Breaking Down a 3-Way Race in Florida  —  MIAMI — If Gov. Charlie Crist announces later today that he will run as an independent for the United States Senate — as widely expected — Florida will once again become a gawk-worthy stage of American politics, where the country's desires, conflicts and direction will play out.

More Americans Favor Than Oppose Arizona Immigration Law  —  Among those who have heard of law, 51% favor and 39% oppose it  —  PRINCETON, NJ — More than three-quarters of Americans have heard about the state of Arizona's new immigration law, and of these, 51% say they favor it and 39% oppose it.

Dems to push new immigration plan  —  Washington (CNN) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other leading Democratic senators will formally unveil the outlines of legislation for comprehensive immigration reform late Thursday, CNN has learned.  —  Two senior Democratic sources …

Thoughts on Flash  —  Apple has a long relationship with Adobe.  In fact, we met Adobe's founders when they were in their proverbial garage.  Apple was their first big customer, adopting their Postscript language for our new Laserwriter printer.  Apple invested in Adobe and owned around 20% of the company for many years.

Breaking news: I am not white!  —  I'm still on the road and our wonderful guest-bloggers will be dropping in again today and tomorrow.  The hate mail is on an increase again thanks to my outspoken defense of Arizona's immigration enforcement measure.  Too many to choose from, but here's a typical response:

Glenn Beck  —  Who'd have thought a history buff with a quirky sense of humor and a chalkboard could make for such riveting television?  Glenn's like the high school government teacher so many wish they'd had, charting and connecting ideas with chalk-dusted fingers — kicking it old school …

Obama: “I do think at a certain point you've made enough money”  —  Via News Alert and Breitbart TV, consider this Share the Wealth 2010.  Barack Obama went off the TelePrompter in his speech to a Quincy, Illinois audience about Wall Street reform.  After saying that Democrats don't begrudge success that's …

Conservatives Mock Pelosi For Airbrushed Magazine Shot, Stay Silent On Laura Bush's Retouched Book Cover  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is on the May/June 2010 cover of the DC magazine “Capitol File,” and conservatives are all worked up that the photograph of her may have been airbrushed.

EXCLUSIVE: U.N. Elects Iran to Commission on Women's Rights  —  Without fanfare, the United Nations this week elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law …

Confusion Reigns at Gitmo After Khadr Is a Courtroom No-Show  —  Detainee Refuses to Wear Ski Goggles and Earmuffs  —  GUANTANAMO BAY — Welcome to the first courtroom logjam of what officials here call military commissions 4.2.  —  Omar Khadr's pre-trial hearing this morning experienced an unexplained hour-long delay.

State of emergency in Louisiana  —  (CNN) — A 120-mile oil slick advanced to within a few miles of the mouth of the Mississippi River on Thursday as authorities scrambled to keep the spill from damaging wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico.  —  As of late Thursday morning …

White House seeks to soften Iran sanctions  —  Wants exemption for firms based in China and Russia  —  The Obama administration is pressing Congress to provide an exemption from Iran sanctions to companies based in “cooperating countries,” a move that likely would exempt Chinese …

Al Gore, Tipper Gore snap up Montecito-area villa  —  The Italian-style home has an ocean view, fountains, six fireplaces, five bedrooms and nine bathrooms.  —  Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, have added a Montecito-area property to their real estate holdings, reports the Montecito Journal.

The Insurance Mandate in Peril  —  First Congress said it was a regulation of commerce.  Now it's supposed to be a tax.  Neither claim will survive Supreme Court scrutiny.  —  A"tell" in poker is a subtle but detectable change in a player's behavior or demeanor that reveals clues about the player's assessment of his hand.

U.S. Subpoenas Times Reporter Over Book on C.I.A.  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is seeking to compel a writer to testify about his confidential sources for a 2006 book about the Central Intelligence Agency, a rare step that was authorized by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENTS — AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.... Marc Thiessen recently urged Republicans to fight as hard as they can to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  The GOP need not fear political repercussions, the Bush speechwriter turned Washington Post columnist said, because Americans won't see the law's benefits kick in for several years.

Wind energy company to lay off workers at SD plant  —  SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A company that makes and repairs wind turbine blades said Wednesday it is laying off about one-third of the work force at its plant in the eastern South Dakota town of Howard.  —  Knight & Carver Wind Group Inc …

How We Stomach Elitism  —  Sully notes that Laura Bush was “the most decent person in the White House for eight long years” and proffers this quote as evidence: … I agree, she was decent.  By all accounts, her husband was decent, too, and both treated all the gays they knew well.  So f**king what?

Villaraigosa backs L.A. boycott of Arizona over immigration crackdown [Updated]  —  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Thursday that he supports a boycott of Arizona by the city of Los Angeles, and he called that state's newly passed immigration law “unpatriotic and unconstitutional.”

Legislators take aim anew at ethnic-studies programs  —  PHOENIX - State senators approved legislation aimed at the curbing the ethnic-studies program in Tucson Unified School District.  —  HB 2281 would make it illegal for a school district to have any courses or classes that promote …