Strauss-Kahn Case Faces Test in Hearing  —  The sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn is on the verge of collapse as investigators have uncovered major holes in the credibility of the housekeeper who charged that he attacked her in his Manhattan hotel suite in May, according to two well-placed law enforcement officials.

Minnesota government begins historic shutdown  —  Dayton renewed his call to tax the rich; GOP pointed to harm of long-term debt.  The governor and legislative leaders worked into the evening in a last-ditch bid for resolution.  —  Talks imploded Thursday between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton …

Obama's fighting tone could buy room with left for a deal with right  —  With Republicans howling about partisanship, President Obama might have bought himself some wiggle room with Democrats to make a deal with the GOP.  —  The president's aggressive and at times mocking tone during …

Geithner Said to Consider Leaving Treasury After Debt Debate  —  Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner has signaled to White House officials that he's considering leaving the administration after President Barack Obama reaches an agreement with Congress to raise the national debt limit …

Fact checking a claim on tax breaks  —  'I think it's only fair to ask an oil company .... to give up a tax break,' Obama said.  —  AP Photo  —  President Obama used oil barons and corporate jet owners to anchor his opposition to Republicans' demands on taxes in his press conference on Wednesday.

Section 4 Of The 14th Amendment Was Designed To Stop Boehner  —  Kevin Drum is skeptical that the Obama administration would really be within its rights to ignore the debt ceiling: … Jack Balkin delves into the legislative history and shows why the 14th Amendment has a provision guaranteeing …

The Peril of Deep Defense Cuts  —  Our country has taken an axe to the national security budget after every war of the 20th century.  And every time we later regretted it.  —  Today Leon Panetta will take the oath to become our nation's 23rd secretary of defense.

Union curbs rescue a Wisconsin school district  —  “This is a disaster,” said Mark Miller, the Wisconsin Senate Democratic leader, in February after Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed a budget bill that would curtail the collective bargaining powers of some public employees.

Ohio governor signs law allowing guns in bars  —  (Reuters) - Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich on Thursday signed into law a bill that allows gun owners in the state to carry concealed weapons into bars and other places where alcohol is served.  —  The measure, which was forwarded …

Glenn Beck to move to Texas; rents $20,000-a-month house  —  New Yorkers better get their heckling in fast, because Glenn Beck is headed for the Lone Star State.  —  The TV host and commentator recently sold his New Canaan, Conn., mansion, to Maura Abeln Smith, recently named general counsel of PepsiCo, for $3.6 million.

Two Rulings Find Cuts in Public Pensions Permissible  —  Judges in Colorado and Minnesota have dismissed court challenges by retired public workers whose pensions had been cut — developments that may embolden other states and cities to use pension reductions as a tool to help balance their budgets.

Employees had been increasingly troubled by Gingrich's Tiffany purchases  —  Employees of presidential candidate Newt Gingrich grew increasingly concerned in recent years about their boss's purchases from luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co., worried that if he followed through on plans to run …

The Wageless, Profitable Recovery  —  Economists at Northeastern University have found that the current economic recovery in the United States has been unusually skewed in favor of corporate profits and against increased wages for workers.  —  In their newly released study …

In Fight Against Trash Station, Upper East Side Cites Injustice  —  Lorraine Johnson says she remembers the garbage trucks that lined up near her housing project on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, to unload trash at a marine sanitation station on the East River.

Fund-Raising Begins Slowly for G.O.P. Candidates  —  Fund-raising by the Republican presidential candidates appears to be off to a slow start this year, hindered by the struggling economy, the absence of a clear and compelling front-runner, and the desire of many of the party's biggest donors to wait and see how the race develops.

Venezuela army assures calm after Chavez surgery  —  (Reuters) - Venezuela's army chief said on Friday there is no threat to the nation's constitutional order as President Hugo Chavez's revelation of cancer surgery shakes the political system he has dominated since 1999.