‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ for Thursday, March, 2010  —  RACHEL MADDOW, HOST: Good evening from Washington, D.C., where the political fight to reform health care at last appears to be in the homestretch.  —  Today, the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, granted me a one-on-one interview at the Capitol.

Colorado Mom Held in Terror Plot Case  —  A Second American Woman Is Arrested in Cartoonist Case  —  By VANESSA O'CONNELL in New York, STEPHANIE SIMON in Colorado and EVAN PEREZ in Washington  —  Last Easter, Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a 31-year-old mom with a $30,000-a-year job as a medical assistant …

Texas Board of Education cuts Thomas Jefferson out of its textbooks.  —  The Texas Board of Education has been meeting this week to revise its social studies curriculum.  During the past three days, “the board's far-right faction wielded their power to shape lessons on the civil rights movement …

Obama previews No Child Left Behind overhaul in address  —  President Barack Obama said it will be his administration's goal to have all high school students graduate “prepared for college and a career.”  —  Obama, in his weekly address, said the ambitious goal will be part of his proposed overhaul …

Gingrich Savors Another Turn in the Spotlight  —  WASHINGTON — Newt Gingrich still relishes stirring the pot of the culture wars.  —  There he was last month in Akron, Ohio, telling an audience of 300 people that President Obama was out of touch.  Why?  Because the president did not understand …

Tea Party Avoids Divisive Social Issues  —  For decades, faith and family have been at the center of the conservative movement.  But as the Tea Party infuses conservatism with new energy, its leaders deliberately avoid discussion of issues like gay marriage or abortion.

Hardcover Nonfiction  —  BUY THESE BOOKS FROM:  —  This WeekLast WeekWeeks on List  —  NO APOLOGY, by Mitt Romney.  (St. Martin's, $25.99.)  The former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential candidate calls for economic and civic­ ­revitalization.  (†) (†)

Pro-life group urges Congress to pass Senate health care bill  —  Twenty-five pro-life Catholic theologians and Evangelical leaders yesterday sent letters to members of Congress urging them not to let misleading information about abortion provisions in the Senate health care bill block passage of sorely-needed reform.

New York Cabs Gouged Riders Out of Millions  —  About 3,000 New York City taxi drivers routinely overcharged riders over two years by surreptitiously fixing their meters to charge rates that would normally apply only to trips outside the five boroughs, according to the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Sex-Abuse Scandal in the German Church Touches Pope Benedict XVI's Archdiocese  —  BERLIN — A widening child sexual abuse inquiry in Europe has landed at the doorstep of Pope Benedict XVI, as a senior church official acknowledged Friday that a German archdiocese made “serious mistakes” …

Is This Lobby Different From All Others?  —  The American relationship with Israel is both a political and an intellectual challenge for some students of foreign affairs.  Convinced that US national interests would be best served by distancing ourselves from the Jewish state …