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.

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 …

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 …

RNC “census” mailer offers phone sex number  —  A new entrant in the when-it-rains-it-pours category.  —  The Republican National Committee sent a fundraising mail piece earlier this month with a return number that leads to a phone-sex line offering “live, one-on-one talk with a nasty girl …

Palin to RNC: Take me off fundraiser  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has asked the Republican National Committee to remove her name from a fundraiser the committee is planning piggybacking off of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, POLITICO has learned.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Liberal groups demand GOP apology  —  Three liberal groups will drop off a petition at the Republican National Committee's headquarters Thursday, urging conservative leaders to “take responsibility” for threats and incidents of vandalism against Democrats.  —  The event is being organized …

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.

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:

Fred R. Becker, Jr.: Financial Literacy is No Joke  —  Today is both the beginning of Financial Literacy Month and April Fool's Day.  Coincidentally, I thought it was the perfect time to help folks get smart about their financial choices and revisit the Move Your Money campaign.

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 …

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.

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.

RED HORSE  —  Some troops in Afghanistan go months without a shower.  Major Ryan O'Conner, XO of the 1-17th Infantry, now in Kandahar Province, said that during a previous tour his Soldiers fought half a year without so much as a dip in a creek.  Shortages of drinking water affected combat operations.

Glasser named Foreign Policy's EIC  —  When The Washington Post Co. bought Foreign Policy magazine in fall 2008, former Post national editor Susan Glasser was brought in as executive editor and in the months that followed, helped relaunch the magazine's website.

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 …

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.

The Trumped-Up Constitutional Case To Trump Health Care Reform  —  Having failed to block enactment of health insurance reform, Republicans have turned to the courts to obstruct implementation.  From a legal standpoint, the complaints filed in Florida and Virginia by 14 state attorneys general …