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.

The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment  —  In 2003, several prominent Jewish philanthropists hired Republican pollster Frank Luntz to explain why American Jewish college students were not more vigorously rebutting campus criticism of Israel.  In response, he unwittingly produced …

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 …

Court: Sexually Dangerous Can Be Kept in Prison  —  Supreme Court says federal officials can indefinitely hold sexually dangerous prisoners  —  The Supreme Court ruled Monday that federal officials can indefinitely hold inmates considered “sexually dangerous” after their prison terms are complete.

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 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.

Uranium Offer by Iran May Hinder Efforts on Sanctions  —  CAIRO — Iran announced an agreement on Monday to ship some of its nuclear fuel to Turkey in a deal that could offer a short-term solution to its nuclear standoff with the West, or prove to be a tactic aimed at derailing efforts to bring new sanctions against Tehran.

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 …

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.

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:

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 …

Anti-Qaeda Sunni imams slaughtered in Iraq: military  —  BAQUBA, Iraq — Two Sunni Arab imams were brutally killed on Monday in Iraq, including one who was decapitated and had his head planted on a power pole, in attacks blamed on Al-Qaeda, military officials said.

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.

Class Warfare: Hundreds Protest Outside Bankers' Houses In DC  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Huge raucous crowds converged outside bank employees' houses on Sunday afternoon to demand banks stop lobbying against Wall Street reform.  —  “Bank of America: bad for America!” …

Andrew Breitbart's empire of bluster.  —  On Sunday, March 21st, the day that the House voted to pass health-care reform, Andrew Breitbart, the conservative Internet entrepreneur, was thousands of miles away, at home in Westwood, a neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Big Ten Conference likely seeking universities that fit its identity in expansion talks  —  By Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel  —  It was an exciting time in college sports, an era of great change and large dreams.  —  Faculty delegates from the big conference of the Midwest gathered …

Orrin Hatch Pretends To Be Outsider  —  My colleague Matt Corley flagged this remarkable exchange between longtime Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and talk radio host Laura Ingraham, during which the guy who's been a Senator longer than I've been alive tries to somehow deny being part of Washington:

Going to Extreme  —  Utah Republicans have denied Robert Bennett, a very conservative three-term senator, a place on the ballot, because he's not conservative enough.  In Maine, party activists have pushed through a platform calling for, among other things, abolishing both the Federal Reserve and the Department of Education.

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.

E-mails show Times Square suspect's frustration  —  New York (CNN) — Faisal Shahzad, the suspect in the failed car bombing in New York's Times Square, was frustrated with the state of the Muslim world and sought a way to “fight back.”  —  Two e-mails obtained by CNN help piece together …

Pawlenty vetoes gay-rights bill  —  Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill Saturday that would have given same-sex partners the right to decide what to do with the body of their loved ones, should they die.  —  Pawlenty had said he would veto the bill, calling it unnecessary because partners can draw up a living will.