Mancow Waterboarded, Admits It's Torture  —  “It is way worse than I thought it would be”  —  Shock jocks shock.  —  And so it went Friday morning when WLS radio host Erich “Mancow” Muller decided to subject himself to the controversial practice of waterboarding live on his show.

First on The CNN Ticker: Ridge disagrees with Cheney  —  (CNN) — Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told CNN former Vice President Dick Cheney's repeated charge the Obama administration has made the country less safe is wrong.  —  “Yeah, I disagree with Dick Cheney,” …

The GOP's new tool: Huffington Post  —  When Tom Coburn wanted to pitch his criticism of the Democrats' health care plan last month, the senator's office considered sympathetic media outlets like The Wall Street Journal and the conservative blog RedState.  —  Instead, the Oklahoma Republican went with The Huffington Post.

Kaine calls on LU to reconsider Democratic club ban  —  Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. made his first public comments today about the university's suspension of the campus Democratic party club.  —  “That club still has the right to exist,” Falwell said, although it cannot use the university's name in its activities.

Obama Aide: Not Our Goal to Reduce Abortions  —  Author's Note: Because of the Obama speech at Notre Dame and the widespread misunderstanding that this Administration has fostered, others have urged me to make public what the White House official in charge of finding “common ground” stated in our meeting.

California Supreme Court to rule on Proposition 8 Tuesday  —  The California Supreme Court announced today that it will rule Tuesday on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the November ballot measure that resurrected a ban on same-sex marriage.  —  The ruling, which will be posted at 10 a.m. …

The Newburgh Four — And The Goverment Mole Who Betrayed Them  —  We're starting to get a rich picture of the four hapless Jihadis who were arrested Wednesday night for plotting to bomb two New York synagogues, as well as the FBI informant who deceived them.

Steele: Obama ‘Was Not Vetted Because The Press Fell In Love With The Black Man Running For The Office’  —  Apparently unable to learn from egregious mistakes from the recent past, RNC Chairman Michael Steele once again took to the radio airwaves today as a guest host for Bill Bennett.

Sobbing Kindergarteners Snubbed for Steelers?  —  Kids locked out of White House; officials say they were too late  —  Thursday was supposed to be the highlight of the year for more than 100 kindergarteners from Stafford County, Va. They got up early and took a chartered bus to the White House for a school field trip.

Jesse Ventura Challenges Hannity On Waterboarding: “I'll Get Him To Say Obama Is The Greatest President”  —  Jesse Ventura, the former Minnesota governor and presidential candidate, vows that if he waterboarded Sean Hannity, he'd get the right-wing Fox News host to say that “Barack Obama is the greatest president.”

Mayor quits job for gay illegal immigrant he loves  —  It was, simply put, the most stunning abdication since King Edward VIII in 1936 gave up the British throne for Wallis Simpson, the twice-divorced American socialite.  —  Only two weeks after being elected to serve his fourth term …

NEPOTISM REIGNS.... Mid-day yesterday, I noticed that Mark Halperin had a headline that read, “Round 2: Liz Cheney vs Axe.”  Round 1, apparently, was President Obama and former Vice President Cheney, and Round 2's “Axe” refers to David Axelrod, Senior White House Advisor to the president.

Upholding values will shield US from terror: Obama … President Barack Obama Friday warned America risked its security when it compromised its values, seeking support for his bid to sketch a new legal framework for anti-terror policies.  —  Obama used the backdrop of the US Naval Academy graduation ceremony …

Facts and myths about Obama's preventive detention proposal  —  [Updated below - Update II (Interview with ACLU) - Update III - Update IV - Update V ]  —  In the wake of Obama's speech yesterday, there are vast numbers of new converts who now support indefinite “preventive detention.”

Unemployment rate down in 21 states  —  Economic picture improves for some in April.  Eleven states have no change in rate, while 18 and D.C. see jobless rate rise.  Michigan still leads the nation.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The employment situation in the states showed signs of stabilizing last month.

“Out of the loop” Joe Biden says decision to shut Guantanamo was “like opening Pandora's Box”  —  Thank goodness for Vice President Joe Biden.  In one of the few amusing parts of the Wanda Sykes comedy routine at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, she said: “God forbid that Joe Biden falls …

President Above-It-All  —  EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is available exclusively through King Features Syndicate.  For permission to reprint or excerpt this copyrighted material, please contact: kfsreprint@hearstsc.com, or phone 800-708-7311, ext 246.  —  Put Barack Obama in front of a teleprompter …

Obama's Real Hundred Days  —  With health care and climate change on the agenda, the next hundred are more important than the first.  Get ready for the Summer of Shove.  —  During his proverbial hundred days, Barack Obama played the hand he was dealt.  Not since FDR had a president entered office …