Weiner Faces Calls to Resign and Tries to Make Amends  —  Representative Anthony D. Weiner of New York, reeling from revelations of salacious online behavior that threaten his political career, moved rapidly on Tuesday to make amends as Republicans called for his resignation and leading members …

Education officials break down Stockton man's door  —  “I look out of my window and I see 15 police officers,” Wright said.  —  Wright came downstairs in his boxer shorts as a S.W.A.T team barged through his front door.  Wright said an officer grabbed him by the neck and led him outside on his front lawn.

The Economy Is Worse Than You Think  —  Expect more bad news until someone enacts a plan to bring deficits under control without raising taxes.  —  The policies of the Obama administration have led to the weak condition of the American economy.  Growth during the coming year will be subpar at best …

Baldwin sees Weiner's implosion as opportunity for him in 2013  —  Alec Baldwin is mulling a run for mayor of New York City now that kinky Congressman Anthony Weiner appears to have sexted himself out of the 2013 race.  —  The “30 Rock” star, who has long talked about running for political office …

Joan Walsh On Defending Weiner: “I Look Kind Of Stupid”  —  In a surreal segment, MSNBC host Ed Schultz takes on three of his ideological colleagues over whether Rep. Anthony Weiner should resign.  Joan Walsh admits she was “stupid” to defend Weiner and give him the benefit of the doubt.

Stars collide: Michele Bachmann vs. Sarah Palin  —  Michelle Bachmann's top aide dismissed Sarah Palin as  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann's prospective 2012 campaign appears increasingly set on a collision course with former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.  —  The coming confrontation is being driven …

Sen. Hatch accuses possible primary challenger of being publicity hound  —  Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) took a shot at a likely primary foe, accusing Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) on Tuedsay night of being exceedingly interested in publicity.  —  Hatch, who's been girding himself for a primary challenge …

Pawlenty: I wouldn't renominate Bernanke  —  Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said Tuesday that if he were president, he would not nominate Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to a third term.  —  The GOP presidential candidate has been critical of the Fed's efforts to pump money …

Only 24% Say They Share Obama's Political Views  —  Most voters still believe President Obama is more liberal than they are, while just one-out-of-four say they share the same ideological views as the president.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 54% …

Revisiting Unemployment Predictions  —  Back in January 2009, Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein produced a report estimating future unemployment rates with and without a stimulus plan.  Their estimates, which were widely circulated, projected that unemployment would approach 9% without a stimulus …

Afghan nation-building programs not sustainable, report says  —  The hugely expensive U.S. attempt at nation-building in Afghanistan has had only limited success and may not survive an American withdrawal, according to the findings of a two-year congressional investigation to be released Wednesday.

What Are Little Boys Made Of?  —  An original BTB Investigation.  —  In 1970, a well-known expert on homosexuality and transgender issues appeared on a local television talk show in Los Angeles to talk about feminine boys.  He described how very young boys who behaved in a feminine manner …

Polls Find Huntsman Unacceptable to Many in Republican Base  —  I frequently cite the political futures market Intrade, where people can place bets on everything ranging from the likelihood that Charlie Sheen will get arrested to the identity of the next president.

In fighting health care law, Florida rejects millions in federal aid  —  TALLAHASSEE — Florida already leads a lawsuit challenging the federal health care law, but state officials are going a step further and ignoring the law almost entirely — rejecting millions of federal dollars …

Origins Of The Mistaken Pivot To Deficits  —  Zachary Goldfarb has a fascinating piece looking at Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner as the main architect of the mistaken decision to turn the corner and start focusing on deficit reduction rather than jobs: … The real mistake here, though, was made by the president.

The Earth Is Full  —  You really do have to wonder whether a few years from now we'll look back at the first decade of the 21st century — when food prices spiked, energy prices soared, world population surged, tornados plowed through cities, floods and droughts set records …

U.N. Agreement Should Have All Gun Owners Up In Arms  —  It may not come as surprising news to many of you that the United Nations doesn't approve of our Second Amendment.  Not one bit.  And they very much hope to do something about it with help from some powerful American friends.

Sideshow Candidates Get Hype, but Share Few Policy Proposals  —  Sarah Palin undoubtedly sucked up much of the political oxygen with her bus tour last week that sent the news media into a frenzy.  But despite the publicity — which directed some attention away from Mitt Romney's big announcement …

Tim Pawlenty: Mitt Romney's the frontrunner  —  Tim Pawlenty's been reading the polls, too.  He knows Mitt Romney's far ahead of him and the rest of the 2012 GOP field.  —  “I'll acknowledge Mitt is going to be the front-runner to start because of his name ID, legacy …

Perry's Planned Prayer Event Riles Critics  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry's latest call for a day of prayer is being met by a chorus of boos from critics who say the potential presidential candidate is showing favoritism toward Christianity and violating the separation of church and state.

Free market, not government policies, drives energy boom  —  Senior Political Analyst Follow Him @MichaelBarone  —  There's an awful lot that's stale in the debate on government energy policy.  —  Some stale arguments are nevertheless valid: It's dangerous to depend heavily on Middle Eastern oil.

Hundreds in Syria flee to Turkey, fearing army assault  —  Footage sent to the BBC apparently shows the funeral of an anti-government protester taking place in Jisr al-Shughour at the weekend  —  Hundreds of Syrians are crossing the northern border into Turkey in an attempt to escape growing violence in their own country.

The Light Bulb Police  —  Americans deserve their choice of illumination.  —  On January 1, 2012, seven months from this week, Washington will effectively ban the sale of conventional 100 watt incandescent light bulbs that Americans have used nearly since the days of Thomas Edison.

Santorum Refuses To Apologize For Saying McCain Doesn't Understand How Torture Works  —  ThinkProgress filed this report from West Des Moines, Iowa.  —  GOP presidential hopeful and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum campaigned in Iowa yesterday after officially announcing his candidacy earlier this week.

Hugh Asks, I Answer: How to Talk About Climate Change on the Campaign Trail  —  This is a long post; better get yourself a cup of coffee.  Brother Hugh Hewitt takes note of one of Mitt Romney's potential tergiversations about climate change last Friday and made a shout out to me for guidance …

Hartzler reiterates same-sex marriage comparison  —  LAMAR, Mo. - Since last Friday, the political blogosphere, particularly on the political left, has been focused on a video of Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, making comments at an Eagle Forum event regarding allowing same-sex marriage.