President Obama's numbers plummet in New York  —  President Barack Obama's approval rating in New York fell precipitously in the last month, according to a poll released Monday, and three-fifths of the state's registered voters now believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.

Harvard Search of E-Mail Stuns Its Faculty Members  —  Bewildered, and at times angry, faculty members at Harvard criticized the university on Sunday after revelations that administrators secretly searched the e-mail accounts of 16 resident deans in an effort to learn who leaked information …

Why do the Koch Brothers get all the sunshine? … Here's a couple of data points that bear serious thought this week by transparency advocates celebrating Sunshine Week and by everybody else who cares about protecting and preserving a free and independent press:

Karzai Criticisms Lead to Tensions With Hagel  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai leveled particularly harsh accusations against the United States on Sunday, suggesting that Americans were destabilizing his country and casting a shadow over a visit by Chuck Hagel, the new American defense secretary.

How Ashley Judd Can Win  —  The staffers who ran campaigns for Eastwood and Bono, Schwarzenegger and Franken, say the actress can win if she gets in early, stays local, and works like hell.  Celebrity status can be like “a huge tire around the neck,” says Padberg.  —  Image by AP

Rep. Peter King fights kickboxing champion in fundraiser  —  Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) squared off against former kickboxing champion “Irish” John Foley in a two-round celebrity boxing match on Saturday before a crowd of about 400 at a Long Island pub.  —  No winner was declared in the fight …

Mandatory Cuts Could Open Path to Deeper Defense Trims  —  WASHINGTON — At a time when $46 billion in mandatory budget cuts are causing anxiety at the Pentagon, administration officials see one potential benefit: there may be an opening to argue for deep reductions in programs long …

First Budget in Four Years for Senate Democrats  —  Debate will be chamber's first marathon markup in 4 years  —  Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee say they hope to keep the focus during this week's expected marathon markup on setting a sound course for the country's fiscal future.

Dems' big 2014 obstacle: President Obama  —  President Barack Obama says he's ready to do whatever it takes to help Democrats win the House next year — a feat that could make the difference between limping to the end of his presidency and going out with a bang.

Germany's anti-euro party is a nasty shock for Angela Merkel  —  Political revolt against the euro construct has spread to Germany.  —  Alternative for Germany has greater potential to unsettle Mrs Merkel than previous Eurosceptic groups  —  A new party led by economists, jurists …

Crude Sachsism  —  Jeff Sachs: … Let's stop there.  As many people have pointed out, the basic premise that Krugman thinks deficits don't matter is just wrong (see some of his earlier writing when we weren't in a liquidity trap as well, he is very clear on this point).  Here's Krugman:

Top Republican Strategist: GOP 'Doesn't Give Equal Opportunity To Women'  —  During a segment on women's evolving roles in the workplace on Meet the Press Sunday morning, GOP political operative and former McCain campaign adviser Steve Schmidt made a compelling case for equal opportunity …

Ryan: New House Republican budget includes ObamaCare repeal  —  Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said Sunday that his new budget includes the repeal of President Obama's health-care reform law known as ObamaCare.  —  Ryan told “Fox News Sunday” …