UPDATED: NY Times' Maureen Dowd Plagiarizes TPM's Josh Marshall  —  Maureen Dowd in today's NY Times: … TPM's Josh Marshall on Thurs: … All Dowd did was change “we were” to “the Bush crowd was”.  —  Now, I'm all for cutting & pasting.  As a blogger I do it all the time, but I always give credit.

The Audacity Of Humility  —  I found his Notre Dame commencement speech deeply Christian.  I was struck by two passages.  The first a simple statement of fact:  —  Understand - I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away.  No matter how much we may want to fudge it …

‘I, Jerk’  —  ANALYSIS/OPINION:  —  In this day of polarized politics, it's incumbent on good citizens to be vigorously truthful.  Even in the heat of battle, partisans should own up to their mistakes.  Rectifying errors builds credibility.  Honest self-criticism ensures a healthy debate and a healthier democracy.

4.7 quake causes minor property damage in L.A. County  —  Near the center of the quake east of LAX, a light pole was damaged, some windows broke and items fell from shelves.  —  A magnitude 4.7 earthquake shook a large stretch of Southern California on Sunday night.

Pelosi Should Present Evidence CIA Misled Her, Boehner Says  —  House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “ought to either present the evidence or apologize'” in the wake of her comments that CIA officials misled her about the use …

Some on left souring on Obama  —  When President Barack Obama speaks to the Notre Dame commencement Sunday afternoon, television cameras will search the sea of graduates, looking for turned backs and defaced mortar boards that abortion opponents will likely use to register their disagreement with the president.

Pakistan Is Rapidly Adding Nuclear Arms, U.S. Says  —  WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have been told in confidential briefings that Pakistan is rapidly adding to its nuclear arsenal even while racked by insurgency, raising questions on Capitol Hill about whether billions of dollars …

Introduction  —  I'm not one for long introductions.  This is a blog.  I'm a blogger.  We'll have fun.  You'll see.  —  But the overlords say it's good form.  So!  Our topic will be the politics and policy of the economy.  But that doesn't limit us to the latest unemployment numbers or the wreckage of a freshly collapsed bank.

Soak the Rich, Lose the Rich  —  Americans know how to use the moving van to escape high taxes.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  With states facing nearly $100 billion in combined budget deficits this year, we're seeing more governors than ever proposing the Barack Obama solution to balancing the budget: Soak the rich.

Republicans in Senate Lower Expectations of a Court Fight  —  WASHINGTON — While there is growing anticipation that the summer will bring the spectacle of a pitched Supreme Court confirmation battle, some Senate Republicans are lowering expectations that they are planning any major political fight.

Prosecutors Block Access to DNA Testing for Inmates  —  In an age of advanced forensic science, the first step toward ending Kenneth Reed's prolonged series of legal appeals should be simple and quick: a DNA test, for which he has offered to pay, on evidence from the 1991 rape of which he was convicted.

Liz Cheney Claims Her Father Would Never ‘Substitute His Own Judgment’ For The CIA's  —  Last month, after President Obama released Bush-era legal memos authorizing torture, McClatchy's Jonathan Landay reported that former Vice President Dick Cheney “applied relentless pressure on interrogators …