NPR CEO Vivian Schiller Resigns  —  This follows yesterday's news that then-NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller (no relation) was videotapped slamming conservatives and questioning whether NPR needs federal funding during a lunch with men posing as members of a Muslim organization …

Newt Gingrich Tells Brody File He “felt compelled to seek God's forgiveness”  —  Newt Gingrich, who is expected to run for President tells The Brody File that he “felt compelled to seek God's forgiveness” over his past marital infidelity and now that he's at the grandfather stage he is …

For Lawmaker Examining Terror, a Pro-I.R.A. Past  —  WASHINGTON — For Representative Peter T. King, as he seizes the national spotlight this week with a hearing on the radicalization of American Muslims, it is the most awkward of résumé entries.

White House moving to repair troubled relationship with Cabinet  —  News this week of the first departure of a Cabinet secretary from the Obama administration comes amid a wide-ranging effort under the new chief of staff, William M. Daley, to repair badly frayed relations between the White House and the Cabinet.

David Broder dies; Pulitzer-winning Washington Post political columnist  —  David S. Broder, 81, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post and one of the most respected writers on national politics for four decades, died Wednesday at Capital Hospice in Arlington of complications from diabetes.

Government Shutdown Opposed by Americans in Poll Faulting Republican Cuts  —  Americans are sending a message to congressional Republicans: Don't shut down the federal government or slash spending on popular programs.  —  Almost 8 in 10 people say Republicans and Democrats should reach …

Palin would base campaign in Scottsdale  —  The prospect of Sarah Palin running for president is, increasingly, dismissed by a political class that sees her facing weak poll numbers — especially in key early states — and doing nothing to correct them or to buil the infrastructure for a run.

The War On Peter Diamond  —  As you read Alabama Senator Richard Shelby's reasons for refusing to allow a Senate vote on the confirmation of Peter Diamond to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, keep in mind that Diamond recently won a Nobel Prize:

Eric Woolson signs on with Tim Pawlenty … THE FIX NEWSLETTERS … THE LIVE FIX … POLITICS & PINTS

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.

9 Christians Killed, 150 Injured in Attack By 15,000 Muslims and Egyptian Army  —  (AINA) — According to Father Abram Fahmy, pastor of St. Simon the Tanner Monastery in Mokatam Hills, on the outskirts of Cairo, Copts were killed and injured today in a fresh attack by Muslims.

Obama a ‘Radical’?  Get Real  —  The president isn't outside the Democratic Party's mainstream.  Republicans will find him easier to beat once they realize the problem is that mainstream.  —  The president had finally let the mask drop and revealed himself, once and for all …

On Libya, too many questions  —  In September 1941, Japan's leaders had a question for Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto: Could he cripple the U.S. fleet in Hawaii?  Yes, he said.  Then he had a question for the leaders: But then what?  —  Following an attack, he said, “I shall run wild considerably …

Battle of the Bike Lanes  —  At the risk of incurring the wrath of the bicycle lobby, a constituency that pursues its agenda with about as much modesty and humor as the Jacobins pursued theirs, and which has found its heroine in transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan …

Charlie Sheen is not filial  —  Actor Charlie Sheen is a classic example of the difference in Western and Eastern values and norms.  —  Ignoring public pleas from his father, Sheen has continued a weeklong media blitz, exhibiting obvious signs of mania.  With no firm hand to guide them …

Common mistakes of left-wing economists?  —  T., a loyal MR reader, asked for a compendium.  This is my off-the-cuff list, but in the interests of fairness I'm doing one on market-oriented economists as well.  What are some of the common views found on the left which I consider …

Americans see U.S. on wrong track: Reuters/Ipsos poll  —  (Reuters) - Americans, who are suffering from high gasoline prices, believe the United States is on the wrong track by a large margin, presenting a fresh challenge for President Barack Obama, a Reuters/Ipsos poll said on Wednesday.

Feel The Mittmentum  —  I joked the other day that once Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee decide not to run for president, the only thing standing between Mitt Romney and the GOP nomination will be his religion and his record as governor.  I know a lot of people think the record will suffice to doom him …

48% of Wisconsin Voters Want Public Employee Pension Increases Approved by Voters  —  A plurality of Wisconsin voters think voters should have the right to approve or reject new pension plans agreed to by government officials and union members if they'll lead to increased government spending.

First Do No Harm  —  Last year there wasn't a single fatal airline accident in the developed world.  —  So why is the U.S. health care system still accidently killing hundreds of thousands?  —  The answer is a lack of transparency.  —  eorgeanne Mumm's surgeon emerged from the operating room …