Huge Quake and Tsunami Hit Japan  —  TOKYO — A huge earthquake struck Japan on Friday, churning up a devastating tsunami that swept over cities and farmland along the northern part of the country and threatened coastal areas throughout the Pacific.  —  Walls of water whisked away houses …

Secretly recorded phone calls cast NPR fundraiser in unflattering light  —  An NPR fundraising executive said her organization would be willing to shield a would-be donor from a government audit by keeping the donor's name anonymous, according to a series of surreptitiously recorded phone …

Blacked up and in a bow tie: Eva Braun in party mood as rare set of pictures of Hitler's wife are unearthed  —  Previously unseen images from the fascinating private albums of Eva Braun have come to light.  —  They give us incredible retrospective access to Hitler's little-known companion and her life.

GOP woos ‘Morning Joe’ for Fla. Senate  —  Republicans in Washington are trying to recruit Joe Scarborough to run against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) next year.  —  Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told The Hill on Thursday that he has talked …

Why do these people, many of whom are professionals, feel no fear in expressing such death wishes in the open?  —  You have seen the video of Twitter death wishes directed at Sarah Palin, by people who did not feel the need to hide their identities.  —  So like clockwork, death wishes …

Gaddafi takes key towns in Libya  —  • Rebels retreat from Ras Lanuf and Zawiya  —  • Regime warns of full-scale military action  —  • Nato in paralysis as US blocks no-fly zone  —  • Navy chief says Britain ready to send more ships

Sen. Graham Wants Intel Chief Gone After He Claims Russia, China Pose ‘Mortal’ Threat  —  A prominent Republican senator called on Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to resign Thursday after he said Russia and China pose the biggest “mortal threat” to the United States …

Congressional Approval Back Below 20%  —  Decline in approval rating in third month of new Congress similar to 1995, 2007  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Congress' approval rating is down to 18% after being in the 20% range the first two months of the year, and is essentially back to where it was just after last November's midterm elections.

Rand Paul's Toilet Tirade  —  ABC News' Matthew Jaffe reports:  —  Members of Congress are upset about a lot of things - the economy, the debt... the toilets?  —  Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, today went off on a tirade about toilets in the midst of an Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing …

More than 60 people, including ‘Snoop’ of ‘The Wire,’ arrested in drug raids  —  Arrests in operation ‘Usual Suspects’ are culmination of 5-month investigation  —  Felicia “Snoop” Pearson had served a prison sentence for murder and returned to drug dealing on the streets of East Baltimore …

Assembly passes union measure after bitter debate  —  Bargaining bill passes; courts, recalls expected next  —  By Jason Stein, Patrick Marley and Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison — After an epic month of political struggle and three final hours of bitter debate …

So unfav: Palin's poll plunge  —  Sarah Palin's unfavorable rating is off the charts.  —  The former Alaska governor's numbers are astonishingly upside-down, according to a new Bloomberg poll showing a 32 percentage point spread between those who have an unfavorable rating of Palin and those who view her favorably.

The Tsunami Warning continues in effect for the coastal areas of California and Oregon from Point Concepcion, California to the Oregon-Washington border.  —  The Tsunami Warning continues in effect for the coastal areas of Alaska from Amchitka Pass, Alaska (125 miles W of Adak) to Attu, Alaska.

Palin: ‘We need much greater cuts’ than in GOP spending plan  —  The former Alaska governor urged Republicans to be “bold and strong” and have “steel spines” in the budget debate.  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Thursday criticized congressional Republicans' spending plan as too tepid …

Nato ‘kills cousin of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’  —  The death comes just days after Hamid Karzai lambasted US forces over civilian deaths  —  A relative of Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been mistakenly killed by Nato troops in southern Afghanistan, officials say.

Poll: Majorities support recall of two Wisconsin GOP senators  —  Here's something that could give some momentum to efforts to recall Wisconsin GOP state senators in the wake of last night's end-run passage of Scott Walker's measure to roll back public employee bargaining rights.

Dumbing Deficits Down  —  Like anyone who writes regularly about what passes for economic and fiscal debate in American politics, I've developed a strong tolerance for nonsense.  After all, if I got upset every time powerful people were illogical and/or dishonest, I'd spend every waking hour in a state of raging despair.