Ex-AG sees violations by Walker in stunt call  —  When Gov. Scott Walker discussed strategies to lay off state employees for political purposes, to coordinate supposedly “independent” political expenditures to aid legislators who support his budget repair bill, and to place agent provocateurs …

Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin: Who ‘Contributes’ to Public Workers' Pensions?  —  When it comes to improving public understanding of tax policy, nothing has been more troubling than the deeply flawed coverage of the Wisconsin state employees' fight over collective bargaining.

Issues Divide Republicans' Views of Potential 2012 Contenders  —  Government, economy most important issues; social issues, national security least  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Although Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and Sarah Palin lead the field of potential Republican presidential candidates among …

Groups officially begin recall process for seven lawmakers  —  By Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel  —  The clock is now running for groups trying to collect enough signatures to trigger recall elections against seven Democratic senators, state officials said today.

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  New Soros investment fund, profiting off Obama's ‘green energy’ push, hires top Obama energy aide  —  George Soros — whom we're always told is not serving his own economic interests at all by promoting liberal politicians and big-government policies …

Pulling Apart  —  Congress was more polarized last year than in any other year since National Journal began compiling its vote ratings.  Overlap between the parties is disappearing.  —  Republicans in lockstep: House Speaker John Boehner, flanked by GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy (left) …

Fox News Chief, Roger Ailes, Urged Employee to Lie, Records Show  —  It was an incendiary allegation — and a mystery of great intrigue in the media world: After the publishing powerhouse Judith Regan was fired by HarperCollins in 2006, she claimed that a senior executive at its parent company …

Live Blog  —  As the uprising in Libya enters its eleventh day, we keep you updated on the developing situation from our headquarters in Doha, Qatar.  —  Blog: Feb17 - Feb18 - Feb19 - Feb20 - Feb21 - Feb22 - Feb23 - Feb24  —  AJE Live Stream - Special Coverage: Libya Uprising - Twitter Audio: Voices from Libya

U.S. Pulling Back in Afghan Valley It Called Vital to War  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — After years of fighting for control of a prominent valley in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, the United States military has begun to pull back most of its forces from ground it once insisted …

Senate Democrats eye the lockbox for Social Security, in Al Gore revival  —  Senate Democrats want to put the Social Security trust fund in a lockbox and insulate it from a broader budget-cutting package designed to reduce the national deficit.  —  It's a revival of the concept …

No labor officials on Sunday shows this weekend?  —  I tend not to get into the business of questioning the guest choices made by the Sunday shows.  But if there were ever a time the networks would want to book labor officials to appear, you'd think it would be now.

Question to Broun: Who's going to shoot President Obama?  —  At Rep. Paul Broun's town hall meeting on Tuesday, the Athens congressman asked who had driven the farthest to be there and let the winner ask the first question.  —  We couldn't hear the question in the back of the packed Oglethorpe …

Pelosi edits honorary resolution...on Pelosi  —  The Democratic National Committee wanted to honor Nancy Pelosi Thursday — but its praise wasn't good enough for the House minority leader.  —  When the DNC's Resolutions Committee brought up a resolution commemorating Pelosi's years as speaker of the House …

Madison police chief asks Walker to explain ‘troubling’ statements  —  Madison Police Chief Noble Wray Thursday asked Gov. Scott Walker to explain his “troubling” and “unsettling” statements captured in a secretly recorded phone conversation that he “thought about” planting troublemakers among …

The Most Disturbing Personality on Cable Television  —  In the past few weeks Glenn Beck has spoken about the coming caliphate that he believes is about to envelope most of the world.  He then dilated on the anti-Christ with a man who says he has “new prophetic understanding into the end times.”

Shock Doctrine, U.S.A.  —  Here's a thought: maybe Madison, Wis., isn't Cairo after all.  Maybe it's Baghdad — specifically, Baghdad in 2003, when the Bush administration put Iraq under the rule of officials chosen for loyalty and political reliability rather than experience and competence.

Video: Rhode Island union supporter to cameraman - “I'll f**k you in the ass, you faggot”  —  The hits keep on coming.  Here's another fine specimen of Big Labor civility:  —  At AFSCME's “solidarity” rally in Providence, Rhode Island on Tuesday, a cameraman was accosted by a fuming pro-union protester.

School Board votes to send termination notices to teachers  —  By Linda Borg, Journal Staff Writer  —  PROVIDENCE, R.I. — After a raucous discussion, the Providence School Board Thursday night voted 4 to 3 to send letters of termination to the 1,926 teachers in the city's school district.

Glenn Beck comments on Reform Judaism slammed  —  Right-wing pundit's comparison of Reform Judaism's deliberations on political issues to ‘radical Islam’ draws ire.  —  Provocative Fox news commentator Glenn Beck angered American Jewish leaders again on Wednesday with new sweeping comments …

NY-26: Breaking — Jane Corwin donated $1,000 to Dede Scozzafava.  UPDATED.  —  “History never repeats itself, but historical situations recur.”  —  As you may be aware, there's some grumbling on the part of the Tea Party groups over the choice of a pro-choice Republican to replace Chris Lee …

Libyan: Qaddafi forces shoot hospital patients  —  A resident of the increasingly violent Libyan capital of Tripoli told CBS Radio News Thursday that armed supporters of Muammar Qaddafi, the country's longtime leader, have stormed into hospitals to shoot wounded demonstrators and take dead bodies to an unknown location.