Jindal Admits Katrina Story Was False  —  Looks like the game is up.  —  Remember that story Bobby Jindal told in his big speech Tuesday night — about how during Katrina, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a local sheriff who was battling government red tape to try to rescue stranded victims?

Scenes from the New American Tea Party  —  Some photos from the just-completed anti-stimulus New American Tea Party, outside of the White House (after the jump):  —  The best sign I saw.  —  Right before the march from one point of Lafayette Park to another.  —  She voted for Sen. John McCain, too, but is less proud of that.

Obama Plans to End Combat Mission in Iraq by August 2010  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama heads to one of the nation's most storied military bases Friday morning to unveil plans to pull most troops out of Iraq by August 2010 and he has support from an unlikely quarter — Senator John McCain …

Porn in the USA: Conservatives are biggest consumers  —  Americans may paint themselves in increasingly bright shades of red and blue, but new research finds one thing that varies little across the nation: the liking for online pornography.  —  A new nationwide study (pdf) …

Obama Approval Rating Increases to 67%  —  Had dropped to 59% prior to his Tuesday congressional address  — USA - Government and Politics - Presidential Job Approval - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In the days immediately after Barack Obama's …

GOP has 2012 gender gap, new poll says  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - As the the first unofficial ballots are cast in the next race for the White House, a new national survey of Republicans indicates that the GOP doesn't have a clear presidential frontrunner — but does have a clear gender gap.

U.S. pulling out of racism conference  —  White House aides told Jewish leaders on a conference call today that the United States will boycott the United Nations' World Conference on Racism over hostility to Israel in draft documents prepared for the April conference.

Some say Bunning, in frustration, hinted he may quit GOP seat  —  WASHINGTON — Already in conflict with his party's leaders, Sen. Jim Bunning has reportedly said privately that if he is hindered in raising money for his re-election campaign he is ready with a response that would be politically devastating …

Dobson resigns as chairman of Focus on the Family  —  DENVER (AP) — Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson has resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family but will continue to play a prominent role at the organization he founded more than three decades ago.

Secret Coleman-Lawyer E-Mails Reveal Intentional Hiding Of Witness — Franken Camp Wants Double-Count Claim Thrown Out Completely  —  All hell just broke loose in the Minnesota courtroom, with Al Franken's lawyers catching Team Coleman in the act of yet more concealing of evidence …

The “Worst Food Product Ever” May Have Been Found  —  Pork Brains In Milk Gravy.  Could it be the worst food product ever?  It does have 1170% of your daily cholesterol per serving.  Mmmm.  —  [This Is Why You're Fat via BuzzFeed]

PRESS BRIEFING BRIEFING.  —  I may try to do this semi-regularly, may not.  But there were some interesting nuggets buried in yesterday's press briefing.  As you might expect, the basic frame of the questions was something like “OH NOES!  TAXES!”  One particularly odd exchange centered around …

Newt calls out Holder on race  —  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called out Attorney General Eric Holder Friday over his comment that the United States is a “nation of cowards” on issues of race.  —  “I'm welcome to have a dialogue with you about cowardice, anywhere, any time,” …

Yes, Ron Paul is a Bircher  —  There's much to appreciate in John Derbyshire's essay that Eve links to about the rise of right-wing talk radio and the concomitant decline of intellecutal conservatism.  As an analytical exercise, it's pretty much spot-on.  Just witness the reaction Tucker Carlson received …

Court Rejects Obama Bid to Stop Wiretapping Suit  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has lost its argument that a potential threat to national security should stop a lawsuit challenging the government's warrantless wiretapping program.  —  A federal appeals court in San Francisco …

Jobless Angry at Possibility of No Benefits  —  As governors in nine states, mostly in the South, consider rejecting millions of dollars in federal stimulus money for increased unemployment insurance, there is growing anger among the ranks of the jobless in those states that they could be left out of a significant government benefit.

They're Warriors, Not Victims  —  Here's the last part of today's speech by Obama: … This is a very subtle form of the soldier-as-victim trope that is fast becoming an Iraq legacy.  For soldiers throughout history—those who have endured physical and emotional sufferings of an essential similar quality …

Two Cheers for Regressive Taxes  —  David Leonhardt had an excellent article the other day on the long-run need for more tax revenue than can be generated merely be allowing for the expiration of the Bush tax cuts.  He makes mention of something called Wagner's Law, which is related …

Twitter Jumped the Shark This Week  —  The Dirty Secret of College Admissions: Money Really Matters by Kathleen Kingsbury  —  Blogs and Stories  —  It's not a business—and now that Rep. Joe Barton is doing it, it's not even hip anymore.  —  It's time to Twitter the f%$k up.  —  It's just madness.

Senator calls Obama 'world's best salesman of socialism'  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Another prominent Republican told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday that the president's spending plans are pushing the country to the brink of socialism.  —  Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina …

White House Plan Would End Subsidies to Student Lenders  —  The Obama administration has proposed a sweeping change in the $85 billion-a-year student loan industry, one that could fundamentally alter the business of lenders such as Sallie Mae.  —  The proposal, included in yesterday's budget outline …