A gaffetastic new Miss USA  —  She nearly tripped over her gown.  —  She called birth control a “controlled substance.”  —  She argued that contraceptives should be covered by health insurers because they are “expensive” — and then said you could get them for “free” from your OB/GYN's office.

Specter-Sestak Dem Primary Down To The Wire, Quinnipiac University Pennsylvania Poll Finds; Onorato Leads Dem Governor Primary  —  The Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary goes down to the wire with U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak taking 42 percent of likely primary voters to Sen. Arlen Specter's 41 percent …

Candidate's Words Differ From His History  —  At a ceremony honoring veterans and senior citizens who sent presents to soldiers overseas, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut rose and spoke of an earlier time in his life.  —  Multimedia  —  Enlarge This Image

Court: Sexually dangerous can be kept in prison  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that federal officials can indefinitely hold inmates considered “sexually dangerous” after their prison terms are complete.  —  The high court reversed a lower court decision that said Congress overstepped …

Obama doesn't take questions at Freedom of Press Act signing  —  Obama declined to answer questions at bill signing for the Freedom of Press Act.  —  Washington (CNN) - After the signing of the Freedom of Press Act on Monday, President Obama declined to take any questions from the press.

Interior official who oversees offshore drilling for MMS resigns  —  The top Interior Department official who oversees offshore oil and gas drilling for the Minerals Management Service will retire on May 31, The Washington Post has learned.  —  Chris Oynes, who oversaw oil and gas leasing …

Pawlenty budget a GOP model  —  Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's final budget, completed early Monday morning over the protests of angry Democrats and passed in a special session of the state legislature later in the day, positions the 2012 Republican presidential hopeful as the embodiment …

Too Far?  Family Guy's Vietnam Veterans Memorial ‘Joke’  —  It's not a secret that Family Guy is famous for its offensiveness and tendency to cross the politically correct line.  That said, I suspect they may be called upon to issue some sort of apology after tonight's episode (not that they will …

Obama's Aunt Is Granted Asylum  —  BOSTON — An immigration judge has granted asylum to President Obama's aunt and will allow her to stay in the United States, her lawyers said Monday.  She could become a citizen in about six years.  —  Zeituni Onyango, 57, who lives in public housing in Boston …

The Great Consolidation  —  This feels like a populist moment.  Americans are Tea Partying.  Greeks are rioting.  Incumbents are being thrown out; the Federal Reserve is facing an audit; Goldman Sachs is facing prosecution.  In Kentucky, Ron Paul's son might be about to win a Republican Senate primary.

The President & Vice President's Financial Disclosure Forms  —  Today, the President and Vice President released their 2009 financial disclosure reports.  —  The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires high-level federal officials to publicly disclose their personal financial interests.

Why Does Academia Treat Its Workforce So Badly?  —  A piece on adjuncts in Inside Higher Ed has been attracting a lot of attention among academics of my acquaintance.  Its description of academic life is shockingly brutal—shocking even to me, who knows enough PhDs to be acquainted with the dismal facts:

What spill?  Rig owner approves $1 billion dividend to shareholders  —  Five days after appearing before Congress to testify about its responsibility in one of the worst oil spills in US history, the Swiss company that owned and operated the oil rig that sunk into the Gulf of Mexico announced …

In Ky., confident Paul foresees ‘a tea party tidal wave coming’  —  BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Even before Republican voters in Kentucky cast their ballots on Tuesday, the favorite in the Republican U.S. Senate primary has already declared “there's a tea party tidal wave coming.”

The Revenue Limits of Tax and Spend  —  Whether rates are high or low, evidence shows our tax system won't collect more than 20% of GDP.  —  The Greeks have always been trendsetters for the West.  Washington has repudiated two centuries of U.S. fiscal prudence as prescribed by the Founding Fathers …

Israel Roiled After Chomsky Barred From West Bank  —  JERUSALEM — A fierce debate broke out in Israel on Monday amid finger pointing and hand wringing over the country's refusal a day earlier to permit Noam Chomsky, the linguist and icon of the American left, to enter the occupied West Bank from Jordan.

Romney Outraises Obama In NYC  —  Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) held a fundraiser in Manhattan last week and outperformed Pres. Obama's own cash grab a day later on behalf of the DCCC, another sign of trouble brewing for Dems this cycle in all corners of the country.

Woody Allen says President Obama should be granted dictatorial powers (seriously)  —  Woody Allen and wife Soon-Yi Previn.  (AP)  —  Woody Allen has a strange take on the democracy that allowed him to become rich and famous.  —  The “Scoop” director said it would be a cool idea …

Eyewitness: On the Ground With the Tim Burns Campaign in Pennsylvania  —  The conservative, grassroots movement has successfully shown that gerrymandered congressional districts and state boundaries no longer limit citizen involvement in any campaign regardless of where you live.

Texas teacher singles out Latino student during SB-1070 discussion, says Mexicans always ‘expect handouts.’  —  The San Antonio News reports that a Jefferson High School English teacher has been “removed from the classroom” for singling out a Latino student wearing a Mexican soccer jersey and publicly insulting him.

Politics as Entertainment  —  One of the most disturbing trends in American politics has been the increasing rise of conservative pundits who I don't think are honestly mistaken or lying for tactical political advantage, but rather just making stuff up because they don't really care …

Birthers v. Truthers, Again — By: Jonah Goldberg  —  As I wrote last year, I find it amazing that the “Birthers” are considered more dangerous and evil than the “Truthers.”  The Birthers believe that an ambitious man who travelled a lot as a kid has concealed the circumstances of his birth so he could be eligible for the presidency.

Bat fellatio causes a scandal in academia  —  University College Cork in Ireland is coming under international pressure to lift a punishment meted out to one of its academics.  Dylan Evans, a psychologist at the university's school of medicine, has been saddled with a two-year period …

Before He Hired an Escort, Rekers Tried to Spank the Gay Away  —  What do you do with a little boy who likes cross-dressing and playing with dolls?  If you're George Alan Rekers, you “extinguish” the boy's feminine behavior with a sometimes violent Pavlovian regimen while your scientific team observes through a one-way mirror.