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 …

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.

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.

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.

[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.

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.

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.