Payroll deal sails through Senate, 89-10  —  The Senate on Saturday morning approved a two-month extension of a payroll tax break and jobless benefits, easily passing a year-end legislative package that also forces President Barack Obama to make a controversial decision on a major oil pipeline in the thick of his reelection campaign.

Ron Paul Takes Swipes at GOP Rivals, Says Michele Bachmann ‘Hates Muslims’  —  Ron Paul has gone Hollywood.  —  Appearing on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” the presidential hopeful took a swipe at his GOP rivals telling the crowd that Michele Bachmann “hates Muslims.”

Gingrich of Freddie Mac  —  The Speaker's defense is hurting him as much as his $1.6 million payday.  —  Newt Gingrich's opponents aren't letting up in their criticism of his lucrative ties to the failed mortgage giant Freddie Mac after he resigned as House Speaker in the late 1990s.

Romney Declares Himself ‘Ideal’ Tea Party Candidate  —  CHARLESTON, S.C. — Mitt Romney said today he's “the ideal candidate” for the Tea Party movement because his stance on issues lines up “pretty darn well” with the movement he says will soon realize that GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich isn't their best option for president.

Waging a One-Man War on American Muslims  —  During the mid-1990s, after hearing about the harassment of gay students, the principal of Largo High School in Florida created a support group for them.  Over the next year or two, the meetings also drew sympathetic friends, evolving into a club called the Gay Straight Alliance.

Scott Walker Shuts Down Cancer Screenings Through Planned Parenthood  —  Gov. Scott Walker is a ruthless extremist, and more women in Wisconsin will die of cancer, thanks to his right-wing vendetta against Planned Parenthood.  At least we have the satisfaction of knowing that every time he pulls …

There's No Such Thing as an “Indefinite Detention Bill” and Other Pro Left Lies  —  (Stay to the end, and watch me expose Glenn Greenwald as a liar once again.)  One of the most galling things about the professional left is the number of times they lie to make a point.

Removing right-wing riders  —  Late Thursday, policymakers struck an agreement on funding the government through September, averting a government shutdown that would have begun last night.  The House easily approved the $1 trillion spending deal yesterday, and the Senate is expected to do the same today.

When it Comes to Taxes on the Poor, the Supply Siders are Right  —  A couple of days ago, I referred to the fact that poor people face some of the highest marginal tax rates in America.  I received several emails from economics professors, gently correcting me: they face all the highest marginal tax rates in America.

First on CNN: First lady accepts date to the Marine Corps Ball  —  Washington (CNN) - 20 year old Marine Lance Corporal Aaron Leeks from Frederick, Maryland has asked First Lady Michelle Obama to accompany him to the Marine Corps Ball next November.  “With your husband's permission of course,” said Leeks.