Being a “Public Christian”  —  Reacting to the Iowa gay marriage ruling today, Rod Dreher writes: … I realize its often hard to appreciate how your words will come across to those who don't share your beliefs, but good grief, is it possible to be more oblivious?

Todd Palin's half-sister arrested for burglary  —  From Zaz Hollander in Wasilla:  —  Todd Palin's half-sister was arrested Thursday after police say she broke into a Wasilla home for the second time this week to steal money.  —  Palin is the husband of Gov. Sarah Palin.  He declined comment.

Hedge Fund Paid Summers $5.2 Million in Past Year  —  WASHINGTON — Top White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers received about $5.2 million over the past year in compensation from hedge fund D.E. Shaw, and also received hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees from major financial institutions.

‘Holy Hell’ Over Torture Memos  —  Attorney General Eric Holder wants to release classified Bush-era interrogation memos.  But U.S. intel officials are fiercely lobbying the White House to block him from moving forward.  —  A fierce internal battle within the White House over the disclosure …

Obama to Bankers: I'm Standing ‘Between You and the Pitchforks’  —  ABC News' Matthew Jaffe reports: When President Obama welcomed the chief executives from 13 of the nation's biggest banks to the White House last Friday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs billed it as a “good, productive, and frank” conversation.

Administration Seeks an Out On Bailout Rules for Firms  —  Officials Worry Constraints Set by Congress Deter Participation  —  The Obama administration is engineering its new bailout initiatives in a way that it believes will allow firms benefiting from the programs to avoid restrictions imposed …

Taliban Chief Claims Responsibility for N.Y. Shooting Massacre  —  A Pakistani Taliban militant leader has claimed responsibility for the attack on a U.S. immigration center in New York state in which 13 people were killed, Reuters reported.  —  “I accept responsibility.  They were my men.

Obama on Binghamton shootings; and a strange one from Gov. Paterson  —  Traveling in Europe this week, President Obama's White House released a statement after the fatal shootings in Binghamton, N.Y., today that apparently killed 13 people plus the shooter, and injured others.

Barack Obama fails to win Nato troops he wants for Afghanistan  —  Michael Evans and David Charter in Strasbourg  —  Barack Obama made an impassioned plea to America's allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, warning that failure to do so would leave Europe vulnerable to more terrorist atrocities.

Gates Planning Major Changes in Defense Programs, Budget  —  Proposal Said to Move Focus To Counterinsurgency Efforts  —  Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is expected to announce on Monday the restructuring of several dozen major defense programs as part of the Obama administration's bid …

It's a Depression  —  The March employment numbers, out this morning, are bleak: 8.5 percent of Americans officially unemployed, 663,000 more jobs lost.  But if you include people who are out of work and have given up trying to find a job, the real unemployment rate is 9 percent.

Obama Loses Place On Teleprompter.  Ouch!  UPDATE: UK Guardian Mocks 'World's Greatest Orator'  —  Different setting, different Obama.  Gone are the constant “ahhhhs,” long blank pauses and stiffness that we saw earlier this morning.  I thought the teleprompter was his savior until …

Times co. threatens to shut down Globe  —  The New York Times Co. has threatened to shut the Boston Globe unless the newspaper's unions swiftly agree to $20 million in concessions, union leaders said.  —  Executives from the Times Co. and Globe made the demands Thursday morning …

Should Obama Control the Internet?  —  A new bill would give the President emergency authority to halt web traffic and access private data.  —  Post Comment  —  Should President Obama have the power to shut down domestic Internet traffic during a state of emergency?

Gunman barricaded back door, police say  —  (CNN) — A gunman barricaded the back door of a Binghamton, New York, immigration services center with a car and burst through the front door on a shooting rampage, killing 13 people and then, apparently, himself, police said Friday.

If Norm Coleman Makes a Federal Case of It, What Will Happen?  —  By Richard L. Hasen, the William H. Hannon Distinguished Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and author of the Election Law Blog.  —  Following an order issued earlier in the week by the three-judge court hearing …