: Fox News officially announced on Monday afternoon that former Democratic Senator Evan Bayh is becoming a contributor to the network.  —  Michael Clemente, the network's senior vice president for news, announced the move in a statement.

NPR: O'Keefe ‘Inappropriately Edited’ Video; Exec's Words Still ‘Egregious’  —  An update on our post from Sunday about the questions that have been raised regarding conservative political activist James O'Keefe's editing of his secretly recorded video of then-NPR chief fundraiser Ron Schiller slamming conservatives.

Japan, Reno humor in Barbour's shop  —  Every morning, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's press secretary sends to Barbour's staff and other allies a list of press clippings, along with a daily compendium of birthdays, historical notes, and jokes — which have recently included humor …

No More Short-Term Budget CR's  —  “Washington politicians of both parties scrambling to put together two and three week plans to keep funding the government, while not fundamentally changing the behavior that has gotten us into this mess to begin with.”  —  Our country faces a brutal reality …

Fiddling While Libya Burns  —  PRESIDENT Obama says the noose is tightening around Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.  In fact, it is tightening around the Libyan rebels, as Colonel Qaddafi makes the most of the world's dithering and steadily retakes rebel-held towns.

Senate GOP plays nominees against trade  —  Senate Republicans accused the Obama administration of dragging its feet on free trade, vowing Monday to block President Barack Obama's pick for commerce secretary until trade deals are completed with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.

Mika On The Brink Of A Domino's Breakdown  —  Is a pizza about to push Mika Brzezinski over the edge?  Seriously.  Her frantic reaction to finding her daughter and friend sharing a Domino's has me worried about Mika's state of mind.  —  Regular Morning Joe viewers know that Mika's dream job would be as Kommissar of the Food Police.

Chamber Of Commerce's Top SCOTUS Litigator Admits Justices Give Special Treatment to Chamber  —  A new study co-authored by conservative Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner confirms something that has been obvious to Supreme Court watchers for years — the Roberts Court places a huge thumb on the scale in favor of corporate interests.

Michele Bachmann's Historical Blunder  —  ABC New's Amy Walter and Amy Bingham report:  —  A blunder of historical fact - not proportions - tainted Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's first visit to New Hampshire this weekend.  Speaking to students and conservative activists in Manchester …

Iowa Woman Jailed for Thinking about an Abortion  —  Sounds far-fetched, right?  Well it isn't.  The anti-choice zealots aren't content to limiting a woman's access to safe and legal abortion, they're now thought police: … Yes, as if Ms. Taylor's existing problems weren't enough …

Ron Paul's Group Raised $1.1 Million in the Past Month  —  One of the big unsolved mysteries of the 2012 presidential election has been whether or not Ron Paul will run.  Here's an indication that he's at least seriously considering it: Paul's political organization, the Liberty PAC, has raised $1.1 million over the last month.

Why is there no looting in Japan?  —  The landscape of parts of Japan looks like the aftermath of World War Two; no industrialised country since then has suffered such a death toll.  The one tiny, tiny consolation is the extent to which it shows how humanity can rally round in times of adversity …

Kansas legislator suggests using hunters in helicopters to control illegal immigration, likens immigrants to feral hogs  —  TOPEKA — A legislator said Monday it might be a good idea to control illegal immigration the way the feral hog population has been controlled — with hunters shooting from helicopters.

Japan radiation leaks feared as nuclear experts point to possible cover-up  —  Lack of radiation readings echoes pattern of secrecy employed after other major accidents such as Chernobyl  —  Nuclear experts have thrown doubt on the accuracy of official information issued …

Jobless Rate at 2012 Presidential Vote Forecast at 7.7%, Highest Since Carter-Ford, but the Trend May Matter Most  —  The U.S. jobless rate will be 7.7% in November 2012, the highest level for a presidential election month since Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in 1976 …

Virginia GOP Use Emergency Rule To Impose Anti-Abortion Rules, May Force 17 Of 21 Clinics To Close  —  In their battle against a woman's right to choose, anti-choice Republicans have adopted a new tactic to enforce their agenda: deem any anti-choice bill an “emergency.”