The GOP Path to Prosperity  —  Our budget cuts $6.2 trillion in spending from the president's budget over the next 10 years and puts the nation on track to pay off our national debt.  —  Congress is currently embroiled in a funding fight over how much to spend on less than one-fifth of the federal budget for the next six months.

House GOP to distribute shutdown plan  —  Republican leaders are preparing the House for a government shutdown, as they plan to distribute a pamphlet about the mechanics of a partial congressional work-stoppage to all lawmakers' offices Tuesday morning, according to several senior House aides.

Bloody pig's foot sent to Rep. Peter King  —  Authorities intercepted a parcel this morning addressed to Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) containing a bloody pig's foot and a derogatory message, a source has confirmed to CBS News.  —  The parcel was intercepted at the Congressional mail facility in Landover …

Graham Responds to Steyn, Stuttaford  —  In response to the criticism by Mark Steyn and Andrew Stuttaford about his weekend comments on free speech and Koran burning, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) called me this afternoon to flesh out his thoughts on the matter.  —  Here is the transcript:

Mitch Daniels to give education speech in Washington  —  Mitch Daniels has been mostly tethered to Indianapolis during a contentious legislative session, but he's planning a trip to Washington next month to deliver what's sure to be a high-profile speech on education.

Campaign to recall Wirch says it has enough signatures  —  The head of the campaign to recall Sen. Robert Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) says the group has gathered enough signatures to force a recall election.  —  Dan Hunt, chairman of Taxpayers to Recall Robert Wirch, says his organization has …

History will rue US and Europe debt woes  —  Will 23rd-century historians look back on today's fiscal follies with the same mixture of bemusement and disdain with which we now view the financial affairs of 18th-century French kings?  Policymakers throughout the world are trying to find ways …

Ivory Coast: Presidential residence ‘taken’ in Abidjan  —  The BBC's Andrew Harding watched pro-Ouattara fighters head into Abidjan  —  Forces loyal to Ivory Coast's UN-recognised president say they have captured the besieged incumbent's residence in the main city of Abidjan.

ElBaradei: We'll fight back if Israel attacks Gaza  —  In interview with Arab newspaper, former IAEA chief says if elected as Egypt's next president he will open Rafah crossing in case of an Israeli attack  —  Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei …

Maine Mural Controversy: U.S. Labor Department Says Put It Back Up Or Repay The Money … Department Of Labor , Department Of Labor Maine , Labor Mural , Labor Protests , Maine Mural , Paul Lepage , Paul Lepage Maine , Paul Lepage Maine Governor , Paul Lepage Mural , Politics News

No degree, little experience pay off big  —  Just in his mid-20s, Brian Deschane has no college degree, very little management experience and two drunken-driving convictions.  —  Yet he has landed an $81,500-per-year job in Gov. Scott Walker's administration overseeing environmental …

No fried food: Health Dept. workers cringe at new rules restricting foods, fragrances, decorations  —  No overbearing perfume.  No obscene pictures.  And definitely no French fries for work lunches.  —  That's the new edict for employees of the same city Health Department that brought …

Sanders: Rich ‘Have Not Contributed One Nickel To Deficit Reduction’  —  Bernie, put down the bong!  —  On Cenk Uygur's MSNBC show this evening, Bernie Sanders, the socialist senator from Vermont who caucuses with the Dems, claimed that rich Americans “have not contributed one nickel to deficit reduction.”

Warning Signs Among the GOP  —  It's not inconceivable that Republicans might start seeing things go against them in the court of public opinion, starting with the current spending debate.  —  Until recently, Republicans were taking solace in a number of things as they looked forward to 2012.

Unrest in Yemen Seen as Opening to Qaeda Branch  —  WASHINGTON — Counterterrorism operations in Yemen have ground to a halt, allowing Al Qaeda's deadliest branch outside of Pakistan to operate more freely inside the country and to increase plotting for possible attacks against Europe and the United States …

News of the World arrests in phone-hacking case  —  Former news editor and current chief reporter arrested after presenting themselves at separate London police stations  —  The former news editor and current chief reporter from the News of the World are in police custody after being arrested …

Google Said to Be Possible Target of U.S. FTC Antitrust Probe  —  Google Inc. (GOOG)'s dominance of the Internet-search industry is being considered for a broad antitrust investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, two people familiar with the matter said.