NPR executives caught on tape bashing conservatives and Tea Party, touting liberals  —  A man who appears to be a senior National Public Radio senior executive, Ron Schiller, has been captured on camera savaging conservatives and the Tea Party movement.  —  “The current Republican Party …

In Wake Of Muslim Hearings, Rep. King Gets Security Upgrade  —  L.I. Congressman Says Hostile Phone Calls Flooding His Office  —  NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Long Island Congressman Peter King is facing threats — and getting extra security.  —  But he vowed Monday to forge ahead …

Freshman Democrat Joe Manchin: Obama has ‘failed to lead’ on budget  —  West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is planning to rip President Barack Obama on his budget proposals in a Senate floor speech Tuesday, a rare rebuke from a freshman Democrat who's clearly worried about the politics …

Welfare State: Handouts Make Up One-Third of U.S. Wages  —  Government payouts—including Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance—make up more than a third of total wages and salaries of the U.S. population, a record figure that will only increase if action isn't taken before the majority of Baby Boomers enter retirement.

Searching for Marizela: An update  —  SEATTLE — The photo above from Marizela's friends/family shows the tattoo on her left inner arm that reads “lahat ay magiging maayos” — a Tagalog saying for “all will be well.”  —  Thanks so much to all of you for your prayers and for helping to spread the word across the Internet.

E-mails reveal possible Walker concessions on union bill  —  By Jason Stein, Patrick Marley and Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - Gov. Scott Walker's office released documents Tuesday detailing back-and-forth talks with Senate Democrats in Illinois about his union bargaining bill …

Can Any One Of These People Beat President Obama?  —  To do so, one of these candidates has to win the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.  What follows is a cheat sheet of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the GOP presidential candidates and a quick assessment of where they stand now.

GOP Sen. Lugar says he'll support House Republican spending cuts  —  Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), who faces a Tea Party-backed challenge in his 2012 primary, has withdrawn his stated opposition to House-passed spending cuts.  —  Lugar said Tuesday afternoon that he made a mistake …

Obama's new executive order on Guantanamo  —  (updated below)  —  President Obama yesterday signed an Executive Order which, as The Washington Post described it, “will create a formal system of indefinite detention for those held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay” and …

Intruder calls 911, afraid homeowner may have gun  —  (CNN) — This time it was the intruder who called 911.  —  A man who broke into a house in Portland, Oregon, called police — afraid the homeowner may have a gun.  —  The suspect, Timothy James Chapek, was in the bathroom taking a shower …

Vilsack: ‘I took it as a slam on rural America’  —  Yesterday afternoon, I got an e-mail from a “usda.gov” address.  “Secretary Vilsack read your blog post ‘Why we still need cities’ over the weekend, and he has some thoughts and reflections, particularly about the importance of rural America,” it said.

Drive to recall Wisconsin GOP senators gaining steam, Dems say  —  So how's the drive to recall Wisconsin GOP state senators going?  If these new numbers the Wisconsin Democratic Party shares with me are accurate, it's already exceeding expectations in a big way.

Israel Considers Military ‘Upgrade’  —  JERUSALEM—Israel will need to boost military spending and may seek an additional $20 billion in U.S. security assistance to help it manage potential threats stemming from popular upheavals in the Arab world, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday.

NPR, PBS campaigns to keep federal funds called unlawful  —  NPR and PBS stations nationwide are rallying their audiences to contact Congress to fight against Republicans' proposed spending cuts, but some affiliates' pleas may violate laws preventing nonprofits or government-funded groups from lobbying.

Senate Democrats weigh making big mistake on health-care reform  —  I'm getting some worried e-mails from Hill staffers who think Senate Democrats might rubberstamp a policy House Republicans passed to undermine the Affordable Care Act.  It's the sort of policy decision that won't get much attention …

Republican Senators Introduce National Right to Work Act  —  Bill would stop discrimination against millions of workers who don't want to join unions  —  WASHINGTON, D.C.  —  Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), introduced the National Right to Work Act to reduce workplace discrimination …

Maine Republicans still want to get rid of Snowe  —  It's been clear for a long time now that Maine Republicans want to swap out Olympia Snowe for someone more conservative.  Our newest poll in the state finds that hasn't changed: only 33% of primary voters in the state say they would support Snowe next year …

Obama headlines party fundraiser in Boston  —  Boston, Massachusetts (CNN) - President Barack Obama plays the role of fundraiser-in-chief Monday evening, helping the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raise an estimated $1 million.  —  The president headlines a DCCC fundraiser at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Missouri still very much a tossup  —  PPP's 2nd poll on the 2012 US Senate race in Missouri finds pretty much the same thing as the first one.  Voters are closely divided on Claire McCaskill's job performance and she polls in the mid-40s against all of her prospective Republican opponents.

New Video Released: Middle East Envoy  —  “A Diplomatic Gift from Saddam Hussein”  —  In December 1983, I traveled to Baghdad as President Reagan's Middle East Envoy and met with Saddam Hussein.  At the conclusion of our meeting he presented me with a gift.  Such gifts can be unusual, but even so I was shocked by this one.