GOP Ups Ante on Earmarks  —  A day after House Democrats announced a ban on earmarks for private companies, their Republican counterparts hope to dramatically up the ante with a unilateral prohibition on all targeted spending projects.  —  If approved, the Republican policy would restrict GOP lawmakers …

The Atlantic Home  —  Go  —  Joshua Green - Joshua Green has been a senior editor for The Atlantic since 2003.  Columbia Journalism Review named him one of ten young writers on the rise. … Eric Massa's Navy Files  —  A couple years ago, I got a tip about Eric Massa.

Democrats Prepare “Slaughter Solution” to Ram Unpopular Health Care Takeover Through Congress Without a Vote  —  Follow @GOPLeader on Twitter for updates.  —  The twisted scheme by which Democratic leaders plan to bend the rules to ram President Obama's massive health care legislation through Congress …

More Messages Link Senator to Job Effort  —  WASHINGTON — Previously undisclosed e-mail messages turned over to the F.B.I. and Senate ethics investigators provide new evidence about Senator John Ensign's efforts to steer lobbying work to the embittered husband of his former mistress and could deepen his legal and political troubles.

Democrats, White House close in on health bill  —  WASHINGTON — A final agreement nearly in hand, President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders are about to embark on one last sales job that will determine the outcome of the president's signature health care overhaul.

Chefs Call Proposed New York Salt Ban ‘Absurd’  —  MYFOXNY.COM - Some New York City chefs and restaurant owners are taking aim at a bill introduced in the New York Legislature that, if passed, would ban the use of salt in restaurant cooking.  —  “No owner or operator of a restaurant …

Miss. prom canceled after lesbian's date request  —  JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi county school board announced Wednesday it would cancel its upcoming prom after a gay student petitioned to bring a same-sex date to the event.  —  “Due to the distractions to the educational process caused …

Immigration provision has Hispanic Caucus threatening ‘no’ health vote  —  A group of Hispanic lawmakers on Thursday will tell President Barack Obama that they may not vote for healthcare reform unless changes are made to the bill's immigration provisions.  —  The scheduled meeting comes …

Patrick Kennedy: Media Doing “Despicable” Job Covering Afghanistan  —  Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) railed against the Washington press corps today on the House floor for paying more attention to the likes of scandal-ridden Eric Massa than the war in Afghanistan.

Americans' Global Warming Concerns Continue to Drop  —  Multiple indicators show less concern, more feelings that global warming is exaggerated  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's annual update on Americans' attitudes toward the environment shows a public that over the last two years …

Hillary Rodham Clinton widens her circle at the State Department  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton ran a presidential campaign notoriously insular and unhappy, managing a group of egos and backstabbers whose dysfunction may have cost her the White House.  Understandably, people wondered what kind …

Romney tops bestseller list  —  Mitt Romney's new book, “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness,” will debut on top of the New York Times bestseller list due out March 21, a source tells me.  —  Romney's book tour has, so far, attracted pretty large crowds, serving — along with the book sales …

Glenn Beck on Massa: ‘I Almost Threw Him Out of the Studio’  —  On his radio show today, Glenn Beck lit into former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) for his disastrous, rambling appearance on the Tuesday episode of Beck's Fox News Show.  —  “America, have you ever heard of a 50-year old man having a tickle-fight …

Unions taking on Dems who don't toe labor line  —  Frustrated at seeing their legislative agenda stymied, unions are becoming increasingly active in competitive Democratic Senate primaries.  —  Across the country, labor groups are using their organizational muscle early against candidates whom …

Leading Senator Wants New Fed Governors Committed To Full Transparency, Consumer Protection (LETTER)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  The chair of a Senate panel overseeing the Federal Reserve wants the Obama administration to appoint Fed officials committed to transparency …

Obama's liberal base ‘disengaged’  —  WASHINGTON — Is President Obama losing his base?  —  Liberal and progressive organizations that helped propel him to the White House are turning on him now, little more than a year after he took office.  Their collective discontent …

NYC judge: Govt must stop blocking money to ACORN  —  NEW YORK — A federal judge who found it unconstitutional that Congress tried to cut funding to the activist group ACORN has rejected a government request to change her mind and has ordered government agencies to make it clear the funding isn't blocked.

If Muslims Gay-Bash In San Francisco, Do They Make a Sound?  —  A week ago, news began to break in San Francisco about a targeted gay-bashing crime that allegedly occurred on February 26. … Clearly, of course, this had to be a Christian right-wing, tea party, anti-government, bigoted homophobe from the South.

House liberal leader says Obama's stumping not changing many healthcare votes  —  President Barack Obama's stumping for healthcare isn't changing many — if any — votes in the House, a top liberal lawmaker said Wednesday night.  —  Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), the co-chairwoman …

Chief exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth says Devil is in the Vatican  —  Sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church are proof that that “the Devil is at work inside the Vatican”, according to the Holy See's chief exorcist.  —  Father Gabriele Amorth, 85, who has been the Vatican's chief exorcist …

Monthly deficit hits $220 billion, highest in U.S. history  —  You ain't seen nothing yet. … What's left to say at this point?  All I can do is try to contextualize this for you: According to CBO, based on an analysis of the deeply deceitful numbers presented to it by Reid and Obama …

How to handle the sovereign debt explosion  —  Every once in a while, the world is faced with a major economic development that is ill-understood at first and dismissed as of limited relevance, and which then catches governments, companies and households unawares.  —  We have seen a few examples of this over the past 10 years.