Bishops Renew Call To Legislative Action On Religious Liberty  —  Regulatory changes limited and unclear Rescission of mandate only complete solution Continue urging passage of Respect for Rights of Conscience Act  —  WASHINGTON - The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have issued the following statement:

Koch fights back: Obama ‘trying to intimidate’  —  Responding more aggressively than in the past, Koch Industries' political arm on Friday accused President Barack Obama and his allies of “trying to intimidate into silence those who may disagree with them.”  —  The statement came in response …

How a Birthday Party at the North Korean Embassy Started the Kim Jong-un Death Rumor  —  The internet is aflame with rumors, launched by Chinese micro-blog users, that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was assassinated in Beijing this morning.  We believe we've figured out what's behind the rumor …

Santorum surges into the lead  —  Riding a wave of momentum from his trio of victories on Tuesday Rick Santorum has opened up a wide lead in PPP's newest national poll.  He's at 38% to 23% for Mitt Romney, 17% for Newt Gingrich, and 13% for Ron Paul.  —  Part of the reason for Santorum's surge is his own high level of popularity.

The Bettor's Case for Santorum  —  During the 2008 Democratic primaries, I had a lot of success in forecasting outcomes from state to state based solely on demographic variables.  Those projections did slightly better than the polls, although that was a low bar to clear because the polls had a lot of misses that year.

Awkward: Fox News contributor debuts rap video at CPAC  —  Bright and early Friday morning at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., a small group of Republicans were treated to perhaps the most bizarre attempt at rap music since “M.C. Rove” took the stage in front of the whole D.C. press corps in 2007.

There Is No Foreclosure Fraud Settlement Term Sheet  —  Don't worry, be happy.  —  Well, so much for my first “making chicken salad” option.  We are more than 24 hours removed from the foreclosure fraud settlement and the terms have, shockingly, not been released.

How Obama'S Lady-Parts Deal Empowers The Church  —  Well, he took a dive, but, you have to admit, it was a graceful dive.  —  The president has revealed his “compromise” on the ginned-up controversy regarding whether or not Catholic institutions would have to cover the cost of contraception …

U.S. officials: Al Qaida behind Syria bombings  —  WASHINGTON — The Iraqi branch of al Qaida, seeking to exploit the bloody turmoil in Syria to reassert its potency, carried out two recent bombings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and likely was behind suicide bombings Friday that killed …

Michele Bachmann At CPAC: Former GOP Candidate Slams Prop 8 Ruling, Meets Chuck Woolery … Former presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann accused the 9th Circuit court of Appeals of “trying to undermine the will of the people” after its decision this week ruling the ban on marriage …

Santorum: Birth Control Is Not Something ‘You Need Insurance For’ Because It Costs ‘Just A Few Dollars’  —  Rick Santorum told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this morning that insurance plans shouldn't cover contraception services because birth control …

REPORT: By A Nearly 2 To 1 Margin, Cable Networks Call On Men Over Women To Comment On Birth Control  —  TP interns Zachary Bernstein and Fatima Najiy conducted the research for this report.  —  President Obama's regulation mandating that health insurance plans offer free birth control is an issue that most directly affects women.

Anonymous targets the CIA  —  Websites affiliated with the CIA, Mexico's mining ministry and the state of Alabama were down Friday, allegedly done in by hackers, government officials and a well-known hacking group reported.  —  A message Friday on a Twitter page and Tumblr feed affiliated …

Obama Targets Military Meritocracy  —  It's time to bust some chops here.  —  The Military is a meritocracy.  It's up or out.  There are plenty of challenges and opportunities, and this author is one who took (or tried to) make the most out of an even playing field.