A cautionary note about the beating in New Orleans; Update: No Palin pins involved  —  Scroll for updates...  I'm getting bombarded with angry e-mails about the terrible assault on Louisiana GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal's campaign fundraising chief, Allee Bautsch, and her boyfriend in the French Quarter of New Orleans over the weekend.

Obama's disregard for media reaches new heights at nuclear summit  —  World leaders arriving in Washington for President Obama's Nuclear Security Summit must have felt for a moment that they had instead been transported to Soviet-era Moscow.  —  They entered a capital that had become a military encampment …

Staffers' accounts paint more detailed, troubling picture of Massa's office  —  Just three months after Eric Massa was elected to Congress, his young male employees on Capitol Hill began complaining to supervisors that the lawmaker was making aggressive, sexual overtures toward them, according to new interviews and internal documents.

The National Tax Day Amalgamated Federation of Confederated Unions of Concerned Tea Party Patriot Expresses of America and the United States Ltd., LLC, and Inc.  —  “These concerns are American and we do ourselves a disservice if we segment ourselves into anything less than heirs of our American Revolution.”

Sarah Palin Earned How Much Since July?!  —  With A Steady Stream of Six-Figure Speaking Gigs, The Former Alaska Governor's Haul May Be Even Bigger  —  Pundits can debate the political costs and benefits of Sarah Palin's decision to step down as Alaska governor, but the monetary advantages …

GOP warns Obama over SCOTUS litmus test on Citizens United  —  The landmark Citizens United case has become a flash point in the ideological fight over President Barack Obama's next Supreme Court choice.  —  Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) took to the Senate floor Tuesday to warn Obama …

EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IMAGES IN THIS POST  —  It's been written countless times that Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino is something of a walking contradiction.  But let's take him at his word that the tragic death of his son Patrick in 2009 caused him to re-assess his life, his past, and his values.

What's the Matter With Fox News?  —  I've been reading the debates touched off by Julian Sanchez's post on “a systematic trend toward “epistemic closure” in the modern conservative movement.”  I'm nervous about wading in because almost anything I say is bound to offend someone I like.

Lieberman: ‘Thank God’ political momentum now with Republicans  —  Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) suggested in a new interview that he was grateful that political momentum now seemed to be on the side of Republicans.  —  Lieberman, an Independent senator who caucuses with Democrats …

Street Execs Give Pols Earful on Financial Reform  —  As a financial reform bill starts to take shape in Washington, two key lawmakers came to New York City last week to explain what it means for Wall Street, and how financial executives might help prevent some of its least market-friendly aspects …

Barney Frank gets a high-altitude haranguing on health care  —  Barney Frank has enemies, even 30,000 feet in the air.  —  Flying back to Boston from LA yesterday, the congressman was assailed by a pair of ophthalmologists upset about the health care reform bill.

Colbert Owns Wiki Leak (UPDATE: Video and More PWNAGE Added)  —  ***Bumped because we're all posting at the same time***  —  When my students tell me how much they love John Stewart I usually tell them that Stephen Colbert is way better.  Sure, I tell them, John Stewart has the smartest writers …

Obama vs. Palin 2012: No contest in '10  —  President Barack Obama's job approval may have slid — 51 percent in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey, 46 today in the Gallup daily track, 45 yesterday.  —  But given a choice of the first-term Democratic president and the former governor of Alaska …

Washington Memo: Baffled by Health Plan?  So Are Some Lawmakers  —  WASHINGTON — It is often said that the new health care law will affect almost every American in some way.  And, perhaps fittingly if unintentionally, no one may be more affected than members of Congress themselves.

Hoyer criticizes Bachman for denying racial epithet  —  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday chided Rep. Michelle Bachmann (D-Minn.) for denying that a protester shouted a racial epithet at Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) during last month's healthcare battle.

Republicans Lead by 48% to 44% on Congressional Ballot  —  Republican Party maintains an advantage on voter enthusiasm  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Daily tracking for the week ending April 11 puts Republicans slightly ahead of Democrats, 48% to 44%, in the congressional voting preferences of registered voters nationally.

Andrew Ross Sorkin Owes Several People An Apology … I certainly never said anything like that, and I don't think Nouriel did either.  First of all, I never called for “nationalizing the entire banking system” — I wanted the government to take temporary full ownership of a few weak banks …

Health care figure running for Florida Governor  —  The hard-fought Florida political scene race just got a bit more complicated: Rick Scott, the former hospitals executive whose Conservatives for Patients Rights played a key role in opposition to President Obama's health care overhaul …

Virginia pharmacy had plenty of moral convictions, few clients  —  The Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy in Chantilly proudly and purposefully limited what it would stock on its shelves.  But it turns out that no birth control pills, no condoms, no porn, no tobacco and even no makeup added up to one thing:

Getting Blunt About Health Insurance.  —  Last week, I commented on some Republican senators who pretended that you could outlaw denials of health coverage for pre-existing conditions without having an individual mandate by suggesting that they just don't care enough about the policy dilemma to bother making sense.

Lehman Channeled Risks Through ‘Alter Ego’ Firm  —  It was like a hidden passage on Wall Street, a secret channel that enabled billions of dollars to flow through Lehman Brothers.  —  In the years before its collapse, Lehman used a small company — its “alter ego,” in the words of a former Lehman trader …