U.S. Launches Cruise Missiles Against Qaddafi's Air Defenses  —  The U.S. Navy fires the first U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles against Libyan leader's Muammar al-Qaddafi's air defenses Saturday.  —  The Pentagon says 112 missiles have been launched from U.S. and British ships in the Mediterranean, hitting 20 Libyan targets.

Low-brow: Bill Maher says Sarah Palin is a ‘dumb twat’  —  One might think paying for HBO as a premium cable channel would entitle subscribers to high-quality entertainment selections.  But for an hour Friday night, viewers were treated to a little misogynistic locker room humor with the channel's “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

A Clarification  —  Many readers have said that the War Powers Act does indeed give the president the legal right to initiate a war without Congressional vote.  Maybe I wasn't clear enough.  I do not doubt that, even though it seems to me that that Act makes a mockery of the separation of powers.

When crisis strikes the world, Obama falls silent  —  There's a great vacancy at the top of the world: A retreat by the American government from its global leadership role.  —  From the end of the First World War right up until about a year ago, there could be no gainsaying the predominant role …

California GOP peeved by proposal to push primary  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Golden State is about as Blue as they come in general elections for president.  But California Republicans still want to influence their own party's nominating process, and they're irked by a Democratic proposal …

Fukushima nuclear accident: Saturday 19 March summary  —  Last Saturday the the crisis level at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station was rapidly on the rise.  Hydrogen explosions, cracks in the wetwell torus and fires in a shutdown unit's building — it seemed the sequence of new problems would never end.

Defendant Convicted of Minting His Own Currency  —  STATESVILLE, NC—Bernard von NotHaus, 67, was convicted today by a federal jury of making, possessing, and selling his own coins, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

An Advocate Who Scares Republicans  —  The piñata sat alone at the witness table, facing the members of the House subcommittee on financial institutions and consumer credit.  —  The Wednesday morning hearing was titled “Oversight of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.”

Japan Finds Tainted Food Up to 90 Miles From Nuclear Sites  —  TOKYO — As Japan edged forward in its battle to contain the damage at its ravaged nuclear power plants on Saturday, the government said it had found higher than normal levels of radioactivity in spinach and milk at farms …

Bombs dropped near Kadhafi's Tripoli bunker: AFP  —  TRIPOLI (AFP) - Bombs were dropped near the Tripoli headquarters of strongman Moamer Kadhafi early Sunday, prompting barrages of anti-aircraft fire from Libyan forces, an AFP reporter said.  —  The bombs exploded as an aircraft overflew …