USA fumes over politics  —  WASHINGTON — Seven months before the midterm elections, Americans seem disaffected about nearly everything political.  —  A majority disapprove of both political parties, their leaders and most members of Congress, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.

Rep. Hank Johnson: Guam could ‘tip over and capsize’  —  Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) is afraid that the U.S. Territory of Guam is going to “tip over and capsize” due to overpopulation.  —  Johnson expressed his worries during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the defense budget Friday.

A different kind of company name  —  Early last month the mayor of Topeka, Kansas stunned the world by announcing that his city was changing its name to Google.  We've been wondering ever since how best to honor that moving gesture.  Today we are pleased to announce that as of 1AM …

Federal Judge Finds N.S.A. Wiretapping Program Illegal  —  WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program was illegal, rejecting the Obama administration's effort to keep shrouded in secrecy one of the most disputed …

Stall, Baby, Stall — By: Sarah Palin  —  Many Americans fear that President Obama's new energy proposal is once again “all talk and no real action,” this time in an effort to shore up fading support for the Democrats' job-killing cap-and-trade (a.k.a. cap-and-tax) proposals.

Furor Grows Over Celebrity Appearances on Palin Show  —  Hours after LL Cool J complained that Fox News was recycling an old interview with him for a new program hosted by Sarah Palin, representatives for the country musician Toby Keith, who was also listed as a guest for the show, made a similar charge against the cable channel.

Administration seeks to change pay incentives at major firms  —  When the Obama administration imposed restrictions on executive pay last year at some of the largest companies the government had bailed out, officials said they were aiming to set a new standard for compensation across corporate America …

Dems squeezed by health care lawsuit  —  They played almost no role in crafting or passing the new federal health care legislation, but Democratic attorneys general have suddenly emerged as prominent actors in the post-passage drama over the constitutionality of the landmark law.

Burr: A series of fixes...maybe not repeal  —  Even as staunch conservatives continue to call for the repeal of the new health care law, there are signs that some Republicans are wary about how that move would be perceived in November.  —  North Carolina's senior senator now acknowledges …

The Affordable Care act is not a “mandate.”  It's government paying for your private insurance when your employer doesn't.  —  My post on why the ACA will become popular was too long and confusing.  Shorter me:  —  The phrase “individual mandate,” though it explained to wonks …

Democrat Boxer warns colleagues: Don't take your seats for granted  —  Democratic incumbents must be wary of taking their seats for granted this election cycle, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said Thursday.  —  Boxer, who's facing one of the most competitive election challenges in her own career …

Native-born Californians regain majority status  —  A USC study finds that immigration has peaked in the state, a longtime melting pot.  Border restrictions and the recession are seen as factors.  —  California has long been the ultimate melting pot, with the majority of its population coming from outside the state.

ACLU program will protect Muslims in FBI questioning  —  Adil Imdad, 41, moved to the United States as a teenager from his native Pakistan in 1981.  Five years later, he became an American citizen, and in 1995, he moved to St. Louis to pursue a master's degree in environmental engineering at Washington University.

State of the Art: David Pogue's Review of the iPad  —  In 10 years of reviewing tech products for The New York Times, I've never seen a product as polarizing as Apple's iPad, which arrives in stores on Saturday.  —  “This device is laughably absurd,” goes a typical remark on a tech blog's comments board.

Democrats lie low after healthcare victory  —  (Reuters) - The week after passing landmark healthcare reform and handing President Barack Obama an important victory, members of the U.S. Congress returned to their home districts for a recess to face constituents and justify their votes after the bruising legislative battle.

Secretary of the Army Says He Will Not Pursue 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Discharges  —  WASHINGTON — The secretary of the Army, John M. McHugh, said Wednesday that he was effectively ignoring the “don't ask, don't tell” law because he had no intention of pursuing discharges of active-duty service members …

Complaints about Obama drive 11 percent surge in Tiahrt's office spending  —  In a year when he was saying government needed to tighten its belt to get through the recession, Rep. Todd Tiahrt increased spending on his taxpayer-funded congressional office by 11 percent, federal records show.

Tony Perkins urges conservatives to stop giving money to RNC  —  Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council and an influential social conservative, is urging his members to stop giving money to the Republican National Committee, POLITICO has learned.  —  “I've hinted at this before …

SUDERMAN: Whimsical FCC encroaches on First Amendment rights  —  A doddering bureaucracy whose time has passed  —  As exercises in bureau-cratic hairsplitting go, it is tough to beat the sheer audacity of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski's recent declaration …

Geithner: Unemployment will stay ‘unacceptably high’ for some time  —  The unemployment rate will remain “unacceptably high” for some time, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Thursday.  —  Geithner said that while the Obama administration's had made great strides toward repairing the …

Former GOP Officials Launch Political Group  —  As troubles at the Republican National Committee continue, a group of former Republican officials are starting an outside political group that could compete with the RNC for wealthy donors and prominence.  —  The group, American Crossroads …

An Electoral Majority for Obama?  —  Over the last two years, there has been a massive increase in the number of people who have no place to turn except to the government.  Enactment of the Obama administration's health care reform legislation demonstrates the growing power of this burgeoning constituency …

Pay of Hedge Fund Managers Roared Back Last Year  —  The Lazarus-like recovery of the nation's big banks did not benefit just the bankers — it also created huge paydays for hedge fund managers, including a record $4 billion gain in 2009 for one bold investor who bet big on the financial sector.

Calif looks into banks' role in underwriting, CDS  —  California's Treasurer has sent a letter to six big banks that underwrite the state's municipal bond sales, asking what the banks' role may be in also selling credit default swaps on California debt.  —  The letter to Bank of America Merrill Lynch …

FORMER ‘REAL WORLD’ CAST MEMBER RUNS FOR HOUSE  —  The just-ended “Real World” season was based in D.C., but that didn't mean cast members got particularly politically energized.  One worked at the Human Rights Campaign and visited his congressman.  Another had a political cartoon published in the Washington Times.

Anarchists Plan War On April 15th Tea Parties  —  WARNING: Be on the lookout-  —  Bring your cameras.  —  Violent anarchists are planning on infilitrating and sabotaging the Tea Party Protests on April 15th.  —  The Jawa Report posted this call to arms from the violent anarchists at Infowars today: