‘New York Times’ Spiked Obama Donor Story  —  Congressional Testimony: ‘Game-Changer’ Article Would Have Connected Campaign With ACORN  —  A lawyer involved with legal action against Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) told a House Judiciary subcommittee on March 19 …

New GM CEO: Bankruptcy May Be Best Option for Automaker  —  General Motors's new chief executive told CNBC that filing for Bankruptcy may be the best option for the struggling automaker.  —  In a taped interview to be aired tonight on NBC Nightly News, Fritz Henderson said that because of greater demands …

Most Americans Don't Blame Obama for Economy, Poll Finds  —  The number of Americans who believe that the nation is headed in the right direction has roughly tripled since Barack Obama's election, and the public overwhelmingly blames the excesses of the financial industry, rather than the new president …

First-person Socialism  —  I think our president needs to invest more in the use of the third-person “government,” since his speeches more and more center on the narcissistic “I” and “me.”  Even the car-takeover speech was “I-ed” to death.  E.g. My Auto Task Force And so today …

Bashing J Street  —  Follow the Jewish Week on Twitter!  Click here to start.  And we're on Facebook; become a fan today.  —  What is about J Street, the pro-peace process lobby and political action committee, that has the leaders of major Jewish groups in such a snit?

DNC chair infuriates abortion backers  —  Tim Kaine, the Virginia governor and President Barack Obama's hand-picked choice as the head of the Democratic National Committee, infuriated abortion-rights groups Monday by signing legislation that gives abortion foes an important symbolic win.

Despite McCain's Comments, Senate GOP Not Offering Detailed Budget  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Much has been made in recent days about divisions inside the House Republican caucus over how to frame the party's opposition to President Obama's budget.

Miss Universe Visits Guantánamo Bay  —  Don't ask us how or why we came across this — and the British home secretary's husband did not bring it to our attention — but the latest entry on the blog of the reigning Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza, has a sort of eye-catching dateline: “March 27, 2009, Guantánamo Bay.”

Dem Strategists: Sarah Palin Is The New Rush Limbaugh  —  Is the Rush Limbaugh strategy giving way to the Sarah Palin strategy?  —  Multiple Democratic strategists say the party plans to increasingly elevate Palin in the same manner it has employed Rush for weeks, using her high-visibility …

Legal Group's Neutrality Is Challenged  —  Two weeks ago, the American Bar Association's eight-year exile ended.  The Obama administration restored the group to the special status it had enjoyed since the Eisenhower years, and it will once again get early word about potential nominees to the federal bench.

Experts: Obama needs to watch the gaffes  —  Instant Internet communication and an explosion in political commentary are magnifying President Obama's gaffes and administration missteps, and could erode his popularity faster than that of other presidents, say experts from both left and right.

Fire kills child, 3, and parents as police prevent neighbours from trying to rescue them  —  A pregnant woman, her husband and their three-year-old son were killed in a house fire early yesterday as police who arrived before the fire brigade prevented neighbours from trying to save them.

OBAMA'S MOST PERILOUS LEGAL PICK  —  JUDGES should interpret the Constitution according to other nations' legal “norms.”  Sharia law could apply to disputes in US courts.  The United States constitutes an “axis of disobedience” along with North Korea and Saddam-era Iraq.

POLITICS-US: Let Spy Laws Fade into the Sunset, Group Urges  —  One of the nation's leading legal rights groups is calling on the U.S. Congress to make major changes in the USA Patriot Act to reverse parts of the hurriedly passed law that have been found unconstitutional or have been abused to collect information on innocent people.

Clinton Calls Years of Afghan Aid ‘Heartbreaking’ in Their Futility  —  The billions of dollars spent in U.S. aid to Afghanistan over the past seven years have been largely wasted, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday.  —  “For those of you who have been on the ground in Afghanistan …

NANNY STATE: GOVERNMENT WEBSITE TO WARN OF SADNESS/CRYING OVER ECONOMY  —  The U.S. government is set to offer an online emotional rescue kit!  —  “Getting Through Tough Economic Times” will launch Tuesday with a media push across all platforms.  —  The site is meant to help people identify …

Romney's work puts him in 2012 political spotlight  —  BOSTON (AP) — Mitt Romney is building toward a White House bid in 2012 by judiciously engaging and disengaging with the national debate.  —  The former Massachusetts governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate is speaking at a political fundraiser Tuesday in Chicago.

The soul-fixer-in-chief is here to dry your tears  —  Reuters is running a story on the Obama administration's new federally subsidized counseling services/referrals for those suffering from depression related to the economy.  As usual, the government's prescription for pain is...more government.

How a Modern Depression Might Look — If the U.S. Gets There  —  In the wake of the biggest financial shock since 1929, economists say the odds of a depression are less than 50-50 — though still uncomfortably high.  But even if a depression comes to pass, a 21st-century version would look very different from the one 80 years ago.

How Israel Foiled an Arms Convoy Bound for Hamas  —  Israeli fighter-bombers, backed by unmanned drones, were responsible for a mid-January attack on a 23-truck convoy in the Sudanese desert carrying arms to Hamas militants, two highly-placed Israeli security sources revealed to TIME.

PAYDAY: GM's Rick Wagoner Drives Away with $20M Retirement  —  Critic Calls Multi-Million Package “Perfect Example” of Frustration with Industry  —  Rick Wagoner will leave his post as CEO of bailed-out General Motors with a $20 million retirement package, the company's financial filings show.

Charter schools weathering the storm  —  Like all California public schools, Our Community School in North Hills has felt the sting of state budget cuts.  —  But after laying off three teacher assistants and canceling a popular dance program at the charter school, Principal Chris Ferris decided to approach her staff with a question: