“Tea Party” Protests Appear to Draw At Least 250,000  —  This is an update and probably the last one.  Those of you who are interested in extending the analysis (there are undoubtedly many events missing, although most of the major ones should now be covered) are encouraged to do so at Wikipedia or elsewhere.

Obama Releases Interrogation Memos, Says C.I.A. Operatives Won't Be Prosecuted  —  Updated After a tense internal debate, President Obama officially announced this afternoon that his administration would not prosecute C.I.A. operatives for carrying out controversial interrogations of terrorist suspects …

High-Speed Rail  —  Vision of High-Speed Rail in America  —  President Obama proposes to help address the nation's transportation challenges by launching new an efficient, high-speed passenger rail network in 100-600 mile corridors that connect communities across America.

America's Bad Jeans  —  On any American street, or in any airport or mall, you see the same sad tableau: A 10-year-old boy is walking with his father, whose development was evidently arrested when he was that age, judging by his clothes.  Father and son are dressed identically — running shoes, T-shirts.

Race at the Tea Party  —  Here's another roundup of Tea Party photos:  —  I continue to find it striking that the TV coverage I saw of the parties didn't make any mention of the presence of so many signs with a clear racial subtext even though such signs seem to have been apparent to so many of the curious spectators.

CNBC SWEATS ‘OBAMA-BASHING’  —  THE top suits and some of the on-air talent at CNBC were recently ordered to a top-secret meeting with General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt and NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker to discuss whether they've turned into the President Obama-bashing network, Page Six has learned.

Texas governor says secession possible  —  (CNN) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry isn't ruling out the possibility his state may one day secede from the nation.  —  Speaking to an energetic and angry tea party crowd in Austin Wednesday evening, the Lone Star State governor suggested secession …

Georgetown Says It Covered Over Name of Jesus to Comply With White House Request  —  (CNSNews.com) - Georgetown University says it covered over the monogram “IHS”—symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ—because it was inscribed on a pediment on the stage where President Obama spoke at the university …

The Dangers Of The Drinking Age  —  The government pressured states to raise it to 21.  So why didn't the move save lives?  —  For the past 20 years, the U.S. has maintained a Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 (MLDA21), with little public debate about the wisdom of this policy.

Checking The Blogosphere  —  Only a day after a massive, sustained and widespread outcry on the bloggy right about the DHS convening a study to worry about right-wing extremism, we get news of illegal and excessive wire-tapping under Bush.  Not a single right-wing blog I can find via Memeorandum has commented.

Obama Is Just Not Their Cup of Tea  —  As a tea party, what happened in Lafayette Square across from the White House yesterday was a washout.  —  There were no buttered scones, none of those dainty cucumber sandwiches and, as it happens, not a spot of tea.