Victory Dance?  —  There was a moment in President Obama's appearance at a fundraiser Tuesday evening in Austin, Tex., that became a topic of much discussion during the week.  Peter Nicholas at The Los Angeles Times reported on that moment, at which Osama bin Laden became “an applause line in a presidential campaign speech”:

Paul says he would have opposed Civil Rights Act  —  Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) suggested Friday that he wouldn't have voted in favor of the 1964 Civil Rights Act if he were a member of Congress at the time.  —  Paul, the libertarian Texas Republican who formally announced Friday that he would seek …

Obama says drill  —  President Barack Obama is looking to bolster U.S. oil drilling, announcing Saturday a preemptive strike against bolder efforts from Capitol Hill as consumer unrest deepens over the price at the pump.  —  The White House will move forward without congressional action …

Court: No right to resist unlawful police entry  —  INDIANAPOLIS— People have no right to resist if police officers illegally enter their home, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in a decision that overturns centuries of common law.  —  The court issued its 3-2 ruling on Thursday …

Palestine Papers: Why I blew the whistle  —  The mislabeled “peace talks” were instrumental in creating divisions amongst Palestinians, compelling me to speak out.  —  In Palestine, the time for national reconciliation has come.  On the eve of the 63rd commemoration of the Nakba, this is a long-awaited and hopeful moment.

Is Michele Bachmann smarter than a high school sophomore?  —  ​Michele Bachmann is famously reluctant to put herself in positions where she might have to talk to someone who disagrees with her.  —  But Jesus God do we hope she makes an exception in this instance.

Shirley Sherrod returns to the USDA  —  Shirley Sherrod, the U.S. Department of Agriculture employee who was forced out after a videotape misleadingly showed her making racially insensitive remarks, will start working for the USDA again, the department told POLITICO Friday.  But she's not getting her old job back.

Four Dems vote ‘present’ on honoring Bin Laden mission  —  After more than a week of deliberation, the House overwhelmingly approved a measure honoring the intelligence community for the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.  —  The vote wasn't unanimous, however.

British Parakeet Boom Is a Mystery, and a Mess  —  STANWELL, England — The evening started peacefully enough at Long Lane Recreation Park in the western suburbs of London, disturbed only by the occasional rumble of a distant jet landing at Heathrow Airport.

Medicare, Social Security Funds Expiring Sooner, U.S. Says  —  Medicare, the U.S. health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, and the Social Security trust for the disabled and retirees are running out of money sooner than the government had projected.

Bill Clinton: Create Internet agency  —  Bill Clinton doesn't like all the misinformation and rumors floating on the Internet.  And he thinks the United Nations or the U.S. government should create an agency to do something about it.  —  “It would be a legitimate thing to do,” Clinton said in an interview airing Friday on CNBC.

Health Insurers Making Record Profits as Many Postpone Care  —  The nation's major health insurers are barreling into a third year of record profits, enriched in recent months by a lingering recessionary mind-set among Americans who are postponing or forgoing medical care.

Blogger is back  —  Update (5/13 7:46PM PST): Nearly all posts since Wednesday are restored, now bringing back comments from last couple days.  We expect the comments to be back this weekend or sooner.  —  What a frustrating day.  We're very sorry that you've been unable to publish to Blogger for the past 20.5 hours.

5/12: NY May Bid Farewell to 36% of Young Residents  —  A sizeable proportion of New Yorkers, including more than one-third of those under age 30, may soon be sending out change of address notifications, but those new homes will not be in New York State.  According to this NY1/YNN-Marist Poll …