Swing states poll: Health care law hurts Obama in 2012  —  WASHINGTON - The health care overhaul that President Obama intended to be the signature achievement of his first term instead has become a significant problem in his bid for a second one, uniting Republicans in opposition and eroding his standing among independents.

1 student killed, several hurt in shooting at Chardon High School; suspect in custody  —  One student died after the shooting this morning at Chardon High School, police said.  —  Police are not releasing names.  But Junior Nate Mueller, who said his ear was grazed by a bullet, identified the shooter as T. J. Lane.

Santorum Makes Case for Religion in Public Sphere  —  TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — With two days left before the high-stakes Republican primaries in Arizona and Michigan, Rick Santorum delivered a full-throated defense of religion in public life on Sunday, appealing to the social conservatives who have revived his presidential campaign.

Louis Farrakhan warns of racial hatred that could lead to attempts to kill President Obama  —  Nation of Islam leader in Chicago to speak at annual event  —  In a fiery lecture to thousands of followers of the Nation of Islam on Sunday in Chicago, Minister Louis Farrakhan warned that racial hatred …

Will Bush v. Gore make an election-year return?  —  Tracie Hunter is a Democrat whose still-unsettled 2010 election contest with her Republican opponent will be decided by a legal battle over a batch of disputed and uncounted votes.  —  Irony alert: One of her legal lifelines is the decision …

2012 or Never  —  Republicans are worried this election could be their last chance to stop history.  This is fear talking.  But not paranoia.  —  Of the various expressions of right-wing hysteria that have flowered over the past three years—goldbuggery, birtherism, death panels at home …

Hill Poll: Likely voters prefer lower individual, business tax rates  —  Three-quarters of likely voters believe the nation's top earners should pay lower, not higher, tax rates, according to a new poll for The Hill.  —  The big majority opted for a lower tax bill when asked to choose specific rates …

The odious ‘Israel first’ libel  —  Attacks against AIPAC are a disgrace  —  The author says that it is deeply reprehensible to suggest that American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the U.S.  —  It's the kind of virulent hate speech you'd expect to find on a neo-Nazi website …

Romney: Not a NASCAR fan, but friends are owners  —  Mitt Romney went to the races today, and instead of putting his pedal to the metal, seems to have put his foot in his mouth.  —  Asked by a reporter from the Associated Press about whether or not he follows NASCAR, Romney reportedly responded …

Daddy Issues  —  Why caring for my aging father has me wishing he would die  —  To my surprise, in a motion as automatic as the reflex of a mussel being poked, my body bent double and I heard myself screaming:  —  “I WAAAAAAAANT MY FATHERRRRRR TO DIEEEEE!!!”

Blurred Line Between Espionage and Truth  —  Last Wednesday in the White House briefing room, the administration's press secretary, Jay Carney, opened on a somber note, citing the deaths of Marie Colvin and Anthony Shadid, two reporters who had died “in order to bring truth” while reporting in Syria.