Sen. Ben Nelson (D- Neb.), who is finishing out his second term, is expected to announce his retirement as early as today, according to POLITICO’s John Bresnehan. Nelson, 70, has already been stuck in the crossfire of a hotly-contested battle between Republican and Democratic groups hoping to claim his seat for their side.

Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa is proposing an amendment to limit the fees when a person uses an ATM from a bank other than their own, something he calls “legal thievery. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that the amendment would ever see a vote for a number of reasons, one of which is the fact that some senators have never used and don’t understand ATMs. However, one does claim he knows about “the holograms.”

Sen. Scott Brown is making his mark as a legislative maverick whose yet-untainted heart is his compass. Too bad it’s not 2008, the Republicans don’t have anywhere near a majority in the Senate, and Republican mavericks are passé.

If you’re online then you’ve probably already heard: after 13 hours of negotiations with Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, the Democrats have announced that they have the 60 votes they need to pass a health care reform bill before Christmas. And though there’s more to be done, things are looking good enough for President Obama to comment. But how did the internet react to the news?

On last night’s Countdown, Keith Olbermann ran a segment attempting to debunk the story that the White House had threatened Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) with the closure of Offut Air Force Base in order to secure his vote on healthcare reform. The White House and Ben Nelson categorically deny the charge. Who’s right, and who’s wrong? Plus, Mediaite has exclusive reaction from Lewis and Goldfarb: