House Conservatives Introduce Spending Cuts: $2.5 Trillion Over Ten Years  —  You can stop needling Republicans about what programs they want to cut now.  Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)'s Republican Study Committee is introducing the Spending Reduction Act of 2011, to cut back …

No, Charles Johnson, Glenn Beck Did Not Tell His Viewers to Shoot Anyone in the Head  —  On Twitter, Charles Johnson excitedly says:  —  He links to a post, evidently written by an LGF user, which provides no context for the clip, but simply embeds it.  Here is a screenshot of the entire post:

Greg Mankiw's thinking cap  —  There's an interesting mixture of callousness and accidental truth lurking within Greg Mankiw's satirical proposal to reduce the budget deficit: … Like health-care reform, Greg Mankiw's plan really would reduce the budget deficit.  That's been contested, so I'm glad to see Mankiw admit it.

Woman who fell into fountain faces theft charges, has criminal record  —  The Reading woman who became an Internet sensation by falling into a fountain while sending a text on her cell phone was in Berks County Court on Thursday for a status hearing on theft-by-deception and related charges.

Republican Presidential Contenders for 2012  —  ABC News' Early Look at Top GOP Presidential Hopefuls and Their Chances of Winning Nomination  —  Roughly one year before the Iowa caucuses, a diverse and ambitious group of Republicans has begun jockeying for the party's presidential nomination …

The Most Emailed ‘New York Times’ Article Ever  —  It's a week before the biggest day of her life, and Anna Williams is multitasking.  While waiting to hear back from the Ivy League colleges she's hoping to attend, the seventeen-year-old senior at one of Manhattan's most exclusive private schools …

Blackwater Founder Said to Back Mercenaries  —  WASHINGTON — Erik Prince, the founder of the international security giant Blackwater Worldwide, is backing an effort by a controversial South African mercenary firm to insert itself into Somalia's bloody civil war by protecting government leaders …

The 20 Best Nicknames in the Big Mafia Bust  —  ​News came down this morning about the FBI's largest organized crime bust in New York history, in which raids resulted in the arrest of over 100 alleged mobsters from all five crime families including the Gambinos, Genoveses, Luccheses, Bonannos and Colombos.

Path Is Sought for States to Escape Debt Burdens  —  Policy makers are working behind the scenes to come up with a way to let states declare bankruptcy and get out from under crushing debts, including the pensions they have promised to retired public workers.

Ted K's son may be eyeing Lieberman's seat in Conn.  —  The late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's son, Ted Jr., is among the names being floated as potential candidates for Connecticut U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman's seat in 2012.  —  Kennedy, the middle child of the late senator and his former wife …

Dems Growing Convinced That GOP Will Try To Force Shutdown Over Health Care Funds … WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats expressed a rare touch of nonchalance Wednesday as House Republicans voted to repeal last year's health care overhaul, since the repeal has little chance of passing the Senate.

Christie Attacked By Right-Wing Bloggers For Appointing Muslim Judge: 'He's In Bed With The Enemy'  —  Last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) announced seven judgeship appointments to the New Jersey Superior Court, including the appointment of Sohail Mohammed to serve on the court in Passaic County.

Banks Want Pieces of Fannie-Freddie Pie  —  As the Obama administration prepares a report on the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, some of the nation's largest banks are offering a few suggestions.  —  Wells Fargo and some other large banks would like private companies, perhaps even themselves …

Calif governor decries polarized political attacks  —  Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday decried a political tone in the state Capitol and across the nation that he says is more hostile than when he was California governor from 1975 to 1983.  —  “What is the vision today?

Police Seize ‘Large Amount’ Of Weapons From Blogger Who Praised Gifffords Shooting: ‘1 Down And 534 To Go’  —  Police in Arlington, MA this week seized a “large amount” of weapons and ammunition from local businessman Travis Corcoran after he wrote a blog post threatening U.S. lawmakers …

An update from the Chairman  —  When I joined Google in 2001 I never imagined—even in my wildest dreams—that we would get as far, as fast as we have today.  Search has quite literally changed people's lives—increasing the collective sum of the world's knowledge and revolutionizing advertising in the process.

First Lady's anti-obesity campaign could be causing more pedestrian deaths  —  Pedestrian deaths increased sharply during the first half of 2010, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).  The reason may be First Lady Michelle Obama and her “Let's Move” campaign.

Exclusive: Over a million immigrants land U.S. jobs in 2008-10  —  (Reuters) - Over the past two years, as U.S. unemployment remained near double-digit levels and the economy shed jobs in the wake of the financial crisis, over a million foreign-born arrivals to America found work, many illegally.

GE's Immelt to Head New White House Jobs Panel  —  WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will announce Friday that Jeffrey Immelt, chief executive of General Electric Co., will head a new White House board aimed at finding ways to foster private-sector job growth.

China Goes to Nixon  —  With Hu Jintao, China's president, currently visiting the United States, stories about growing Chinese economic might are everywhere.  And those stories are entirely true: although China is still a poor country, it's growing fast, and given its sheer size it's …

Abortion inserted into repeal effort  —  Republicans are turning to abortion as a key issue to rally their base as they attempt to replace the Democrats' health reform law.  —  The high-profile introduction of a Republican anti-abortion bill — just hours after the health repeal vote and prior …

A Most Valuable Democrat  —  In the spring of 2008, John McCain asked Joe Lieberman to speak on his behalf at the Republican National Convention.  “If I look back, I wonder about it,” Lieberman now says.  But it seemed the natural way to help the man he deemed most qualified to be president.

Fox News Poll: Most Say Prayer Helped Save Congresswoman Giffords  —  Nearly 8 in 10 American voters say they believe prayers helped Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords survive the Tucson shooting, according to a Fox News poll (Reuters).  —  Nearly 8 in 10 American voters say they believe prayers helped Arizona …

LIEBERMAN GETS FOREIGN POLICY AND FEMINISM WRONG AT THE SAME TIME.... Gail Collins noted this morning the Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) has “reached a point in his public career when every single thing he does, including talking about his grandparents, is irritating.”

A Racy Show With Teenagers Steps Back From a Boundary  —  MTV executives have a new hit drama on their hands, featuring the sexual and drug-fueled exploits of misfit teenagers.  They also have something else — a fear that coming episodes of the show may break the law.