Tea Partiers Are Fairly Mainstream in Their Demographics  —  Skew right politically, but have typical profile by age, education, and employment  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Tea Party supporters skew right politically; but demographically, they are generally representative of the public at large.

A maverick fights for his political life—and his soul. … From the magazine issue dated Apr 12, 2010  —  Late last month, at a dusty fairground outside Tucson, John McCain stood behind the person who is, at least for the next few years, surely his most important legacy to American politics.

RNC loses top fundraiser  —  In another serious blow to the Republican National Committee, one of its top fundraisers — and its few remaining connections to the traditional GOP donor base — has resigned a senior, unpaid position.  —  Former Ambassador Sam Fox, a top supporter of George W. Bush …

WikiLeaks posts ‘killing’ video  —  WikiLeaks has posted a video on its website which it claims shows the killing of civilians by the US military in Baghdad in 2007.  —  The website's organisers say they were given the footage, which they say comes from cameras on US Apache helicopters.

Obama throws the opening pitch  —  President Obama tossed out the first pitch at Nationals Park Monday afternoon, throwing high and wide to start the Washington team's opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.  —  Obama drew a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd as he strolled out onto …

Secretary LaHood Announces DOT is Seeking Maximum Civil Penalty from Toyota  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking the maximum civil penalty of $16.375 million …

The End of Candidate Giuliani?  —  Rudy Giuliani's decision to endorse Marco Rubio in the hotly contested Florida senatorial primary may be more than an act of revenge.  By backing a candidate that has little overlap with the brand of Republicanism that he embodies, Rudy may be signaling …

Why Sen. Ensign should be worried about possible indictment  —  In the federal penal code, it is known as “structuring.”  —  And it is a word Sen. John Ensign should remember because it is very likely to be on any indictment with his name on it.  —  That's what I am told by a reliable source familiar …

Tina Fey interview: Sarah Palin in her sights  —  Tina Fey talks about her new film - and plans to revive her sensational impression of the former vice-presidential candidate.  —  One day Tina Fey was an actress in a little-seen television sitcom, worshipped by an ardent cult following but mainly ignored by mainstream audiences.

Karl Rove appears in TV ad for Census  —  Author and former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove will appear in a new public service announcement from the U.S. Census Bureau designed to convince people to mail back their 2010 census forms by the end of the month.

Unemployment benefits expire for thousands  —  (CNN) — Extended unemployment benefits will temporarily expire for thousands of Americans on Monday because the Senate went on its spring recess without approving a one-month deadline extension.  —  The extension, which had bipartisan support …

Can CNN Be Saved?  —  Listening to Jon Stewart helped destroy CNN.  Now imitating him might be the network's only hope of salvation.  —  It was October of 2004, the heat of the presidential campaign, when Stewart showed up on “Crossfire,” long CNN's flagship political program, and delivered a now-legendary tirade.

Fake story meant to ensnare bloggers catches NYT instead  —  And these clowns wonder why they are circling the drain?  This lawyer pulled the fake story stunt to entrap us - political bloggers - because “fact checking is not” our “strong suit,” so he claimed.  We ignored the story, and the NYT ran with it.

The Rise of the New Paternalism  —  For as far back as memory reaches, people have been telling other people what's good for them — and manipulating or forcing them to do it.  But in recent years, a novel form of paternalism has emerged on the policy stage.

The Media Equation: Sarah Palin's Lucrative Career in Mainstream Media  —  When Sarah Palin made her debut as the host of “Real American Stories” on Fox News on Thursday night, she described several triumphs of regular people over insurmountable odds, but she missed an obvious one: her own.

Lawmakers: Afghan leader threatens to join Taliban  —  KABUL (AP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai threatened over the weekend to quit the political process and join the Taliban if he continued to come under outside pressure to reform, several members of parliament said Monday.