What's Donald Trump really after?  —  Despite an almost universal refusal by Republican establishment figures and the press to take him seriously, Donald Trump is taking very concrete steps toward forming - and announcing - a presidential campaign.  —  He has interviewed at least two people …

Let's Not Be Civil  —  Last week, President Obama offered a spirited defense of his party's values — in effect, of the legacy of the New Deal and the Great Society.  Immediately thereafter, as always happens when Democrats take a stand, the civility police came out in force.

The Middle-Class Tax Trap  —  “Let's tell the truth,” Walter Mondale said, accepting the Democratic nomination in 1984.  “Mr. Reagan will raise taxes, and so will I. He won't tell you.  I just did.”  —  Three months later, Mondale lost 49 states, and liberal politicians learned a valuable lesson.

S&P Affirms US AAA Rating, Cuts Outlook to Negative  —  Standard & Poor's on Monday downgraded the outlook for the United States to negative, saying it believes there's a risk U.S. policymakers may not reach agreement on how to address the country's long-term fiscal pressures.

TheDC Exclusive: Conservatives hit Beck for taking content without attribution  —  A number of conservative activists and bloggers say they're furious at media magnate Glenn Beck for what they call content theft.  Over the past several years, Beck has relied on video, audio and written content …

Vandals Break In WI Office - Steal Fleebagger Recall Petitions Hours After It Was Announced Enough Signatures Were Collected (Video)  —  On Thursday Wisconsin conservatives announced that they had collected enough signatures 15,000 to recall fleebagger Senator Dave Hansen of Green Bay.

Huntsman team plans South Carolina campaign  —  Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - If ambassador to China Jon Huntsman does decide to run for president after returning to the United States in early May, his advisers are planning to make a serious play for South Carolina, the early primary state …

Ryan Budget Plan Defended as Republicans Return Home to Voters  —  First-term Representative Bobby Schilling is getting ready for some uncomfortable conversations.  —  The pizzeria owner-turned-Republican lawmaker supported his party's 2012 budget plan that passed in the House last week …

Where the Tax Money Is  —  Obama targets the middle class while pretending to tax only the rich.  —  A dominant theme of President Obama's budget speech last Wednesday was that our fiscal problems would vanish if only the wealthiest Americans were asked “to pay a little more.”

GANG OF SIX ‘VERY CLOSE’ TO AN AGREEMENT, INTENDS TO ‘MAKE EVERYBODY MAD’.... Two months ago, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a member of the bipartisan “Gang of Six” deficit-reduction talks, said the group was “getting close” to striking a deal.  Two weeks ago, however, the negotiations …

President Obama to ignore ‘czar’ ban  —  President Barack Obama is planning to ignore language in the 2011 spending package that would ban several top White House advisory posts.  —  House Republicans tacked on language to the contentious spending bill to cut the salaries for four so-called czars …

As debt ceiling vote nears, the pressure's on House Republican freshmen  —  They ran against debt.  They swore and swore again that they'd cut up the nation's credit card.  —  But now the 87 freshmen House Republicans are facing intense pressure from administration officials …

Trump: Rove “devastated” by Romney's performance  —  On Fox & Friends this morning, Donald Trump fired back at Karl Rove for calling him a “joke candidate.” … Trump then offered another reason for Rove's comments. … Trump's assertion that Romney is doing poorly in the polls is hardly air-tight …

The 30-Cent Tax Premium  —  Tax compliance employs more workers than Wal-Mart, UPS, McDonald's, IBM and Citigroup combined.  —  There is a lot more to taxes than simply paying the bill.  Taxpayers must spend significantly more than $1 in order to provide $1 of income-tax revenue to the federal government.

Al-Jazeera has fans in Obama W.H.  —  In the halls of American power, the Arab Spring has brought Al-Jazeera in from the cold.  —  Seven years after then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called the broadcaster's reporting “vicious, inaccurate and inexcusable” and President George W. Bush joked …

Riots hit Nigeria's north after presidential vote  —  ABUJA, Nigeria - Angry opposition supporters in Nigeria's Muslim north set fire to homes bearing ruling party banners Monday and heavy gunfire rang out in several towns as election officials released results showing the Christian incumbent had gained an insurmountable lead.

Passover begins at sunset — Obama talking deficit with local anchors - Retired Gen. Sanchez running for Kay Bailey seat - RNC YouTube contest — Harwood: Grand bargain unlikely before election  —  Good Monday morning.  POTUS GOES STRATEGICALLY LOCAL: At 3:05 p.m. today …

Relieve Pain by Swearing, Study Says  —  Hey, after all these years, I'm vindicated at last: … And, indeed, some of what we were taught in schools was wrong.  —  For instance, the story has it Patrick Henry said “Give me liberty or give me death.”  He really said: “Wear one of those dreadful Tory hats?

(UPDATED) DOJ Source: Gov't Muslim ‘Outreach’ Jeopardized Active Terror Investigations  —  (UPDATE: Rep. Peter King demands answers following Poole's previous article on this topic.)  An explosive, must-read interview brings sunlight to our counterproductive “outreach” programs.

It's in America's Interest to Stay in Iraq  —  Having active bases would allow us to project power and influence in the region.  —  Secretary of Defense Bob Gates was in Iraq early this month urging Iraqi leaders to decide whether they want U.S. forces to stay beyond Dec. 31.

E.J. Dionne Jr.  —  America's elites have a duty to the rest of us  —  The American ruling class is failing us — and itself.  —  At other moments in our history, the informal networks of the wealthy and powerful who often wield at least as much influence as our elected politicians accepted …