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.

Bishops: Contraception deal ‘unacceptable’  —  Hours after calling the Obama administration's contraceptives compromise a “first step,” the Catholic bishops said Friday night they have “two serious objections” to the new policy and will fight its enactment.  —  First, the U.S. Conference …

A Chilling Verdict in Spain  —  The enemies of Judge Baltasar Garzón have finally gotten their way.  Spain's Supreme Court this week found the judge guilty of misapplying the country's wiretap law and suspended him from the courts for 11 years.  —  Judge Garzón has played …

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.

Chipotle Is Apple  —  The burrito chain is revolutionizing food: Why doesn't it get more respect?  —  Hunting for business success stories in a recession is a difficult (and sometimes depressing) task.  Most of the feel-good stories seem to come from the high-tech world and the burgeoning app economy.

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.

8 Arrested in Scandal Over Murdoch's Tabloids  —  LONDON — British authorities arrested eight people on Saturday, including five employees of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid The Sun, as part of an investigation into bribery of public officials by journalists, Scotland Yard and the newspaper's parent company said.

CPAC ‘severely’ conflicted over Mitt Romney  —  Mitt Romney wanted to use his CPAC speech Friday to allay concerns about his candidacy on the Republican right, but with one ad-libbed word he reinforced conservative fears that he's not one of them.  —  “I was a severely conservative Republican governor …

Believing the Unbelievable: Why Kim Jong Un Death Rumors Won't Die  —  An incredible story that the North Korean leader was killed in Beijing gained remarkable attention in the West, revealing some of the ways Americans can misunderstand Asian societies.  —  North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un waves …

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 …

Idaho Senate Committee Kills Legislation to Add Protections for Gay and Lesbian Citizens  —  • Shock, anger and sadness reverberated through the Idaho Senate auditorium Friday morning after a party-line vote by the Senate State Affairs Committee killed legislation to add protections for gay …

Catholic Institutions Reluctantly Comply With N.Y. Law on Contraceptives Coverage  —  Although Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York has been leading the national fight against requiring Roman Catholic hospitals, universities and charities to cover birth control in their health insurance plans …