Libya Calls Cease-Fire After Britain and France Vow Action ‘Soon’  —  TRIPOLI, Libya — Hours after the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize military action and a no-fly zone, Libya executed a remarkable about-face on Friday, saying it would call an “immediate cease-fire …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Reid trashes House vote to defund NPR, adjourns Senate  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) seized an opportunity Thursday night to criticize a House vote earlier in the day to defund National Public Radio.  —  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who had come to the floor …

Frantic Repairs Go On at Plant as Japan Raises Severity of Crisis  —  HONG KONG — Japanese engineers battled on Friday to cool spent fuel rods and restore electric power to pumps at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station plant as new challenges seemed to accumulate by the hour …

The NPR video and political dirty tricks  —  James O'Keefe's guerrilla video attack on NPR has led to the resignation of its chief executive and an ethical debate: When are lies justified in pursuit of a political cause?  —  It is now clear that O'Keefe's editing of the raw video …

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.

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.

Journalistic irony  —  On Wednesday, the Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko, depicted the threat posed by Japanese nuclear reactors as much graver than had been suggested by Japanese officials.  Yesterday, this is how The New York Times described the impact …

President heading home next month for party event  —  Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama will head back to his hometown next month to headline a Democratic party event.  —  The president will be the main attraction at a Democratic National Committee gathering in Chicago on April 14 …

Republicans split on White House response to Japan's nuclear crisis  —  President Obama's handling of the unfolding nuclear-reactor crisis in Japan is drawing new criticism from Republicans, who argue it exemplifies a hands-off approach that has become typical of the White House.

House Dem campaign arm outraises GOP for second month in row  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee outraised its Republican counterpart in February, hauling in $5.2 million for the month and reporting $5.9 million cash on hand.  —  The National Republican Congressional Committee …

Democrats argue party failing to humanize cuts, losing message war  —  A growing chorus of Democratic loyalists argue their party is losing the messaging battle over spending by failing to put a human face on cuts proposed by the GOP.  —  Instead of shining the spotlight on the programs slashed …

In Obama Visit, Brazil's Leader Aims to Mend Fences  —  BRASÍLIA — Two years ago, President Obama energetically reached out in London to shake the hand of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was then the president of Brazil.  “Here's my man, right here,” Mr. Obama said.  “I love this guy.

Union equates lavish benefits to black civil rights  —  Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork  —  “Madison is just the beginning!”  AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka told a union rally in Annapolis on Monday.  “Like that old song goes, 'You ain't seen n-n-n-n-nothing yet!' ”