White House: No bow to Saudi  —  The White House is denying that the president bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at a G-20 meeting in London, a scene that drew criticism on the right and praise from some Arab outlets.  —  “It wasn't a bow.  He grasped his hand with two hands …

Big Liberal Bloggers Tee Off On Progressive Groups For Not Sharing Ad Wealth  —  Some of the leading liberal bloggers are privately furious with the major progressive groups — and in some cases, the Democratic Party committees — for failing to spend money advertising on their sites …

Obama to Push Immigration Bill Despite the Risks  —  While acknowledging that the recession makes the political battle more difficult, President Obama plans to begin addressing the country's immigration system this year, including looking for a path for illegal immigrants to become legal …

Banks Holding Up in Tests, but May Still Need Aid  —  For the last eight weeks, nearly 200 federal examiners have labored inside some of the nation's biggest banks to determine how those institutions would hold up if the recession deepened.  —  What they are discovering may come as a relief …

Lost in Translation: Turkish Anchor Appears in Blackface on Air in Coverage of President Obama  —  There is a great deal of chatter on the Internet today about an anchor who appears in blackface in the coverage of President Obama's trip to Turkey.  The rough translation from the appearance is “Welcome, Mr. Obama.

Does God Exist?  Hitchens vs. Craig  —  I had the opportunity to see Christopher Hitchens debate Dr. William Lane Craig on the topic “Does God Exist?” at BIOLA University.  The gymnasium was packed with 3,000 people, most of whom were Christians but some non-believers made a showing.

Obama administration ‘anti-religious,’ Gingrich says  —  (CNN) — Newt Gingrich said Tuesday the Obama administration is “intensely secular” and “anti-religious,” the former House Speaker's second hard-hitting criticism of the new administration this week.  —  In an interview with FOX News …

A.P. Exec Doesn't Know It Has A YouTube Channel: Threatens Affiliate For Embedding Videos  —  Here is another great moment in A.P. history.  In its quest to become the RIAA of the newspaper industry, the A.P.'s executives and lawyers are beginning to match their counterparts in the music industry for cluelessness.

At emotional hearing, relatives finally hear man's name cleared  —  AUSTIN — Twenty-two years ago, Ruby Session listened in disbelief as a Lubbock jury convicted her son, Timothy Cole, of rape.  She promised herself that one day she would make sure this injustice was corrected.

Pentagon preps for economic warfare  —  The Pentagon sponsored a first-of-its-kind war game last month focused not on bullets and bombs — but on how hostile nations might seek to cripple the U.S. economy, a scenario made all the more real by the global financial crisis.

South Park creators given signed photo of Saddam Hussein  —  Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park, were given a signed photo of Saddam Hussein by US marines after the former Iraqi leader was shown their movie in prison.  —  During his captivity, US marines forced Saddam …

JOHN ZIEGLER: A New Low Point for the Media: Couric Wins Award for Palin Interview  —  Documentary Filmmaker  —  On April 15th, the “prestigious” (and apparently now openly liberal) USC Annenberg School for Communication will be presenting CBS “Evening News” anchor Katie Couric …

Parental rights: The new wedge issue  —  If there were a recipe for creating a new conservative culture-wars issue, it might look something like this: Start with the United Nations, fold in the prospect of an expanded role for government in children's lives, add some unfortunate court decisions …

“Fair and balanced” Fox News aggressively promotes “tea party” protests  —  Despite its repeated insistence that its coverage is “fair and balanced” and its invitation to viewers to “say ‘no’ to biased media,” in recent weeks, Fox News has frequently aired segments encouraging viewers to get involved with …

Why Do Americans Befriending the Castros Ignore Cuba's Pro-Democracy Movement?  —  HALF A DOZEN members of the Congressional Black Caucus spent hours huddling with Fidel and Raúl Castro in Havana this week as part of a swelling campaign to normalize relations with Cuba.

Corruption Undercuts U.S. Hope for Afghan Police  —  GHAZNI, Afghanistan — As part of his new strategy for Afghanistan, President Obama has announced plans to send 4,000 more American troops this spring to train the Afghan National Police and Army.  —  But a shortage of American trainers …

U.S. Imagines the Bailout as an Investment Tool  —  By GRAHAM BOWLEY and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED  —  During World War I, Americans were exhorted to buy Liberty Bonds to help their soldiers on the front.  —  Now, it seems, they will be asked to come to the aid of their banks …

Muslim Girl Gets $400G From Nevada School District in Head Scarf Bully Case  —  A Nevada school district agreed to pay $400,000 to a Muslim girl and her friend over allegations that other students threatened to kill her in the stairwell for wearing a religious head scarf and the staff did nothing to stop it.

Men's Underwear Sales, Greenspan's Economic Metric, Reveal Crisis  —  As chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan was known for using quirky, proletariat metrics to judge the temperature of the economy.  The most famous of these, as recounted by NPR's Robert Krulwich in January 2008, were the sales of men's underwear.

The Future of Marriage  —  One of the great coups of the movement for same-sex marriage has been to plant the premise that it represents the inevitable future.  This sense has inhibited even some who know perfectly well that marriage is by nature the union of a man and a woman.

Top 3 Conservatives Who Deserve a Biopic  —  One of the most controversial Hollywood films last year was “Milk”.  It was praised by liberals and gay-rights supporters — and simultaneously labeled leftist propaganda by many conservatives.  —  Personally, I am opposed to the brand …

Human Rights Campaign Exposes National Organization for Marriage's Fake Ad for Fake Problems  —  Right-wing group does not have truth on its side, so it hires actors to spew lies; Audition reel uncovered online  —  WASHINGTON -The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay …

The Best State Political Blogs  —  The day has arrived!  —  After sifting through hundreds upon hundreds of recommendations that came in via the Fix comments section, Twitter and email, we are finally ready to unveil our list of the best political blogs in each of the 50 states.