Boehner Hires $5 Million Lawyer To Defend Unconstitutional Law  —  Earlier today, Speaker John Boehner's (R) office announced that American taxpayers would pay former Bush Solicitor General Paul Clement to defend the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act.  Clement, a former law clerk …

President Obama and Vice President Biden's Tax Returns and Tax Receipts  —  Today, the President released his 2010 federal income and gift tax returns.  He and the First Lady filed their income tax return jointly and reported an adjusted gross income of $1,728,096.

Roger Ailes Caught Spying on the Reporters at His Small-Town Newspaper  —  The small-town newspapers in New York's Hudson Valley that Fox News chief Roger Ailes owns with his wife Elizabeth are in a staff revolt after employees caught Ailes spying on them with News Corp. security goons.  More »

S&P lowers its outlook on U.S. debt; stocks decline  —  The ratings agency Standard and Poor's warned the United States on Monday that it could lose its coveted status as the world's most secure economy if lawmakers don't rein in the nation's nearly $14.3 trillion debt.

Trump Loses Conservatives Thanks To His Political Past  —  The latest tea leaf in the will-he-or-won't-he drama surrounding Donald Trump these days: the influential Club For Growth, the fiscal purists who were tea party before it was cool, are taking shots at Trump with both barrels.

Why did the anti-Palin protesters think it was right and good to shout her down?  —  The more I think about it, the less sense it makes to me.  On Saturday, there was a planned Tea Party rally to take place at the King Street side of the Wisconsin Capitol.  It was the usual “tax day” event …

Douthat Makes It Up On Median Family Income  —  Ross Douthat struck another blow against fact-based arguments when he told readers that the median family of four has an income of $94,900.  Douthat warned that if the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire in 24 years the median family would be paying …

Why Did The Union Fight?  —  I've always thought there was something about the Lincoln administration's determination to fight and win the Civil War that was a bit odd.  Secession gave the regionally based Republican Party large congressional majorities that wouldn't exist if southern states had representation in congress.

2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced  —  The New York Times won Pulitzer Prizes on Monday for its economics commentary and for its reporting on Russia in 2010, while The Los Angeles Times received the coveted public service Pulitzer.  —  The prizes, which are administered by Columbia University …

Brewer vetoes birther, campus gun bills  —  Also vetoes health care compact law  —  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill Monday that would have required presidential candidates to provide their birth certificates to appear on the ballot, and another that would have allowed guns to be carried on school grounds.

Andres Serrano's Piss Christ destroyed by Christian protesters  —  • Intruders vandalise photo day after Christian protest  —  • Exhibitor blames Sarkozy speech for inflaming issue  —  When New York artist Andres Serrano plunged a plastic crucifix into a glass of his own urine …

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 …

Obama, the Interpreter of the Message of Passover  —  Follow Israel news on and .  —  Passover recalls the bondage and suffering of Jews in Egypt and the miracle of the Exodus, but U.S. President Barack Obama says its message is reflected in Muslim uprisings.

AFSCME Union Threatens to ‘Weaponize’ Government Jobs  —  It's becoming clearer that the “public service” mentality is quickly slipping way from government employees, if it didn't hit the exits a long time ago.  —  Instead of government employees serving the public, it's clear now their belief is that the public exists to serve them.

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.”

Krauthammer doubles down on the 'Trump is the GOP's Al Sharpton' claim  —  It turns out that George Will isn't the only conservative who isn't impressed with the Donald's effort to pump himself up for the White House.  —  On last weekend's broadcast of the syndicated weekend public affairs program …

It's Now Patriotic to Call Paul Krugman a !  @%$#%@ Hypocrite  —  For almost the entire two and one-half years I've been blogging I've had to put up with Paul Krugman accusing Republicans, conservatives and Tea Party supporters of inciting violence through heated rhetoric over policy differences, particularly Obamacare.

Prosser declares victory, says recount unwarranted, costly  —  By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison — Justice David Prosser on Monday declared re-election victory over challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg and his advisers said a recount was unwarranted and would be too costly for taxpayers.