Scientists Project Path of Radiation Plume  —  A United Nations forecast of the possible movement of the radioactive plume coming from crippled Japanese reactors shows it churning across the Pacific and touching the Aleutian Islands on Thursday before hitting Southern California late Friday.

Why I am an amoral, family-hating monster...and Newt Gingrich isn't  —  Today is my wedding anniversary.  I've been married to the same woman for 31 years, without ever straying.  Newt Gingrich has been married 3 times, divorced one wife while she was recovering from surgery, and has had extra-marital affairs.

Washington Post apologizes for plagiarized articles  —  The Washington Post apologized Wednesday for publishing two articles in March that “contained substantial material that was borrowed and duplicated, without attribution, from The Arizona Republic newspaper.”

Authorise Libya air strikes, UN urged  —  Washington's ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, says new resolution would authorise aerial bombing of Gaddafi's tanks  —  The US is pushing the UN to authorise not just a no-fly zone over Libya, but also the use of air strikes to stop the advance of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.

Conservatives: We Are Being Outworked And Out-Organized In Wisconsin Recall Campaigns … WASHINGTON — Both national and Wisconsin-based Republican operatives tell the Huffington Post the party is being dramatically outworked and out-organized by Democrats in the recall campaigns being launched against state Senators.

‘Sagging pants’ bill passes House committee  —  Seems the best way to sell legislation these days is that it'll be good for the economy.  That's how Rep. Hazelle Rogers (D-Lauderhill) pitched her so-called “sagging pants” bill to members of the House's K-20 education innovation subcommittee today.

Newt Gingrich Secretly Funneled $350,000 To Anti-Gay Hate Groups Last Year  —  Last year, former Speaker Newt Gingrich offered his vocal support for the ultimately successful campaign to oust three of the nine Iowa Supreme Court justices who had unanimously ruled in favor of marriage equality.

GOP leaders, mainline caucus fume at conservative ‘no’ votes on three-week CR  —  GOP leaders and much of the mainline party caucus that voted for a three-week continuing resolution Tuesday are fuming at the 54 conservative Republicans who voted no — and the right-wing activists who cheered them on.

Home to the Longing God  —  William Stuntz gave us an extraordinary portrait of faith in the midst of suffering.  Now God has called, and Bill has answered.  He is with the God who longed for him.  —  I could feel the butterfly wings brushing against my ribs.

U.S. seeking evacuations from Japan  —  The State Department is making arrangements for family members and dependents of U.S. government personnel to evacuate areas in northern Japan and is warning that all U.S. citizens should consider leaving the country as the nuclear crisis at the damaged Fukushima Daichi complex continue to unfold.

Joy Behar: 'I'm Sure People In Concentration Camps Made Jokes About Each Other and The Nazis'  —  Joy Behar on Wednesday made a staggeringly stupid comment on “The View” that is so inane it requires no additional setup.  —  “I'm sure people in concentration camps made jokes about each other, about the Nazis, about their situation.

IDF, settlers save Arab baby  —  Saving life after massacre: IDF troops, paramedics save life of Palestinian woman giving birth in settlement where Fogel relatives sitting Shiva.  Soldier: It felt amazing to hold girl in my arms, know we did something good  —  Latest Update:

Four New York Times Journalists Are Missing in Libya  —  6:19 p.m. |  Updated The New York Times said Wednesday that four of its journalists reporting on the conflict in Libya were missing.  —  Editors said they were last in contact with the journalists, who were reporting from the northern port city …

Planting Season: Michelle Obama Gets the White House Garden Ready for Spring  —  ABC News' Sunlen Miller, Kristina Bergess and Amy Bingham report:  —  With spring approaching, First Lady Michelle Obama replanted the White House garden for the third time this afternoon.

Is AOL Skirting Worker-Protection Law With Mass Layoff?  —  Last week, as you might already know, AOL laid off over 200 U.S.-based employees, the vast majority of them from its Manhattan-based media operation.  But that's not the full tally of those who will lose their jobs as a result …

Why Japan embraced nuclear power after suffering the atomic bomb  —  Japan has been there before.  And that's what makes the growing radiation threat from the Fukushima Daiichi plant as mysterious as it is disturbing: Why did a country that suffered the utter horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki …

GOP wants to overhaul the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau  —  House Republicans are targeting the Wall Street reform law's consumer protection bureau for major changes.  —  Under a GOP-backed bill introduced Wednesday, the fledgling Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) …

Fight Waged With Forks Is Rejoined in Congress  —  WASHINGTON — Within the war between Republicans and Democrats over the federal spending rages an affray over disposable forks.  —  Under the tutelage of Representative Nancy Pelosi during the years when Democrats ran the House …

Anthony Weiner: Obama Is ‘Not A Values Guy’ … WASHINGTON — Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and a handful of other House Democrats expressed deep frustration with President Barack Obama's leadership on Wednesday, saying he needs to do more to set the direction for the progressive movement.

GOP braces for Sharron Angle's encore run  —  She's back.  —  After unceremoniously crashing the Nevada Senate race last year — raising record amounts of money and becoming a headache for establishment Republicans while also endearing herself to tea party activists nationwide …

Abortion Foes in Congress Run Into Tax Obstacle in Attempt to Curb Funding  —  House Republicans' efforts to limit government funding for abortion are colliding with their emphasis on tax cuts, underscoring potential conflicts between the party's social and fiscal agendas.

Wisconsin Crank Caller May Jump in N.Y. 26 Race  —  Just when you thought you had seen it all in New York special elections, Ian Murphy has emerged as a likely, though long-shot, candidate in the race to replace Rep. Chris Lee (R).  —  Don't know who Murphy is?  You know his work.

2012 will be about Obama  —  The greatest political deception of the month must be that PowerPoint presentation — the 10-slide deck that shows the president matched against various Republicans — that is being trundled around the country for showings to audiences of Democrat fat-cats.

What The Frack: Ohio Gov. John Kasich Wants To Open Up State Parks For Oil And Gas Exploration  —  At the behest of then-Vice President Dick Cheney, an exemption was inserted into a 2005 energy bill — dubbed the “Haliburton loophole” — which stripped the EPA of its power to regulate …

Adventures In Context From The Weekly Standard  —  William Kristol has an item at the Weekly Standard entitled, “J Street: Maybe 'Israel Really Ain't A Very Good Idea.'” This turns out to hinge upon the following quote from Daniel Levy: … I'm not exactly a huge fan of Daniel Levy, and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual.