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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Recess Appointments End Deadlock on Labor Relations Board  —  Because of President Obama's recess appointments of two union lawyers to the National Labor Relations Board, business groups are warning that the panel will kick quickly into a pro-union gear after 26 months of near paralysis, when just two of its five seats were filled.

Lincoln Suddenly Stands With Obama  —  Describing Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln's position on healthcare reform as a flip-flop doesn't do justice to her political flexibility.  During a year of contentious debate on President Obama's signature domestic priority, she's been all over the map.

Census Day for the 23rd Census of the United States  —  Today is Census Day - the day of reference that defines who to report as living in your household on your 2010 Census form.  —  This morning, President Obama officially declared today “Census Day” in a presidential proclamation.

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.

Newark records first homicide-free month in more than 40 years … NEWARK — For the first time in more than 40 years, an entire calendar month has come and gone without a homicide in the state's largest city.  —  It's been 32 days since a homicide took place in Newark …