Top Goldman Leaders Said to Have Overseen Mortgage Unit  —  Tensions were rising inside Goldman Sachs.  —  It was late 2006, and an argument had broken out inside the Wall Street bank's prized mortgage unit — a dispute that would reach all the way up to the executive suite.

Is the Obama Administration Behind An Astroturf Anti-Tea Party Website?  —  “Cass Sunstein has favored the government using outside parties as government propaganda agents to paint their opposition as fringe and undermine their credibility.”  —  Astroturf is the act of professional interest …

The Republicans' 2012 problem  —  November 2010 is looking awfully good for the GOP.  But November 2012?  Not so much  —  Talk to most Democratic activists, and they'll concede that a Republican takeover of the House this fall is entirely possible.  Some will even contemplate …

David Gregory: “No, I won't fact check my guests and you guys can't make me...” A time line.  —  David Gregory, the host of NBC's Meet the Press, has painted himself into a strange corner with his assertion that there's no need to fact check what his guests say on the air because viewers can do that “on their own terms.”

Time's Klein: Beck, Palin Potentially Committing Sedition against U.S. Government; Heilemann Adds Limbaugh  —  Liberals are all too often eager to charge conservative personalities of using hyperbole to gain a political advantage, especially when it contradicts their world view …

World warming to US under Obama, BBC poll suggests  —  Views of the US around the world have improved sharply over the past year, a BBC World Service poll suggests.  —  For the first time since the annual poll began in 2005, America's influence in the world is now seen as more positive than negative.

Reaching Out Quietly to Muslims in America  —  When President Obama took the stage in Cairo last June, promising a new relationship with the Islamic world, Muslims in America wondered only half-jokingly whether the overture included them.  After all, Mr. Obama had kept his distance during the campaign …

Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor  —  The People and Their Government  —  By almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days.  A new Pew Research Center survey finds a perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government …

No Minstrel Show Here!  —  Charles Blow recently deplored the lack of authentic diversity at a Dallas Tea Party, describing it as a “minstrel show”.  Conor Friedersdorf notes the heads they lose problem being faced by the Tea Party: … Jut so.  Meanwhile, I am eagerly awaiting a correction on this from Mr. Blow:

Obama skips Polish funeral, heads to golf course  —  A massive volcanic plume covering most of Europe forced President Obama to cancel a Sunday trip to Poland to attend the funeral of the nation's president.  But the last-minute change left an opening in his schedule, so the president headed to the links for a round of golf instead.

Obama's health reform isn't modeled after Heritage Foundation ideas  —  Think tank analysts usually brim with pride when the president of the United States goes around claiming that his policies are based on their work.  But when President Obama tries to sell his health-care law …

First, define the problem  —  I HAVE been meaning to summarise my thoughts on financial regulatory reform in the wake of the Hyman Minsky conference on same.  I have to say, it has left me with a sense of resigned cycnicism.  I'll get to details in a moment, but I think that the most important thing …

It's Aggregate Demand, Stupid  —  David Wessel explains Christina Romer's view of the economic situation: … Here's the nominal GDP situation:  —  Brad DeLong remarks: … Every time there's a downturn a certain swathe of the elite starts to label it unfixable and structural.

Poll: 4 out of 5 Americans don't trust Washington  —  WASHINGTON - America's “Great Compromiser” Henry Clay called government “the great trust,” but most Americans today have little faith in Washington's ability to deal with the nation's problems.  —  Public confidence in government …

The Pastor, the Pedophile and CAIR  —  On April 5 the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a press release urging GOP leaders to “insist” that Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-NC) withdraw support from the non-profit grassroots advocacy organization ACT! for America.

NSA stops collecting some data to resolve issue with court  —  A special federal court that oversees domestic surveillance has raised concerns about the National Security Agency's collection of certain types of electronic data, prompting the agency to suspend collecting it, U.S. officials said.

Militia movement will be packing heat at rally on the Potomac  —  Daniel Almond, a three-tour veteran of Iraq, is ready to “muster outside D.C.” on Monday with several dozen other self-proclaimed patriots, all of them armed.  They intend to make history as the first people to take their guns …

Climategate: a scandal that won't go away  —  From Macbeth to Watergate, it's not the act that leads to nemesis, but the attempts to ‘trammel up the consequence’ , writes Christopher Booker.  —  Rajendra Pachauri, right, with Al Gore, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the IPCC in 2007

Nonproliferation?  How Quaint!  —  In years to come — assuming, for the purposes of argument, there are any years to come — scholars will look back at President Obama's Nuclear Security Summit and marvel.  For once, the cheap comparisons with 1930s appeasement barely suffice: To be sure …

Why cleaner air could speed global warming  —  Aerosol pollution, which is now on the downswing, has helped keep the planet cool by blocking sunlight.  Tackling another pollutant, soot, might buy Earth some time.  —  You're likely to hear a chorus of dire warnings as we approach Earth Day …