Patients Are Not Consumers  —  Earlier this week, The Times reported on Congressional backlash against the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a key part of efforts to rein in health care costs.  This backlash was predictable; it is also profoundly irresponsible, as I'll explain in a minute.

Nation's Mood at Lowest Level in Two Years, Poll Shows  —  Americans are more pessimistic about the nation's economic outlook and overall direction than they have been at any time since President Obama's first two months in office, when the country was still officially ensnared in the Great Recession …

The Anniversary  —  And so the year rolls around yet again to Krauthammer Day, the day on which we all celebrate Charles Krauthammer's confident assertion eight years ago that: … Or nearly all of us celebrate it anyway.  Charles Krauthammer himself seems to prefer to mark the occasion …

Huckabee, Trump, Romney Set Pace for 2012 GOP Field  —  Trump leads among liberal and moderate Republicans  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Donald Trump debuts in a first-place tie in Gallup's latest update of Republicans' preferences for the party's 2012 presidential nomination among potential contenders.

Obama makes ‘birther’ joke at fundraiser  —  President Obama on Thursday lightened up talk of high gas prices and the budget deficit on his West Coast swing with a joke about those who question his citizenship.  —  “A lot of you got involved when the prospect of electing Barack Hussein Obama to the Oval Office was slim.

9/11 Responders To Be Warned They Will Be Screened By FBI's Terrorism Watch List (EXCLUSIVE) … WASHINGTON — A provision in the new 9/11 health bill may be adding insult to injury for people who fell sick after their service in the aftermath of the 2001 Al Qaeda attacks, The Huffington Post has learned.

Obama speaks to the stars; Tom Hanks suggests ‘five-and-a-half more years’  —  President Obama asked for support Thursday from a small Los Angeles audience dotted with Hollywood stars.  —  Speaking in a tiny room of the Italian restaurant Tavern to a an audience of 60 that included Steven Spielberg …

Earth Day co-founder killed, composted girlfriend  —  Ira Einhorn preached against Vietnam War and violence, but had dark side  —  Below:  —  Ira Einhorn was on stage hosting the first Earth Day event at the Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on April 22, 1970.

The Electoral Implications of Ensign's Resignation  —  Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada is expected to appoint Dean Heller, currently the Republican incumbent in the state's Second Congressional District, to replace Senator John Ensign, who is resigning.  —  Mr. Heller was already expected …

GOP Rep. Patrick Meehan Faces Constituent Anger After Breaking Campaign Promise To Not Privatize Medicare  —  CNN reports this morning that freshman GOP Rep. Patrick Meehan (PA) faced a “tough crowd” back home after voting for Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget proposal that would effectively end Medicare …

EXCLUSIVE: MEL GIBSON FINALLY TALKS  —  EXCLUSIVE: On May 6th, Mel Gibson's much-delayed comeback picture, The Beaver, will open in limited release.  It's directed by his longtime friend and co-star Jodie Foster.  The movie has already garnered reviews praising Gibson's performance as …

Bright, Careful and Sadistic: Profiling Long Island's Mystery Serial Killer  —  He is most likely a white male in his mid-20s to mid-40s.  He is married or has a girlfriend.  He is well educated and well spoken.  He is financially secure, has a job and owns an expensive car or truck.

Allen West: It's Fair To Call Obama A ‘Low Level Socialist Agitator’ Because He Called Paul Ryan An ‘Accountant’  —  Bomb throwing tea party Rep. Allen West (R-FL) appeared on Fox News host Greta Van Susteren's show last night to defend his latest attack against President Obama …

The New York Times' Disappearing Birther Scoop  —  It was perhaps the most talked-about paragraph in the political press yesterday.  And then just like that, it was gone.  —  From the New York Times article that appeared on the newspaper's website Thursday morning, came this passage [emphasis added]:

Writing Teachers: Still Crazy After All These Years  —  After spending four depressing days this month at a meeting of 3,000 writing teachers in Atlanta, I can tell you that their parent group, the Conference on College Composition and Communication, is not really interested in teaching students to write and communicate clearly.

Beck: I couldn't vote for Huckabee  —  On his radio show today, Glenn Beck ripped Mike Huckabee over taxes, immigration, pardons, and Michelle Obama's anti-obesity program. … The feud has its roots in an April 19 Beck program, when Glenn attacked Huckabee's support for Michelle Obama's anti-obesity program.

Ayn Rand's adult-onset adolescence  —  The movie “Atlas Shrugged,” adapted from Ayn Rand's 1957 novel by the same name, is a triumph of cinematic irony.  A work that lectures us endlessly on the moral superiority of heroic achievement is itself a model of mediocrity.

The Truth About the Debt Ceiling and Default  —  As we have been approaching the $14.3 trillion statutory limit to federal borrowing, I and many of my colleagues have insisted on real spending reforms now as part of any agreement to allow still more government borrowing.

Birtherism: Where it all began  —  Just when it appeared that public interest was fading, celebrity developer Donald Trump has revived the theory that President Barack Obama was born overseas and helped expose the depth to which the notion has taken root—a New York Times poll Thursday found that a plurality of Republicans believe it.

Creed or Chaos  —  You can feel a jolt of energy surge through the audience of “The Book of Mormon” about a quarter of the way into the show's first musical number.  It's a jolt of joy, gratitude and laughter — a confirmation that this Broadway production is going to live up to its rave reviews.

Jared Bernstein, Biden's Economic Adviser, to Leave  —  Jared Bernstein, Vice President Joe Biden's economic adviser and one of the longest serving economists in the Obama White House, will leave the administration at the end of the month, a White House official said.