Breaking: Stupak Will Retire  —  Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) plans to announce his retirement today, Democrats briefed on his decision said.  Stupak, the leader of a pro-life faction within his party, had received death threats and was under intense political pressure after he agreed to support …

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens retiring  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the court's oldest member and leader of its liberal bloc, says he is retiring.  President Barack Obama now has his second high court opening to fill.

Stephanopoulos Defends Asking Obama About Palin Critique  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  ABC News' George Stephanopoulos is defending his decision to ask President Barack Obama to respond to Sarah Palin's criticism of his nuclear non-proliferation policy, after several observers questioned …

Gingrich Pledges Government Shutdown If GOP Wins Back House And Senate  —  On Wednesday night, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Sean Hannity that he's been tasked by the House Republican leadership to “to organize an effort over the next four or five months to develop a [new] compact or contract [with America].”

Generic Ballot Points Toward Possible 50+ Seat Loss for Democrats  —  A couple of weeks ago, we examined the potential upside case for Democrats in November's midterms.  If the party were able to limit their losses to about 20 House seats and 3-4 Senate seats, it might not have as deleterious …

VIDEO: Alan Grayson Interrupts Republican District Meeting  —  On Thursday, April 8th, 2010, Congressman Alan Grayson, Democrat in Florida's 8th district, interrupted a district meeting of the local Orange County Republican Executive Committee.  The meeting was being held at Perkins, a family restaurant.

Union Memo Hints At Gov.'s Death  —  Teachers Union's Memo The Latest Salvo In War Of Words With Gov. Christie  —  HACKENSACK, N.J. (CBS) ― New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie isn't laughing about a teachers union's memo that hints of his death.  —  The memo is the latest salvo in a war …

A New Buckley?  —  Jon Rauch gushes over David Frum.  I can't gush over David (which is probably a relief to him), but I do respect him and have known him almost as long as Jon has.  And on the critical point right now, we are in agreement: conservatism is about applying a skepticism toward government …

QUOTE OF THE DAY.... I appreciate the role a nuclear arsenal can play in serving as a deterrent against adversaries.  But Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota may not appreciate the notion of a proportionate response. … There are obviously a lot of errors of fact and judgment in that quote …

George W. Bush ‘knew Guantánamo prisoners were innocent’  —  George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld covered up that hundreds of innocent men were sent to the Guantánamo Bay prison camp because they feared that releasing them would harm the push for war in Iraq …

Big Banks Mask Risk Levels  —  Quarter-End Loan Figures Sit 42% Below Peak, Then Rise as New Period Progresses; SEC Review  —  Major banks have masked their risk levels in the past five quarters by temporarily lowering their debt just before reporting it to the public, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.