GOP Ups The Ante, Introduces Legislation To Allow Any Employer To Deny Any Preventive Health Service  —  Earlier today, in response to criticism from Catholic groups, the White House altered its regulation requiring employers and insurers to provide no-cost contraception coverage as part of their health care plans.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Administration Backtracks on Birth Control, but at What Cost?  —  It looks like the Obama administration is pretty much completely caving on the rule forcing religious organizations to provide free contraception coverage for employees at facilities with a secular purpose (hospitals, schools, etc.).

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.

MITT ROMNEY DELIVERS REMARKS AT CPAC  —  This year, here at CPAC, we've got a great crowd.  It's been a great conference.  For that I suppose we should acknowledge President Obama, the conservative movement's top recruiter.  Turns out, he really is a great community organizer.

Komen Exec Karen Handel Calls Planned Parenthood a ‘Gigantic Bully’  —  In an interview with The Daily Beast, former Komen VP Karen Handel says Planned Parenthood broke a secret pact and launched an ‘Armageddon.’ She calls the organization ‘a gigantic bully, using Komen as its own personal punching bag.’

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 …