We know that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has rejected the new compromise policy on birth control access, and that the Republican leadership agrees with them. But does that mean they have a chance to shift policy legislatively? The chances of that took a severe blow today, when Maine Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins came out in favor of the Obama Administration’s new rules.

David Dayen’s New Roundup from Tuesday night, October 18, 2011. Stories on Israel/Palestine prisoner exchange, record deportations, Snowe, Tester, Liz Warren, James Kwak, Corray, and many more.

About a year ago, I appeared at Netroots Nation with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the Huffington Post’s Ryan Grim and Professor Elizabeth Warren on a panel called “The Forgotten Foreclosure Crisis.” Speaking with Merkley today, I remarked that we could hold the same panel again this year, without changing a word of it, and not be out of date in the slightest. Sen. Merkley agreed.

Let’s just say that the President’s energy security speech didn’t go over so well among the communities of interest.

Bob Corker, speaking softly to Olivier Knox, casually says that the START treaty won’t pass if Don’t Ask Don’t Tell or the DREAM Act get a vote tomorrow.

The House passage of the standalone bill that would effect a legislative repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell leads to the worst words in the English language: “The bill now moves to the Senate.” But there’s some reason for optimism. It sure looks like the votes are there to get this done. But that doesn’t always mean everything in the Senate.

If the DISCLOSE Act passes in the lame duck session, I’m a spotted egret.

Following the orders of their Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, both Susan Collins (R-ME) and George Voinovich (R-OH) announced they will join the GOP filibuster led by John McCain (R-AZ) of the Defense Authorization bill, making today’s initial steps to repeal of Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell very precarious.

Gaga accomplished something that Barack Obama never did during the health care debate or the stimulus: she put pressure on Maine’s Senators by appearing in their backyard. In fact, just that event alone represents more lobbying than the President has done on this entire bill in the Senate. And she doesn’t have Air Force One; she drove up I-95 in her tour bus 11 hours from Raleigh, North Carolina to make it to Portland.

America’s newest community organizer, Lady Gaga, will hold a rally in Portland, Maine today, specifically targeting two Senators who may be the difference between breaking a filibuster on the defense authorization bill and letting it slip away, along with the legislative repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.