Dane County judge halts collective bargaining law  —  By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison — Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi issued a temporary restraining order Friday, barring the publication of a controversial new law that would sharply curtail collective bargaining for public employees.

Allies Press Libya, Saying Declaration of Cease-Fire Is Not Enough  —  WASHINGTON — The United States, Britain and France pushed forward against Libya on Friday as they declared that a cease-fire abruptly announced by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's government was not enough, at least for now, to ward off military action against his forces.

GOP Bill Would Force IRS to Conduct Abortion Audits  —  Were you raped?  Was it incest?  And other questions the government's tax cops would have to ask women who've terminated pregnancies.  —  Post Comment  —  Under a GOP-backed bill expected to sail through the House of Representatives …

The Forgotten Millions  —  More than three years after we entered the worst economic slump since the 1930s, a strange and disturbing thing has happened to our political discourse: Washington has lost interest in the unemployed.  —  Jobs do get mentioned now and then — and a few political figures …

Exclusive Interview With Jim Shankman, the Man Behind the Ann Althouse Threat  —  Jim Shankman, the Madison-based author of a now notorious, vile Internet screed directed at blogger Ann Althouse and her husband, returned my call late last night and we spoke for approximately 30 - 40 minutes.

Japan Raises Nuclear Crisis Warning Level Retroactively  —  TOKYO — Japanese engineers battled on Friday to cool spent fuel rods and restore electric power to pumps at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station as new challenges seemed to accumulate by the hour …

Support for Gay Marriage Reaches a Milestone  —  More Than Half of Americans Say Gay Marriage Should Be Legal  —  More than half of Americans say it should be legal for gays and lesbians to marry, a first in nearly a decade of polls by ABC News and The Washington Post.

Half Would Vote Against Obama  —  Fully half of registered voters say they would definitely or probably vote for a candidate other than President Obama if the presidential election were held today, according to a new Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll.

President ‘Present’  —  Obama dodges the big decisions to keep his approval ratings up.  —  One knock on Barack Obama in the 2008 election was his record as an Illinois state senator, where he repeatedly ducked tough issues by voting “present.”  It seems old habits die hard.

Bachmann accuses Weiner of trading in ‘fiction’ on budget.  His retort: 'I don't think you want to go there'  —  There's something about Anthony Weiner that seems to really get under Sean Hannity's skin.  Maybe it's the way he makes both Hannity and his guests look like utter buffoons.

Helen Thomas is Playboy's April Interview  —  A Candid Conversation with the Disgraced Dean of the White House Press Corps About her Rage against Israel, her Sympathy for Palestinians and Why she was Fired  —  /PRNewswire/ — “I knew exactly what I was doing - I was going for broke.

Answering Mark Levin's Challenge  —  On his Facebook page, Mark Levin takes exception to some of us who have said critical words about Sarah Palin.  —  In his response, Mark groups Karl Rove, David Frum, and me, all of whom served in the Bush administration.

Gingrich: Healthcare reform will be repealed in 2013  —  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich predicted the Democrats' healthcare reform law will be repealed, but not before the 2012 election.  —  “I think it will be repealed,” said Gingrich, who is exploring a presidential run.

Haley Barbour's son says he doesn't want father to make a White House run  —  WASHINGTON — The son of potential presidential contender Haley Barbour told a conservative columnist on Thursday that he hopes his father doesn't mount a White House bid.  —  In a personal e-mail to the columnist …

Sixty-four senators call on Obama to take up tax, entitlement reform  —  President Obama came under new pressure Friday to broaden talks about government spending to include tax and entitlement reform.  —  Sixty-four senators — 32 Democrats and 32 Republicans — called for the expanded talks in a letter to Obama.

SEC moves to charge Fannie, Freddie execs  —  The Securities and Exchange Commission is moving toward charging former and current Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives with violations related to the financial crisis, setting up a clash with the housing regulator that oversees the companies, according to sources familiar with the matter.

How to Talk to a First Panicker: 5 Rules  —  How Not to Calm People Down: Governments at all levels in the U.S. are trying to reassure Americans that they have nothing to fear from the plume of radiation heading east from Japan across the Pacfic.  I assume the officials and experts are right about this.