Leftist Thugs Taunt, Harass and Insult Black Tea Party Member  —  The man is called an “Uncle Tom,” and a “Token” interspersed with calls for “Solidarity”.  Just off camera in the Tea Party is a Mom with her two small children who are black.

Paul: Both sides need to give in  —  Washington (CNN) - To reach a deal in Congress over the national debt, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said both political parties need to make concessions, excluding higher tax rates.  —  “The compromise is for conservatives to admit …

Japan nuclear crisis ‘over in nine months’  —  The BBC's Roland Buerk says that people are pleased that they have been given some idea of how long the crisis could last  —  The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has said it expects to bring the crisis under control by the end of the year.

Losing the Future  —  I always enjoy the bit in Planet of the Apes where a loinclothed Charlton Heston falls to his knees as he comes face to face with a shattered Statue of Liberty poking out of the sand and realizes that the eponymous simian planet is, in fact, his own — or was.

Helen Thomas to address anti-Israel protests during Netanyahu's visit to U.S.  —  A series of anti-Israel protests, lectures and meetings are scheduled to coincide with the PM's visit and the AIPAC conference in Washington DC in May; BDS founder meets Friday night with 250 activists calling Israel apartheid state.

Lobbying Report: Drones Fly Through Congress to Enter US Skies  —  Within weeks and possibly days, President Obama is likely to sign into law a bill that will bring unmanned aerial vehicles - drones - into US general airspace, crisscrossing the country in company with passenger planes and other human-carrying aircraft.

Mitt!  Mitt!  Mitt!  —  This was the week we've been waiting for!  Decades into the future, you will be able to tell your grandchildren where you were when Mitt Romney announced that he had formed a presidential exploratory committee.  —  Who knew he needed to explore?

Euro vs. Invasion of the Zombie Banks  —  IS a euro held in an Irish bank in Dublin, or in a Portuguese bank in Lisbon, as sound and secure as a euro in a German bank in Berlin?  That apparently simple question holds the key to understanding why the euro zone may splinter and bring a new financial crisis.

Five myths about Planned Parenthood  —  I was a Planned Parenthood affiliate chief executive, supervising a network of clinics in Upstate New York, during the early days of this terrible recession.  We ran deficits, cut hours, closed centers and laid off staff members.

[UPDATED: Davenport Defiant] Racist Orange County Republican Email: President Obama and His Parents Are Apes  —  UPDATE, APRIL 16, 5:55 P.M.: This afternoon, Marilyn Davenport sent an email to fellow Orange County Republican elected officials, apologizing if anyone was offended and blasted the “liberal media” for reporting the story.