Reid's Specter deal stirs senior Dems' anger  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) deal to allow Sen. Arlen Specter to retain his seniority after he switches to the Democratic Conference has not been received well by senior senators in the party.  —  Several Democrats are furious …

Obama targets tea bags at town hall  —  At his 100th-day town hall meeting in St. Louis Wednesday, President Barack Obama took direct aim at the anti-tax “tea party” demonstrations that have cropped up over the last month and took a veiled shot at the Fox News Channel, the cable news network closely associated with the protests.

The black-white divide in Obama's popularity  —  On his 100th day in office, Barack Obama enjoys high job approval ratings, no matter what poll you consult.  But if a new survey by the New York Times is accurate, the president and some of his policies are significantly less popular …

Rep. Virginia Foxx Called Matthew Shepard Hate Crime “A Hoax” … Matthew Shepard's Death Was A Hate Crime, Not Simply A Robbery  —  Rep. Foxx: “The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery.

Exclusive: Utah's Republican Governor Warns GOP Leaders, “You Can't Just Say No”  —  It's Time for Party to Advance Workable Alternatives Rather Than Block the Door, Gov. Says  —  With the party reeling from Sen. Arlen Specter's defection, a prominent moderate Republican governor is warning …

FACT CHECK: Obama disowns deficit he helped shape  —  WASHINGTON - “That wasn't me,” President Barack Obama said on his 100th day in office, disclaiming responsibility for the huge budget deficit waiting for him on Day One.  It actually was him — and the other Democrats controlling Congress …

N.H. Senate Passes Gay Marriage Bill  —  CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire Senate voted narrowly on Wednesday to legalize same-sex marriage, paving the way for the state to potentiallybecome the fifth in the nation — and the third this month — to allow gay couples to wed.

GOP set to launch rebranding effort  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Coming soon to a battleground state near you: a new effort to revive the image of the Republican Party and to counter President Obama's characterization of Republicans as “the party of ‘no.’”  —  CNN has learned that the new initiative …

Only 7 swine flu deaths, not 152, says WHO  —  A member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has dismissed claims that more than 150 people have died from swine flu, saying it has officially recorded only seven deaths around the world.  —  Vivienne Allan, from WHO's patient safety program …

After the Great Recession  —  On April 14, President Obama gave a speech at Georgetown University, trying to explain why he was taking on so many economic issues so early in his administration.  He argued that the country needed to break its bubble-and-bust cycle and cited the New Testament …

Field Poll: California voters oppose five of six May 19 ballot measures  —  Voters strongly oppose five special election measures being sold as a budget-reform elixir for California's burgeoning $40 billion deficit.  —  But voters in a new Field Poll overwhelmingly support a measure …

The Incredible Shrinking GOP: Only 20 Percent Self-Identify As Republican  —  Okay, this is striking.  Earlier this week a Washington Post poll made a big splash because it found that only 21 percent self-identify as Republicans.  The abysmally low number got pundits and reporters talking …

Historian Michele Bachmann Blames FDR's “Hoot-Smalley” Tariffs For Great Depression  —  Make no mistake: When it comes to economics, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) knows her history — even if that history is from another planet.  —  On Monday night, our friends at Dump Bachmann reported …

President Obama's 100th-Day Press Briefing  —  Following is a transcript of President Obama's press briefing as he marks his 100th day in office, as transcribed by Federal News Service.  —  PRESIDENT OBAMA: Before we begin to tonight, I just want to provide everyone with a few brief updates …

Sources: Chrysler Bankruptcy Plan Would Oust CEO, Install Fiat Management  —  Chrysler chief executive Robert Nardelli would be replaced by the management of Italian automaker Fiat under a bankruptcy plan that the United States is preparing for the storied automaker, sources familiar with the matter said.

CNN Story On Obama's “Swagga” The Most Embarrassing Ever?  (VIDEO)  —  We all expect a bit of fluff from cable news considering they have 24 hours a day to fill and there are only so many events to be “rocked” by, but when we hit a point at which CNN is spending Obama's 100th day in office “assessing his swagga” something is amiss.

EXCLUSIVE: Steele may lose purse strings  —  A battle over control of the party's purse strings has erupted at the troubled Republican National Committee, with defenders of Chairman Michael S. Steele accusing dissident RNC members of trying to “embarrass and neuter” the party's new leader.

The Hill article is true: I'm considering a run at Jane Harman's seat  —  There was an article in The Hill the other day about Rep. Jane Harman's plight:  —  Tangled in wiretap, opposed by left, Harman could face tough primary … That is all pretty much correct, but then Aaron Blake had a bit of other news in the story.

Against Waterboarding  —  I do not believe that the United States should have a policy of using waterboarding to extract information from captured combatants in the Global War on Terror (GWOT).  Let me explain why.  Any decent society needs to defend itself from armed aggression without becoming a society not worth defending.