Crist Announces Independent Bid for Senate  —  MIAMI — Gov. Charlie Crist announced Thursday that he will run independently for the United States Senate, giving Florida a race that will once again make the state a gawk-worthy stage of American politics, where the country's desires, fears and conflicts 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 …

U.S. Said to Open Criminal Inquiry Into Goldman  —  Federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into trading at Goldman Sachs, raising the possibility of criminal charges against the Wall Street giant, according to people familiar with the matter.  —  While the investigation is still …

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.

iPhone Finder Regrets His ‘Mistake’  —  The person who found and sold an Apple iPhone prototype says he regrets not doing more to return the device to its owner, according to a statement provided by his attorney Thursday in response to queries from Wired.com.

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 …

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 …

British protesters attack Israel's deputy ambassador  —  Pro-Palestinian protesters storm towards Talya Lador-Fresher after her speech at Manchester University, prompting police to whisk her away from site.  Protesters proceed to encircle police car, climb on hood.  Ambassador Ron Prosor says sweeping denunciation expected

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.

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.

Durbin Says “Bleeding Heart Liberals” Should Be Open to Medicare and Social Security Cuts  —  Well this is encouraging.  Dick Durbin is one of the “liberals” on the President's Debt Commission, which is currently studying cuts to Social Security and Medicare as a way to reduce the deficit.

One Woman's ‘Truth’: Rielle Hunter Talks to Oprah  —  Rielle Hunter, who told Oprah Winfrey in a program broadcast on Thursday that John Edwards had a secret affair with her because “he wanted to live a life of truth,” is a tough interview, tougher in some ways than President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.

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 …

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 …

Hordes of Hired Guns Earned About $19 Million Per Day As Lobbying Soared to Nearly $1 Billion in First Quarter  —  Hordes of hired K Street guns are in high demand as President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats seek to implement grand legislative plans.

House Approves Puerto Rico Vote Legislation  —  The House of Representatives voted Thursday to allow Puerto Ricans to decide their own political future and relationship with the United States.  —  The vote was 223 to 169.  Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., voted present.

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.

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 …

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?

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.