President Obama and Vice President Biden's Tax Returns  —  Today, the President released his 2009 federal income and gift tax returns.  He and the First Lady filed their income tax return jointly and reported an adjusted gross income of $ 5,505,409.  The vast majority of the family's 2009 income …

How to spot and tag a Tea Party infiltrator  —  Happy Tax Day Tea Party.  Be safe out there.  A few tips on how to spot and tag a Tea Party infiltrator:  —  1. Ask them what the 10th amendment says.  —  2. Two letters: B.O. (and I'm not talking about the president's initials).

McConnell lacks support to block Wall Street reform bill  —  Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) does not have enough solid commitments from GOP lawmakers to block consideration of a Democratic Wall Street reform bill.  —  McConnell has circulated a letter within the GOP conference …

Gov. Crist vetoes teacher tenure bill  —  TALLAHASSEE — After weeks of protest and a deluge of messages, Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday vetoed a bill that would link teacher pay to student test scores and wipe out tenure for new teachers.  —  “I know in my heart it's the right thing to do,” Crist said of his veto.

Obama, GOP folks knotted up  —  Our monthly look ahead to the 2012 Presidential race finds Barack Obama more or less tied with all four of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination.  He trails Mike Huckabee 47-45 and Mitt Romney 45-44, ties Newt Gingrich at 45-45, and leads Sarah Palin 47-45.

Former NSA executive charged with leaking information to newspaper  —  A former senior executive with the National Security Agency has been indicted on 10 felony charges related to the alleged leaking of classified information to a national newspaper in 2006 and 2007, the Justice Department announced Thursday morning.

Bair Says Reform Bill Will Make Bailouts ‘Impossible’  —  WASHINGTON — While the subject continues to be hotly contested, at least one regulator, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair, is satisfied that the pending regulatory reform bill would put a stop to government bailouts.

A Message from ‘Henry’  —  We're high earners not yet rich, and now the government wants us to pay more?  —  I'm in the 32% federal and 10% state income tax brackets.  I pay a 1.2% property tax on very expensive California real estate.  I am subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax.

What's Obama Doing to Your Taxes?  —  When President Obama outlined his 2011 budget proposal in February, he said government cannot “continue to spend as if deficits don't have consequences... as if the hard-earned tax dollars of the American people can be treated like Monopoly money.”

Did Glenn Beck just post a new ratings low for 2010?  —  It sure looks that way, as Beck's ratings continue to sag.  —  Bottom line: Over the last nine months, Beck gained and then lost nearly one million viewers.  Trust me, in the world of cable news, that's not small feat.

Red-state conservatives and the U.S. census  —  Thursday is the day on which many Americans will take a step back, survey the country they inhabit, and wonder how the hell we got here.  —  April 15 has become our anti-Fourth of July, a holiday dedicated to disdain for the federal government …

Europe's VAT Lessons  —  Rates start low and increase, while income tax rates stay high.  —  As Americans rush to complete their annual tax returns today, there is still some consolation in knowing that it could be worse: Like Europeans, we could pay both income taxes and a value-added tax, or VAT.

The Closing Of The Conservative Mind, Ctd  —  Jonathan Bernstein thinks that this somewhat bizarre post by McArdle, in response to Julian Sanchez's posts on the conservative cocoon, is an attempt to hijack the thread.  Matt Steinglass engages respectfully.  Chait goes after Jonah Goldberg, who leans heavily on Megan's post:

Obama Sees Manned Missions to Mars  —  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — President Barack Obama predicted Thursday his new space exploration plans would lead American astronauts to Mars and back in his lifetime, a bold forecast relying on rockets and propulsion still to be imagined and built.

Early Bumps in Blumenthal's Senate Run in Connecticut  —  HARTFORD — Richard Blumenthal's campaign for the Senate was supposed to be a glide.  Nothing and no one could stop him.  —  As the Connecticut attorney general, Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat, had been sticking up for consumers …

Socialists weigh in on Obama  —  (CNN) — Billy Wharton should be happy.  —  “Socialized health care” is on its way.  The “socialist agenda” is taking over America.  And best of all, Barack Obama, a “committed socialist ideologue,” is in the Oval Office.

Pataki eying higher prize than Senate says GOP campaign chief  —  Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) decided not to run for the Senate this fall because he may have a higher goal in mind — the presidency, according to National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Thompson says he won't run against Feingold  —  Madison - Former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson said Thursday that he would not challenge U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.).  —  “My family didn't want me to run,” Thompson told the Journal Sentinel moments before he gave a speech to a tea party gathering on the steps of the State Capitol.

Obama Speech Signals a U.S. Shift on Middle East  —  WASHINGTON — It was just a phrase at the end of President Obama's news conference on Tuesday, but it was a stark reminder of a far-reaching shift in how the United States views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how aggressively it might push for a peace agreement.

Elena Kagan's Stints in Court May Hint at a Style On It  —  WASHINGTON — Two weeks ago, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, a leading contender for appointment to the Supreme Court, presented her sixth argument there.  She bantered easily with the justices, and she seemed to have a special rapport …