Specter scoffs at Santorum's endorsement claim  —  Former Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter said Thursday that Rick Santorum got his facts wrong when he said that he endorsed Specter only after securing a promise that Specter would support GOP Supreme Court nominees.

Exclusive: Marco Rubio's Mormon Roots  —  As a child, he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Ticket balancing is a great tradition, and this could affect Romney's Vice Presidential calculation.  —  Do Rubio's Mormon roots complicate the Republican's electable dream ticket?

Rielle Hunter Settles John Edwards Sex Tape Suit  —  The long-running court battle over a sexually explicit videotape featuring former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards and his mistress, Rielle Hunter, has been settled out of court today and all copies of the tape will be destroyed, ABC News has learned.

Obama: Use ‘algae’ as substitute for oil  —  President Obama admitted today that he does not have a “silver bullet” solution for skyrocketing gas prices, but he proposed alternative energy sources such as “a plant-like substance, algae” as a way of cutting dependence on oil by 17 percent.

Jason Alexander Responds To Mitt Romney's George Costanza Misquote  —  Ryan Alexander Jenkins [Second Update] Is a Person of Interest to the Police!  Megan Wants A Millionaire contestant Ryan Alexander Jenkins is being sought for questioning about the murder of Jasmine Fiore.

Female Witness Hits Back At Issa: 'I'm A Woman Who Uses Contraception, That Makes Me Qualified' To Testify  —  Democrats on the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee held a special hearing Thursday morning in response to the GOP's decision to prevent women from testifying in support …

Poll graphic: Who would you vote for in Republican primary?  |  Poll graphic: What do you think of Romney, Santorum TV ads?  |  Poll graphic: How satisfied are you with the choices?  —  After jumping out to an improbable lead in Michigan a week ago following a sweep in three western states …

Maryland Senate passes gay marriage bill  —  O'Malley will sign, but voters likely will have the last say  —  The Maryland Senate approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage Thursday night, sending the Civil Marriage Protection Act to Gov. Martin O'Malley for his signature.

New York Times Columnist Mocks Romney's ‘Magic Underwear’  —  I hope you're proud.  —  Mr. Blow may attempt to delete that Tweet, but it can, for now, be found here.  Of course, this is the Internet.  Nothing ever goes away completely.  —  One of your columnists responds to a comment he does not like …

Obama tells Univision he'll be in White House ‘another five years’  —  President Obama declared Monday that his presidency “is not over” and that he'll be occupying the White House for another five years.  —  In an interview with Univision, a seemingly confident Obama said he'll …

Females on Campaign Trail Go For Sexpot Look  —  Forget about SexyTwitPics.  Washington has its own crop of would-be sexy females on the loose.  And an unusual trend is developing among campaign and White House reporters of the XX persuasion.  They're using provocative …

TPM2012  —  GOP Rep: I'd Have To Personally Kill Some Senators To Get The Ryan Budget Passed (AUDIO)  —  Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) sent TPM a public apology Thursday after we obtained audio of the five-term Republican telling constituents at a town hall this week that he'd have to personally shoot members …

Allen West fills Hummer, blames Obama  —  Rep. Allen West says he is not happy that he had to spend $70 this week to fill up the gas tank of his Hummer, and he's directing his anger at President Barack Obama.  —  “People have asked me before is there any area where I could praise President Obama?

Susan G. Komen Hires Consulting Firm To Assess Damage To Reputation … Komen Planned Parenthood , Politics News  —  After Susan G. Komen for the Cure's controversial decision several weeks ago to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, and the subsequent reversal of that decision …

Pro-Romney group's new ad says he saved a teen girl  —  Restore Our Future, the super-PAC support backing Mitt Romney, is out with a personal new ad featuring one of Romney's former business partners crediting him for saving his teenage daughter after she disappeared.

Right-Wing Media Group Pledges To Strip Birth Control Out Of Health Plan After Providing It For Years  —  Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) has offered an amendment that would allow employers to deny coverage of health services to their employees on the basis of their personal moral objections.

The Freedom, and Perils, of Living Alone  —  IF there is any doubt that we're living in the age of the individual, a look at the housing data confirms it.  For millenniums, people have huddled together, in caves, in mud huts, in split-levels and Cape Cods.  But these days, 1 …

TX GOP Senate Candidate Craig James Claims That Being Gay Is A Choice That Will Be Punished By God  —  Texas Republican senate candidates Craig James, a former NFL player, and Ted Cruz went after former Dallas mayor Tom Leppert (R) for marching in a gay pride parade during a debate yesterday …

Mutated Trout Raise New Concerns Near Mine Sites  —  It was the two-headed baby trout that got everyone's attention.  —  Photographs of variously mutated brown trout were relegated to an appendix of a scientific study commissioned by the J. R. Simplot Company, whose mining operations have polluted nearby creeks in southern Idaho.

Leaker of Stimulus Memo Uncovered?  —  The New Republic senior editor Noam Scheiber has created some buzz with his new book The Escape Artists: How Obama's Team Fumbled the Economic Recovery.  —  One of the juiciest nuggets Scheiber uncovered deals with a December 2008 memo written by Christie Romer …