Wisconsin State Senator Smacks Down Chris Matthews: 'You're Completely Uninformed'  —  MSNBC's Chris Matthews tried Monday to push the liberal media meme that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker exempted police and firefighters from his budget repair plan because their unions endorsed him in last November's election.

4 Americans on hijacked yacht dead off Somalia  —  U.S. Navy warship shadowing seized vessel takes action after gunshots are heard; 4 hostages apparently killed by captors, some pirates dead  —  The four Americans aboard a yacht hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia are dead.

Cleric orders Gaddafi killed  —  Influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has issued a fatwa that any Libyan soldier who can shoot dead embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi should do so ‘to rid Libya of him.’  —  'Whoever in the Libyan army is able to shoot a bullet at Mr Gaddafi should do so …

No Daley on the Ballot as Chicago Votes for Mayor  —  No Daley on the ballot as Chicago voters choose a mayor almost certainly unlike any before  —  The campaign to replace Mayor Richard Daley has unfolded unlike any in Chicago's history, and almost certainly will end with a mayor unlike anyone who's run City Hall before.

WI State Rep Busted For Sexual Misconduct - Says Charges Are a Distraction From Larger State Issues  —  Now we know what they do when they're not at work...  Wisconsin State Rep. Gordon Hintz told reporters today that his arrest for sexual misconduct is a distraction from larger issues facing the state.

House Republicans and Senate Democrats in talks to avoid government shutdown  —  Washington (CNN) - With funding for the federal government set to expire in less than two weeks, Senate Democrats and House Republicans are in discussions to avoid a government shutdown, a Senate Democratic leadership source told CNN.

Ex-aide's book paints harsh portrait of Sarah Palin  —  A new memoir from an embittered former aide to Sarah Palin includes a trove of emails that vividly illustrate her intense focus on image and depiction in the media.  —  The emails, apparently from the former Alaska governor …

Sen. Scott Brown says, 'I'm not a Tea Party member,' welcomes GOP primary  —  “You're talking about being an ideologue?  If you're looking for one, I'm not it,” said Sen. Scott Brown.  —  Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) said he doesn't consider himself a member of the Tea Party movement and would welcome any primary challenger.

I receive a threat: “whoever video taped this has no life and needs to be shot in the head.”  —  That's a comment on my YouTube video about the salt trucks that circled the Wisconsin Capitol yesterday, blowing horns, apparently in support of the protesters.  (I blogged the video here.)

New Zealand earthquake: 65 dead in Christchurch  —  Eyewitness Tania Galbraith: “The whole building began to shake and it just wouldn't stop”  —  New Zealand's prime minister says at least 65 people have died after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch.

Four men slashed teacher's face and left him with fractured skull ‘for teaching other religions to Muslim girls’  —  Four men launched a horrific attack on a teacher in which they slashed his face and left him with a fractured skull because they did not approve of him teaching religion to Muslim girls.

Think Stupidity  —  We generally follow Ronald Reagan's injunction to “always fight up, never fight down.”  Consequently, we critique liberal politicians and leading Democratic Party newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post, and rarely pay attention to the left-wing web sites that blight the landscape.

Pro-Huntsman effort launches website, offering 2012 clues  —  Washington (CNN) - A political action committee created by supporters of United States Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman launched a sleek but cryptic new website Tuesday, providing some of the first clues as to how a possible Huntsman …

Michigan orders DPS to make huge cuts  —  Bobb told to consolidate services, close half of schools to end deficit  —  Lansing— Swift and severe changes are coming to Detroit Public Schools.  —  State education officials have ordered Robert Bobb to immediately implement a financial restructuring plan …

How Qaddafi Lost Libya  —  It seemed unlikely that Libya, sandwiched between regime collapse in Tunisia and regime collapse in Egypt, could be untouched by the movement.  Qaddafi has had dominion over an increasingly malcontent country, and the citizens have been increasingly disgusted …

Wisconsin's Real Doctors and Their Fake Sick Notes for Protesters  —  Fears over becoming hostage to soaring health insurance premiums has Wisconsin's teachers and other public employees protesting in downtown Madison for the second week running.  It's a very real threat to their economic stability …

Cables show China used debt holdings to press US  —  Leaked diplomatic cables vividly show China's willingness to translate its massive holdings of US debt into political influence on issues ranging from Taiwan's sovereignty to Washington's financial policy.