U.N. Approves Airstrikes to Halt Attacks by Qaddafi Forces  —  UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council approved a measure on Thursday authorizing “all necessary measures” to protect Libyan civilians from harm at the hands of forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

During NPR Funding Debate, Rep. Jim McGovern Proposes No Federal Funding Should End Up At Fox News  —  Today, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would strip all federal funds from NPR.  Conservatives have long targeted NPR because they believe it has a liberal bias …

Palin trails Sheen with independents  —  We've found a lot of brutal poll numbers for Sarah Palin so far in 2011: down in South Dakota, down in South Carolina, down in Arizona, only up by 1 point in Texas, only up by 1 point in Nebraska to name a few.  But this has to be the worst- independent voters …

O'Keefe's Latest NPR Bombshell Instantly Falls Apart  —  Discredited conservative activist James O'Keefe is out with yet another NPR video, and its auteur took to Twitter to tease its SHOCKING REVELATION:  —  Yep, that's the big story, and in his narration to the tape O'Keefe delivers this breaking news …

The Times Announces Digital Subscription Plan  —  The New York Times rolled out a plan on Thursday to begin charging the most frequent users of its Web site $15 a month in a bet that readers would pay for news they have grown accustomed to getting free.  —  Beginning March 28 …

Trump torches GOP presidential field  —  Businessman Donald Trump took shots at the field of potential Republican presidential candidates and also fired one at House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) as he contemplates a 2012 bid.  —  Trump said he could put up as much as $600 billion …

Never Anger A Man Named Erskine  —  Erskine Bowles has harsh words for the left: … A couple points here.  First, I'm incredibly impressed that the reporter, Damian Paletta, transcribed Bowles' use of the word “dern,” rather than change it to “darn.”  But is it really spelled “dern”?

Mmm, mmm, mmm: NJ shuts down Barack Obama Elementary School  —  How fitting that a school named after our profligate, post-achievement president is shutting down thanks to fiscal mismanagement and non-achievement.  —  R.I.P., Barack Obama Elementary School (hat tip: reader Peter):

Danger of Spent Fuel Outweighs Reactor Threat  —  Years of procrastination in deciding on long-term disposal of highly radioactive fuel rods from nuclear reactors is now coming back to haunt Japanese authorities as they try to control fires and explosions at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

Obama's indecision on Libya has pushed Clinton over the edge  —  Fed up with a president “who can't make his mind up” as Libyan rebels are on the brink of defeat, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is looking to the exits.  —  At the tail end of her mission to bolster the Libyan opposition …

DeMint won't back Romney without repudiation of Mass. health law  —  Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) “would never consider” endorsing Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president again in 2012 unless Romney repudiates the health reforms he sought as governor, a source close to DeMint said Thursday.

Union thuggery against Althouse and Meade: “We will hang up wanted posters of you everywhere you like to go.”  —  “We will picket on public property as close to your house as we can every day.  We will harrass the ever loving s**t out of you all the time.  Campus is OCCUPIED.  State street is OCCUPIED.

Sen. Paul Unveils 5-Year Budget Plan: Eliminates Four Federal Agencies  —  ABC News' Mary Bruce reports:  —  Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., unveiled today his five-year path to a balanced budget, leaving several federal agencies behind.  Among the items on the cutting room floor are the Departments …

Frustration With Obama Builds  —  President Barack Obama's laissez-faire approach to the ongoing spending debate is winning him few friends on Capitol Hill.  —  Republican and Democratic Members alike are becoming increasingly critical of the president and are demanding the White House immediately step …

House passes bill to defund NPR  —  In the latest Republican attack on public broadcasting, the House passed a bill Thursday that would block federal funding from reaching NPR.  —  The vote — which passed 228 to 192, with one voting present — came a week after a video sting …

Dog in Japan stays by the side of its ailing friend in the rubble  —  It's a universal truth that dogs are man's best friend, but they're pretty darn loyal to their own as well.  Case in point: this tear-inducing video, via the website Jezebel, showing a dog, shivering and disoriented …

US military spies on social media  —  Military's ‘sock puppet’ software creates fake online identities to spread pro-American propaganda  —  Jeff Jarvis: Washington shows the morals of a clumsy spammer  —  The US military is developing software that will let it secretly manipulate social media sites …

House rejects resolution calling for Afghanistan troop withdrawal  —  The House on Thursday voted down a resolution that would have instructed the Obama administration to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but the measure won more support than a similar resolution did in 2010.