Reid to force repeated votes to end filibuster of Wall Street reform  —  Sen. Harry Reid will force Republicans to vote repeatedly against Wall Street reform to put pressure GOP centrists.  —  A senior Democratic aide said Reid would schedule votes to end a Republican filibuster of the reform bill …

Nationally, 60% Favor Letting Local Police Stop and Verify Immigration Status  —  Arizona Governor Jan Brewer last week signed a new law into effect that authorizes local police to stop and verify the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant.

Police Seize Jason Chen's Computers  —  Last Friday night, California's Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team entered editor Jason Chen's home without him present, seizing four computers and two servers.  They did so using a warrant by Judge of Superior Court of San Mateo.

Not What He Needs?  —  I'm going to lose my mind if I have to listen to any more gasbags go on about how poor Lindsay Graham has been stabbed in the back because Harry Reid put immigration reform before climate change for nothing but personal political reasons.

Jones under fire for Jewish joke  —  National Security Advisor Jim Jones's speech to a top Middle East think thank last week has been overshadowed somewhat by a brewing controversy over a joke he told at the outset.  But within the speech, Jones made big news on the foreign-policy front.

No More Beer Summits: Tea Party ‘N-Word’ Incident Didn't Happen, And the Congressional Black Caucus Owes America an Apology  —  Rep. Andre Carson wants to change the subject.  I don't blame him.  —  On April 13, 2010 he told AP reporter Jesse Washington, “I think we need to move toward …

Merkley: End FinReg Filibuster to Bring Negotiations Out in the Open  —  Solid points from Ryan Grim and Jeff Merkley who observe that the effect of filibustering financial regulatory reform is to keep negotiations behind closed doors, instead of letting members who have concerns with the bill offer amendments in public for all to see:

Re: Reply to Jim Manzi  —  Thanks for your reply.  I think that your directness and clarity have helped to isolate the key point of difference between us.  —  In response to my question - “Put yourself in the position of a senior government leader tasked with making real decisions that affect the lives of millions.

What to Make of ‘Boobquake’?  —  Today, women gathered in Washington's Dupont Circle for a protest.  There weren't typo-ridden signs or rallying cries to pass legislation.  Instead, there were just a lot of low-cut shirts.  —  Jen McCreight came up with the idea for the protest and proposed …

Texas lawmaker: Obama is 'God's punishment on us.'  —  On Saturday, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) and several other elected officials boosted Fox News host Glenn Beck at an event at the Oil Palace in Tyler, TX.  The day was full of right-wing flame-throwing, including Perry saying that he was …

Does Conservatism Need Fox News?  —  Amid a long commentary on last week's Jim Manzi-Mark Levin dust-up (and related matters), Jonah Goldberg made the following observation: … I suppose that it depends on what you mean by “success.”  In a sense, the last eighteen months have been enormously successful …

Techno-GOP  —  Web-savvy is no longer a monopoly of the political left  —  Home to two-term Republican governor Rick Perry, Austin is also the newest outpost of the social networking giant Facebook, which announced it had surpassed Google as the most visited website in the United States around …

Remember that ash cloud?  It didn't exist, says new evidence  —  Britain's airspace was closed under false pretences, with satellite images revealing there was no doomsday volcanic ash cloud over the entire country.  —  Skies fell quiet for six days, leaving as many as 500,000 Britons stranded overseas …

Midwest Trip With Political Fortunes on the Line  —  MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa — President Obama is making an appeal to the legions of new voters who sent him to the White House, imploring them to preserve the Democratic majority in Congress.  But party leaders have an even more pressing wish …

Underwear Bomber: New Video of Training, Martyrdom Statements  —  Prior to Suicide Mission, Abdulmutallab Says ‘Jews and the Christians’ Are the Enemy  —  New videos produced by al Qaeda in Yemen show the accused underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and others in his training class firing weapons …

Home Buyer Tax Credit Called Successful, but Costly  —  Realtors, home buyers and sellers are rushing to complete sales agreements before the tax credit for home purchases expires this week.  —  Home buyers must have a deal by April 30 and close by June 30 to qualify for the federal tax break …