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 …

Like LL Cool J, Toby Keith was unaware of his inclusion in Sarah Palin's show  —  Like LL Cool J, Toby Keith is slated to appear on “Real American Stories,” a Fox News show hosted by Sarah Palin.  Unlike LL Cool J, Keith is still slated to be on the program, but his inclusion was news to him.

Stall, Baby, Stall — By: NRO Staff  —  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.

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 …

Dem congressman: If Guam gets too overpopulated, it might tip over  —  Via Weasel Zippers, a clip that's destined to be viral by tomorrow morning.  Even so, go easy on him.  Yes, he was an Iraq defeatist, and granted, he demagogued Joe Wilson's outburst in the scummiest way imaginable …

Taxes per Person  —  Some pundits, reflecting on the looming U.S. budget deficits, claim that Americans are vastly undertaxed compared with other major nations.  I was wondering, to what extent is that true?  —  The most common metric for answering this question is taxes as a percentage of GDP.

How Is the Stimulus Money Allocated?  — By: Veronique de Rugy  —  Unemployment isn't a factor, but politics is.  Your stimulus dollars at work.  —  Using recipient report data from Recovery.gov, as well as economic and political data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau …

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 …

How to fix CNN  —  “What we understood from the get-go was that by focusing on opinion, analysis and using topic-area expertise to draw conclusions, we could easily differentiate ourselves from CNN, that was so wedded to just regurgitating the facts,” Goldin said.

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 …

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.

Michelle Obama Blooms in the White House  —  Back in the White House Garden, The First Lady's Popularity is Already Growing by the Bushel  —  (CBS) The White House garden has done quite well in weathering the wild winter.  —  The garden has produced 50 pounds of produce before the tulips even came up.

Successes (and Some Growing Pains) at Hulu  —  Hulu, the popular and free online video hub, has some things to celebrate as it heads into its third year.  —  The site, a venture of NBC Universal, the News Corporation and the Walt Disney Company, has been profitable for two quarters …

Iran Sanctions Are Failing.  What's Next?  —  We will soon be left with a stark alternative: Either Iran gets a nuclear weapon and we manage the risk, or someone acts to eliminate the threat.  —  Has the U.S. abandoned plans to target the Iranian regime's access to banking and credit and to isolate Iranian air and shipping transport?

Poll: More blame Obama for poor economy, unemployment  —  WASHINGTON — Americans anxious about unemployment and the economy increasingly blame President Obama for hard times, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, amid signs of turbulence in November's midterm elections.

Memo to Paul Krugman and Rep. Van Hollen: My Search Was Not in Vain (Updated)  —  In last Thursday's column, Paul Krugman admitted to having fun watching “right-wingers go wild.”  One of the things that apparently delighted him was this map which Sarah Palin posted on her Facebook page:

Immigrant Leaders Get Commitment From RNC Chairman Steele To Help In Securing Republican Support For Immigration Reform  —  WASHINGTON - Today, ten leaders with the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) met with Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to discuss the future …

Hedge Fund Managers' Pay 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.