Tsunami hits north-eastern Japan after massive quake  —  A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan, triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage.  —  Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

Walker signs budget-repair bill, lawsuit filed to stop it  —  Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill Friday that repeals most collective bargaining by public employee unions.  He will hold a ceremony and news conference later in the day to tout the signing.  Meanwhile, Dane County files suit to stop the bill from becoming law.

The State Department spokesman and the Prisoner in the Brig  —  I just heard an extraordinary remark from State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.  He was speaking to a small audience at MIT on “the benefits of new media as it relates to foreign policy”, an event organised by the Center for Future Civic Media.

Obama Seeks a Course of Pragmatism in the Middle East  —  WASHINGTON — In the Middle East crisis, as on other issues, there are two Barack Obamas: the transformative historical figure and the pragmatic American president.  Three months after a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself aflame …

After GOP denials, Scarborough says he was courted for Senate  —  MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Friday said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has asked him about running against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) in 2012.  —  Scarborough said in an interview with The Hill, “John suggested last month …

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.

Lawmaker advocates eugenics  —  A 91-year-old state representative told a constituent that he believes in eugenics and that the world would be better off without “defective people.”  —  Barrington Republican Martin Harty told Sharon Omand, a Strafford resident who manages a community mental health program …

Japan struggling to ‘cool down’ nuclear plant, minister says  —  Tokyo (CNN) — Officials ordered an evacuation Friday of residents living near a Japanese nuclear power plant, saying there has been no sign yet of leaks but indicating a struggle to “cool down” the facility.

Bachmann increasingly serious about presidential bid  —  Washington (CNN) - Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is increasingly serious about joining the wide-open race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.  —  And a growing number of conservative activists, legislators …

Hammertime: Moore's National Resources  —  This week, Michael Moore offered a simple and elegant solution to our debt problem.  —  Calling the assets of wealthy Americans a “national resource,” he suggested our problems would all be solved if we could just have access to all that money.

Earthquake turns TV networks into print  —  An 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan yesterday, and a tsunami is spreading, right now, across the Pacific ocean.  Thus we have much news that is best consumed live and uncooked.  Here's mine, right now:  —  Not many of us carry radios in our pockets any more.

Gang Rape Story Lacked Balance  —  The exterior of an abandoned trailer where an 11-year-old girl was assaulted.  Numerous readers shared their concerns over how The Times handled the coverage.  —  The story quickly climbed The Times's “most emailed” list but not just because of the sensational facts of the crime involved.

Pennsylvania Universities Also Facing Massive Cuts from Republican Governor  —  Story here (link now fixed).  Philosopher Steven Hales (Bloomsburg), who called the story to my attention, captures rather too perfectly where the reactionary logic (that Ronald Reagan set in motion) is heading:

Along for the Ride  —  Republican presidential hopefuls aren't so much leading as reacting.  That could hurt them in 2012.  —  Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum.  —  Proving that truism, the slowly emerging class of Republican presidential candidates increasingly looks like a bunch of bystanders.

Birther Bill Author: What's a Long-Form Birth Certificate?  —  Courtesy of State Sen. Mae BeaversLast month, Tennessee state Sen. Mae Beavers introduced SB 1091, a bill that would require presidential candidates to present a long-form birth certificate in order to qualify for the ballot in the Volunteer State.