White House kills Hillary SCOTUS buzz  —  The White House moved quickly today to squelch the widening speculation that Hillary Clinton could be nominated to the Supreme Court, as Senator Orrin Hatch suggested this morning.  —  “The President thinks Secretary Clinton is doing an excellent job …

The Sarcasm of Sarah Palin  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin delivered a well-received speech on Friday at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, an address defined — as almost all of her public pronouncements have been in the 18 months since she emerged on the national political scene — by a stinging sense of sarcasm.

Scott Brown snubs Sarah Palin, bags Tea Party rally  —  U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, whose stunning victory in January was fueled in part by Tea Party anger, has snubbed the fiery grassroots group and declined its invitation to join Sarah Palin Wednesday at a massive rally on Boston Common, the Herald has learned.

The political case for immigration reform  —  I'd say it's pretty unlikely that comprehensive immigration reform happens this year.  But then, who cares what I think?  Harry Reid is in charge of the Senate, and he says he's got 56 votes, and it's gonna happen.

Boehner: Repealing healthcare law GOP's ‘No. 1 priority’  —  Repealing healthcare reform will be Republicans' “No. 1 priority,” their House leader said Monday.  —  House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that repealing the healthcare legislation passed in Congress last month …

Tea Party NY Gov Candidate's E-Mails Exposed: Racism, Porn, Bestiality  —  An online news outlet in New York state has obtained dozens of emails, many of them racist and sexually graphic, which it reports were sent by Carl Paladino, the Tea-Party-backed Republican candidate for governor of New York …

Conn. bishops fight sex abuse bill  —  Hartford, Connecticut (CNN) — A bill in Connecticut's legislature that would remove the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases has sparked a fervent response from the state's Roman Catholic bishops, who released a letter to parishioners Saturday imploring them to oppose the measure.

Obama: We're still working on our democracy  —  President Obama said Sunday that the United States is still “working on” democracy and a top aide said he has taken “historic steps” to improve democracy in the United States during his time in office.  —  The remarks came as Obama met …

Conan O'Brien coming to TBS … And the winner of the Conan O'Brien sweepstakes is ... TBS.  —  According to a press release sent out by the cable network (which, like CNN, is a unit of Time Warner), the comedian is joining TBS to host a late-night show that is expected to debut in November.

Did FDR End the Depression?  —  The economy took off after the postwar Congress cut taxes  —  'He got us out of the Great Depression.  " That's probably the most frequent comment made about President Franklin Roosevelt, who died 65 years ago today.  Every Democratic president from Truman …

Russian President says what distinguishes Obama ‘from many other people’ is that he is ‘a thinker.’  —  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, one of 47 world leaders gathering for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., appeared on ABC's Good Morning America to relay his country's concerns ahead of the summit.

Healthcare law to sock middle class with a $3.9 billion tax increase in 2019  —  Taxpayers earning less than $200,000 a year will pay roughly $3.9 billion more in taxes — in 2019 alone — because of healthcare reform, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, Congress's official scorekeeper for legislation.

Hallucinogens Have Doctors Tuning In Again  —  As a retired clinical psychologist, Clark Martin was well acquainted with traditional treatments for depression, but his own case seemed untreatable as he struggled through chemotherapy and other grueling regimens for kidney cancer.  Counseling seemed futile to him.

1994 Republican Rout Is Casting Shadow in 2010  —  WASHINGTON — The year was 1994.  Congressional Democrats were battered after a failed fight to pass a health care bill.  It was the first midterm election for a new Democratic president, Bill Clinton.  By overwhelming numbers …

Powell Says He Will Challenge Rangel  —  Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV announced on Monday that he would challenge Representative Charles B. Rangel in this fall's Democratic primary, setting the stage for a deeply personal battle between two of Harlem's biggest political names and oldest foes.

PETA to ask feds to shut Ringling Bros., claiming circus is guilty of elephant torture, coverups  —  Circus officials have said in the past that the PETA photos do not show punishment or abuse, but represent humane and professional animal training.  (FOR GRAPHIC VIDEO, GO TO BOTTOM OF STORY).