Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit  —  WASHINGTON — Overruling two important precedents about the First Amendment rights of corporations, a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections.

Dem health care talks collapsing  —  Health care reform teetered on the brink of collapse Thursday as House and Senate leaders struggled to coalesce around a strategy to rescue the plan, in the face of growing pessimism among lawmakers that the president's top priority can survive.

Air America, the Talk Radio Network, Will Go Off the Air  —  Air America, the long-suffering progressive talk radio network, abruptly shut down on Thursday, bowing to what it called a “very difficult economic environment.”  —  The chairman of Air America Media, Charlie Kireker …

Geithner has reservations on US bank limits-sources  —  President Barack Obama's newest Wall Street crackdown was met with hesitation from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who is concerned that politics could be sacrificing good economic policy, according to financial industry sources.

Will the Base Abandon Hope?  —  Imagine for a moment that you're a liberal.  Oh, I know, that won't be a stretch for some of you.  Over the years, you've developed a pretty thick skin, since while you've won an election now and then, you haven't had too many policy victories since ... well, since forever.

The World Bids Farewell to Obama  —  US President Barack Obama suffered a painful defeat in Massachusetts on Tuesday.  With mid-term elections looming, it means that Obama will have to fundamentally re-think his political course.  German commentators say it is the end of hope.

Specter tells Bachmann to “act like a lady”  —  The deeply odd couple of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) appeared together on a Philly radio station yesterday — and things got ugly in short order.  —  Audio link. courtesy RCP.

ADL whacks Limbaugh  —  The Anti-Defamation League, which recently criticized a range of conservative figures, including Glenn Beck, as “extremists,” has turned its sights on Rush Limbaugh for a “borderline anti-semitic remark” about Jews  —  The line in question:

Scott Brown's Wife Music VIDEO: Gail Huff's RACY ‘Girl With The Curious Hand’ (PHOTOS)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  On Tuesday night, Scott Brown's wife pleaded with her husband to stop advertising his “available” daughters, but a video we've dug up reveals that Gail Huff wasn't always so prim and proper.

Man Claims Terror Ties in Little Rock Shooting  —  MEMPHIS — A Tennessee man accused of killing a soldier outside a Little Rock, Ark., military recruiting station last year has asked a judge to change his plea to guilty, claiming for the first time that he is affiliated with a Yemen-based affiliate of Al Qaeda.

National Enquirer submitting John Edwards coverage for Pulitzers  —  The executive editor of the National Enquirer says he plans to enter his paper's work on the John Edwards scandal for a Pulitzer Prize.  —  Don't laugh.  —  “It's clear we should be a contender for this,” …

U.S. ambassador puts brakes on plan to utilize Afghan militias against Taliban  —  The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and senior Afghan officials have resisted moving forward with a bold and potentially risky initiative to support local militias in Afghanistan that are willing to defend …

It was no joke at security gate  —  In the tense new world of air travel, we're stripped of shoes, told not to take too much shampoo on board, frowned on if we crack a smile.  —  The last thing we expect is a joke from a Transportation Security Administration screener - particularly one this stupid.

Big Banks Have Already Figured Out The Loophole In Obama's New Rules  —  Big banks have already begun poking the holes in Obama's new rules—holes they expect their banks to pass through basically unchanged.  —  The president promised this morning to work with Congress to ensure that no bank …