I spent parts of the last two weeks researching the census and the political battles surrounding it as the 2010 count approaches. I focused on the biggest and most recent controversy: the anonymous hold on Robert Groves, President Obama's nominee to lead the Census Bureau, preparing to write a post on the reason for the hold. But earlier today Roll Call revealed the senators who had placed holds on the nomination and reported that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would like to bring Groves up for a vote as early as this week.

The story changed instantly, but I went after the new story. This evening Reid's office confirmed to me that the senator will file for cloture, bringing Groves to a vote as early as Monday evening, and I broke the news here.

On FOX this morning, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) showed he knows how to play the manufactured controversy game, accusing President Obama of a Watergate-level scandal for, well, not much. See the post here.

Zack Roth and I collaborated to pull together this piece on the Federal Election Commission's pattern of 3-3 splits in recent months. Mitch McConnell's efforts have paid off, and his ideological allies now fill the GOP half of the commission. Their ascendency has meant bad news for those who want the FEC to do anything.