Nancy Pelosi snaps at White House adviser Gene Sperling  —  In a tense moment that may well have encapsulated the frustrations of three-plus months in the minority, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi snapped at a top presidential economic adviser, Gene Sperling, during a closed-door meeting …

Scott Walker Admits Union-Busting Provision 'Doesn't Save Any' Money For The State Of Wisconsin  —  Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform called Govs. Scott Walker (R-WI) and Peter Shumlin (D-VT) to testify in a hearing titled “State and Municipal Debt: Tough Choices Ahead.”

Trump: ‘Always Had a Great Relationship With The Blacks’  —  You are missing some Flash content that should appear here!  Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.  —  Donald Trump speaking with Fred Dicker.  —  Donald Trump shot down a report claiming …

OLBERMANN: S.E. CUPP SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN, PROVES ‘NECESSITY’ OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD  —  Keith Olbermann is not known for his candor.  In a sense, it's what's made him a popular figure on the left.  And sure, he makes off-the-wall comments sometimes in order to evoke a response.

Obama Exclusive: Concedes Senate Vote Against Raising Debt Limit Was ‘Political’  —  In my exclusive interview with President Barack Obama, the president acknowledged that Democrats are going to bear the “burden” of extending the national debt limit later this spring - and he explained …

Share of population working  —  Roll over each state to see the share of the population working in 2010:  —  Sources: USA TODAY, Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics  —  The share of the population that is working fell to its lowest level last year since women started entering the workforce …

DeMint: If vote to raise debt ceiling is GOP's Waterloo, ‘let it be’  —  A top conservative senator on Thursday indicated he is willing to go to extreme lengths to prevent a vote on raising the debt ceiling, even if it hurts the Republican Party politically.

False pretense for war in Libya?  —  EVIDENCE IS now in that President Barack Obama grossly exaggerated the humanitarian threat to justify military action in Libya.  The president claimed that intervention was necessary to prevent a “bloodbath” in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city and last rebel stronghold.

PROFESSOR: Sarah Palin Probably Staged A Gigantic Hoax About Being Trig's Mother  —  An interesting footnote has emerged to a theory that raged around the Internet during Sarah Palin's candidacy for Vice President:  —  The theory is that Sarah Palin is actually the grandmother of her purported son Trig …

President Obama, Reinvigorated  —  The man America elected president has re-emerged.  —  For months, the original President Obama had disappeared behind mushy compromises and dimly seen principles.  But on Wednesday, he used his budget speech to clearly distance himself from Republican plans …

The Economic Effects of the Ryan Plan: Assuming the Answer?  —  Last week the House Budget Committee, chaired by Congressman Paul Ryan (R, WI) issued a Budget Resolution for fiscal year 2012 along with a Republican blueprint for addressing the nation's long-term fiscal imbalance.

The Torture Apologists Who Corrupted America's Youth  —  3 in 5 teens believes it's acceptable to abuse captive enemy soldiers - and a long list of Americans shares blame for a generation less enlightened than their elders … Three-in-five teenagers thinks it's sometimes acceptable …

Just the Simple Truth  —  Have I mentioned my favorite part of Obama's speech yesterday?  Here it is: … Translation: F**k you, Republicans.  —  And I'd say it's a well deserved flip of the bird.  Republicans, as you can imagine, are less enthusiastic, and this bit of the speech undoubtedly accounts …

West: Boehner Needs to ‘Come to Jesus’  —  The House will vote on the Boehner-White House spending deal this afternoon.  Outside of the chamber, Republicans predict that the measure will pass, though numerous defections are expected, according to aides.  One tells us that some members …

McCarthy Aide Compares Members To “Hanoi Jane”  —  A top aide to House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy on Thursday suggested Republicans who have problems with the continuing resolution hitting the floor Thursday are committing a sin akin to Jane Fonda heading to Vietnam.

Remembering the Real Ayn Rand  —  The author of “Atlas Shrugged” was an individualist, not a conservative, and she knew big business was as much a threat to capitalism as government bureaucrats.  —  Tomorrow's release of the movie version of “Atlas Shrugged” is focusing attention …

Phonemic Diversity Supports a Serial Founder Effect Model of Language Expansion from Africa  —  1Department of Psychology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.  —  2Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, 64 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6PN, UK.

Bill Clinton Recalls “Romantic” Days of Prostitutes in Times Square  —  Former President Bill Clinton fondly remembers a “romantic” time when you could still get a prostitute in Times Square.  —  Clinton was at a news conference in Times Square with Mayor Bloomberg on Wednesday when a reporter asked …

Marijuana causes global warming, uses 1% of U.S. electricity  —  People growing marijuana indoors use 1 percent of the U.S. electricity supply, and they create 17 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year (not counting the smoke exhaled) according to a report by Evan Mills …

16 Tons  — Contents © 1999-2010 by David Burge / Iowahawk.  —  For reprint inquiries, please contact Lynn Chu.  —  IOWAHAWK'S OTHER HAUNTS  —  BLURBS  — Het Vrije Volk (Netherlands)  —  “Laat de rijken de crisis betalen, zegt de SP.  Let's eat de rich, zegt Michael Moore.

Health care law gets day in court  —  WASHINGTON — Legal challenges to the sweeping federal health care overhaul backed by the Obama administration are heading toward the Supreme Court, where the justices who would decide the law's fate could have as much at stake as the parties battling over it.