Unanimous ruling: Iowa marriage no longer limited to one man, one woman  —  REGISTER STAFF REPORTS  —  The Iowa Supreme Court this morning unanimously upheld gays' right to marry.  —  “The Iowa statute limiting civil marriage to a union between a man and a woman violates the equal protection clause …

Inside Obama's bank CEOs meeting  —  The bankers struggled to make themselves clear to the president of the United States.  —  Arrayed around a long mahogany table in the White House state dining room last week, the CEOs of the most powerful financial institutions in the world offered several explanations …

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.

Question that flummoxed great orator  —  Barack Obama, the World's Greatest Orator (™all news organisations), didn't exactly cover himself in glory when the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson asked him a question about who was to blame for the financial crisis.

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.

‘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 …

Ted Stevens should run against Palin, Alaska Republican says  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Now that the corruption case against former Sen. Ted Stevens has been dropped, Alaska Rep. Don Young wants Stevens to run for governor — a move that would set up a Republican primary between the veteran lawmaker …

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.

I Have Smoked Pot and Don't Really Care for It  —  Will Wilkinson has a good essay on marijuana in The Week: … For my part, I'll say that my name is Matthew Yglesias.  I have smoked marijuana in the past, and enjoyed it on occasion, but mostly I haven't really liked it so I don't expect I'll smoke any more in the future.

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.

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?

Michelle Obama, Carla Bruni ‘smackdown’  —  “The first ladies fashion smackdown.”  —  That's what MSNBC was calling the public appearance of Michelle Obama, first lady of the United States, and Carla Bruni, first lady of France, today in Strasbourg, France.  —  They both wore bows.

McCain Rebukes Hispanic Voters  —  STUNG OVER THE VOTING BLOC'S 2-TO-1 SUPPORT OF OBAMA IN NOVEMBER, THE SENATOR SAYS TO LOOK TO THE NEW PRESIDENT FOR IMMIGRATION LEADERSHIP.  —  John McCain sounds angry and frustrated that, despite the risks he took in pushing immigration reform …

Mexican and U.S. Attorneys General Confer to Strengthen Cooperation on Drug Violence  —  MEXICO CITY — At the end of two days of meetings with Mexican officials, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said that cooperation between the United States and Mexico was stronger and “fundamentally different than that which existed in the past.”

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.

Obama's $163,000 Tax Bomb  —  Families well below the president's ‘no-tax’ threshold will get a six-figure bill.  —  The House and Senate are preparing to pass President Barack Obama's radical budget blueprint, with only minor modifications, by using (abusing would be more accurate) the budget “reconciliation” process.

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 …

Trying to kill Heroes - Our State Department  —  I know a lot of great State Department Officers.  And just like the Army or other military outfits, there are some that just make you wonder how they keep their jobs. … The State Department has made a decision to make an Iraqi translator, Jasim, wait another three years for a visa.