Hiding senators held in contempt; layoff notices to go out today  —  By Patrick Marley and Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison — Pressure ratcheted up on absent Senate Democrats on Thursday, as they were found in contempt by GOP senators and Gov. Scott Walker …

State says damage to marble at Capitol could hit $7.5 million  —  Madison - State officials said Thursday that damage to the marble inside and out the State Capitol would cost an estimated $7.5 million.  —  Cari Anne Renlund, chief legal counsel for the state Department of Administration …

PFC Manning Forced to Strip Naked  —  Last night, PFC Manning was inexplicably stripped of all clothing by the Quantico Brig. He remained in his cell, naked, for the next seven hours.  At 5:00 a.m., the Brig sounded the wake-up call for the detainees.  At this point, PFC Manning was forced to stand naked at the front of his cell.

GOP Aims to Tame Benefits Programs  —  Boehner Promises Entitlement Review  —  WASHINGTON—House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that he's determined to offer a budget this spring that curbs Social Security and Medicare, despite the political risks, and that Republicans will try to persuade voters that sacrifices are needed.

A New Strategy for Wisconsin  —  On February 17, the 14 Democratic members of the Wisconsin senate fled across the state line to the Best Western Clock Tower Resort in Rockford, Ill., the city in which I grew up.  They were denying Republicans a three-fifths quorum on a bill that would restrict public unions in Wisconsin.

Agent: I was ordered to let U.S. guns into Mexico  —  ATF agent says “Fast and Furious” program let guns “walk” into hands of Mexican drug cartels with aim of tracking and breaking a big case  —  WASHINGTON - Federal agent John Dodson says what he was asked to do was beyond belief.

Newt Gingrich's rough week  —  And so it didn't begin.  —  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was supposed to make big news in Atlanta Thursday, announcing a major step toward running for president in 2012.  —  What he announced instead was a website, the oddly named NewtExplore2012.com.

Public Broadcasting Should Go Private  —  If these outfits can afford to pay lavish salaries to their heads, they don't need taxpayer help.  —  When presidents of government-funded broadcasting are making more than the president of the United States, it's time to get the government out of public broadcasting.

Republicans ramp up push to block EPA climate regulations  —  Republicans unveiled legislation that strips the Environmental Protection Agency's power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, a move that escalates the GOP's attack on the White House environmental and energy agenda.

Sununu: I'll Work Against Huntsman  —  HAMPTON FALLS, N.H. — Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu is no fan of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and intends to work against him in the Granite State's Republican presidential primary if he decides to launch a bid for the White House this cycle.

U.S. Added 192,000 Jobs in February; Rate at 8.9%  —  America's job engine picked up some steam last month.  —  The nation's employers added 192,000 jobs in February, after having added just 63,000 the previous month, the Labor Department reported on Friday.  —  The February number was about what economists had been forecasting.

Sam Arora's disgraceful wavering on marriage equality in Maryland  —  Around 9:00 a.m. Thursday, Maryland House Del. Sam Arora (D-Montgomery County) — who raised a ton of cash from the gay community and progressives based on his stance on marriage equality and who is a co-sponsor …

Judge Stays Own Ruling Against Health Care Law  —  A federal judge in Florida on Thursday issued a stay of his own ruling against the Obama health care act, allowing the law to remain fully in effect while being appealed, eventually to the Supreme Court.  —  The Florida case …

Why Washington Doesn't Care About Jobs  —  This article appeared in the March 21, 2011 edition of The Nation.  —  Recommended by  —  Remember when everyone agreed that what the American people wanted from Washington was, in John Boehner's words, a “relentless focus on creating jobs”?

Demonstrators suddenly enter Capitol  —  By Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison — A group of perhaps one hundred protesters has entered the previously restricted and quiet Capitol and is now chanting, “Our house, our house.”  —  David Noyce of Madison said that he entered …

Huckabee Attacks Natalie Portman For Glamorizing “Out Of Wedlock Births”  —  In a radio appearance on Monday, Mike Huckabee attacked actress Natalie Portman for having a child “out of wedlock.”  Huckabee said that it's “troubling” to see people like “Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet …

Economists: State, local pension funds understate shortfall by $1.5 trillion or more  —  The pension funds for state and local workers in the United States are understating the amount they will owe workers by $1.5 trillion or more, according to some economists who have studied the issue …

How to Kill a Recovery  —  The economic news has been better lately.  New claims for unemployment insurance are down; business and consumer surveys suggest solid growth.  We're still near the bottom of a very deep hole, but at least we're climbing.  —  It's too bad that so many people …

Firefighters denied access to Capitol during emergency call  —  By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison — Security is so restrictive at the state Capitol that firefighters were denied access to the building during an emergency call Tuesday, one of the firefighters said Thursday.

James Franco Straddles Two Roles at Yale  —  On Sunday night he was in Hollywood, as co-host of the Oscar telecast in black tie.  At 9 the next morning, he was in a Starbucks in New Haven, hunched over a book and barely recognizable in a gray sweatshirt, but still wearing his tuxedo pants.

Uncloudy day on the budget front  —  John's post on Secretary LaHood's testimony before the Senate Budget Committee reminded me of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's testimony to the same committee on February 17 regarding the president's budget.  The president's plan accumulates $13 trillion …

Obama administration prepares for possibility of new post-revolt Islamist regimes  —  The Obama administration is preparing for the prospect that Islamist governments will take hold in North Africa and the Middle East, acknowledging that the popular revolutions there will bring a more religious cast to the region's politics.