Updated at 5:10 EST with audio of the call.  —  Updated at 6:12pm EST with confirmation that the call did indeed come from the Santorum campaign  —  LANSING, MI — Rick Santorum's campaign is locked in a tight battle with Mitt Romney ahead of Tuesday's Michigan primary.

Santorum: Gas Prices Caused The 2008 Recession  —  Dubiously claims gas prices prevented people from paying their mortgages.  —  LANSING, Michigan—Rick Santorum sharpened his attack on President Barack Obama over rising gas prices, saying high energy prices caused the 2008 recession.

White House gives blessing to partial Keystone XL construction  —  The White House backed TransCanada Corp.'s bid to build a major portion of the Keystone XL oil pipeline Monday, a move that could shield President Obama from growing GOP attacks over the project.

Supreme Court Refuses To Humor Anti-Gay Group's Self-Victimization Meme  —  The Supreme Court has decided not to hear the National Organization for Marriage's challenge to Maine's campaign finance laws: … Though this may be perceived as a non-event, it represents a huge defeat …

Alabama Bill Could Require Women To Undergo Invasive Ultrasound To Convince Them ‘To Keep The Child’  —  When a woman in Alabama seeks an abortion procedure, she already has to sign that her doctor has performed an ultrasound and that she either viewed the ultrasound image or rejected seeing it.

Gingrich to Afghanistan: ‘Figure Out How to Live Your Own Miserable Life’  —  NASHVILLE — Newt Gingrich said it is impossible to “fix” Afghanistan and suggested the U.S. should to tell Afghan citizens to “figure out how to live your own miserable life.”

Official: 1 dead, 4 hurt in Ohio school shooting  —  Ohio officials hold a news conference on the shooting at Chardon High School that left one person dead and four injured.  —  Updated 12:04 p.m. ET: One student was killed and four were injured in a shooting Monday morning at an Ohio high school, officials said.

Trashing Tricare  —  The Obama administration's proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers' benefits untouched.  The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials.

Media Matters boss paid former partner $850G ‘blackmail’ settlement  —  Media Matters chief David Brock paid a former domestic partner $850,000 after being threatened with damaging information involving the organization's donors and the IRS - a deal that Brock later characterized as a blackmail payment …

Occupy protesters accuse St Paul's of betrayal  —  City of London police say St Paul's gave them permission to remove activists from cathedral steps during eviction  —  St Paul's Cathedral has been accused of “betraying” Occupy London activists after giving the City of London police permission …

Sex-tape stunner in Nadia Lockyer case  —  There's a shocking twist in the saga of Alameda County Supervisor Nadia Lockyer and the incident at a Newark hotel that landed her in the hospital and a male acquaintance under police scrutiny.  —  We're told that a sex tape of Nadia Lockyer …

Berenstain Bears co-creator Jan Berenstain dies  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jan Berenstain, who with her husband, Stan, wrote and illustrated the Berenstain Bears books that have charmed preschoolers and their parents for 50 years, has died.  She was 88.  —  Berenstain, a longtime resident …

Initiative to legalize marijuana makes ballot in Colorado  —  Colorado voters in November will decide whether limited possession of marijuana for any purpose should be legalized.  —  If passed, the initiative would make Colorado the only state in the nation to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

Rep. Issa Concedes His All-Male Anti-Contraception Hearing Was Not ‘My Greatest Success’  —  Eight days after getting roundly-chastised for holding an all-male anti-contraception, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) admitted on Friday that the episode did not go as well as he expected.

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 …

TPMDC  —  Hoyer Working Behind The Scenes On Major Deficit Reduction Bill  —  House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is looking to shake legislative politics out of unconsciousness as early as this spring, and force a vote on a bipartisan legislative proposal - which would include higher taxes …