Intelligence Report: Pelosi Briefed on Use of Interrogation Tactics in Sept. '02  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefed on the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” on terrorist suspect Abu Zubaydah in September 2002, according to a report prepared …

NY Fed chair quits over Goldman role  —  Friedman steps down after report that he remains on board and holds shares of Goldman, a regulated bank.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York resigned Thursday, days after coming under attack …

Hannity Attacks Obama For Putting Mustard On His Burger [UPDATED]  —  [Good Lord, this has become a full-blown “thing” now.  Please see utterly deranged updates, below.]  —  Oh hi, everyone!  Are we still doing that election year thing, where if a politician consumes anything other than box wine …

Obama To Fire His First Gay Arabic Linguist  —  Dan Choi, a West Point graduate and officer in the Army National Guard who is fluent in Arabic and who returned recently from Iraq, received notice today that the military is about to fire him.  Why?  Because he came out of the closet as a gay man on national television.

Cheney: “Mistake” For GOP To “Moderate,” Glad That Detainees Were Waterboarded  —  Former Vice President Dick Cheney defended the Bush administration's use of waterboarding on Thursday, saying that, contrary to arguments made by Barack Obama, the techniques were a necessary last-resort measure to get information from detainees.

Under Restructuring, GM To Build More Cars Overseas  —  The U.S. government is pouring billions into General Motors in hopes of reviving the domestic economy, but when the automaker completes its restructuring plan, many of the company's new jobs will be filled by workers overseas.

Burris: Money will factor into reelection decision  —  Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) said he would like to keep his job in the Senate, but will make a formal decision whether to seek reelection in the next few weeks based on his ability to raise money for a campaign.

Ramirez's drug used to stimulate testosterone  —  Buzz up!  —  LOS ANGELES - The illegal substance for which Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez  —  tested positive and was banned 50 games was prescribed to address erectile dysfunction, not “an agent customarily used for performance enhancing” …

White House Formalizes Supreme Court Short List  —  The White House has formalized its short list of Supreme Court contenders and asked six prospects to provide personal background information, with an intensive vetting process well underway, according to sources close to the process.

U.S. Banks' Not-So-Stressful Test  —  The government's bank stress tests deserve a B-minus.  —  To give a sustained boost to investor confidence, the tests needed demonstrable rigor.  They achieved that up to a point.  While worst-case loss rates look tough, certain loan portfolios …

Obama and the 9/11 Families  —  The president isn't sincere about ‘swift and certain’ justice for terrorists.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  In February I was among a group of USS Cole and 9/11 victims' families who met with the president at the White House to discuss his policies regarding Guantanamo detainees.

Your Yard Sale Is Illegal  —  Thinking of having a yard sale this weekend?  Before you do, be sure to consult CSPC Publication #254 [PDF].  —  This handy 28-pager from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds the American people that, thanks to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act …

White House on defense over legitimacy of budget cuts  —  As congressional Republicans howled about what they view as fictional budget cuts and fuzzy math, the White House found itself playing defense over what President Obama said Thursday are $17 billion in cuts.