THE VETTING: BEN SMITH RELEASES SELECTIVELY EDITED OBAMA RACE VIDEO  —  Earlier today, Buzzfeed's Ben Smith announced on Twitter that video researcher Andrew Kaczynski had released “the mysterious Harvard/Obama/race video that the Breitbart folks have been talking about.”

Rush Limbaugh: Over 40 Advertisers Flee, Host Says 'Everything's Cool'  —  Talk show host Rush Limbaugh sought to reassure listeners Wednesday after the tally of local and national companies that have pulled their advertisements from his time slot topped 40, insisting that the show …

$1B of TSA Nude Body Scanners Made Worthless By Blog — How Anyone Can Get Anything Past The Scanners  —  This video is here to demonstrate that the TSA's insistence that the nude body scanner program is effective and necessary is nothing but a fraud, just like their claims that the program is safe …

Gingrich spokesman: Alabama and Mississippi are must-wins  —  Newt Gingrich is canceling planned events in Kansas and instead pivoting his campaign to focus on racking up delegates in the Deep South, with campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond acknowledging Wednesday that the former Speaker needs wins …

TPM2012  —  Bachmann: ‘Health Care Dictator’ Could Decide How Many Babies You Can Have  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is warning that the Obama administration's contraception insurance mandate could put America on a slippery slope — to a totalitarian one-child policy.

The Party of Hate  —  Millions of Americans voted for Barack Obama in the hope that he would be a trailblazer who would conduct the presidency in a new way.  Well, he has: Obama has been the most divisive president in our modern history, unabashedly stirring up hate against not only his political enemies …

Won't Be Long Now, Folks!  —  And the odds that we'll get to somebody dropping the ni-CLANG word on President Obama took a really big step forward today, along with bonus misogyny to boot.  They say a picture's worth a thousands words, and judging from the latest Mike Lester political cartoon from the Rome …

Channel 4 booting anchorwoman Sue Simmons after 32 years  —  After more than three decades, WNBC/Channel 4 is tossing anchorwoman Sue Simmons overboard.  —  Last week, the station gave her the bad news that her contract would not be renewed — and come June, she's history.

Conspiracy, Again  —  As Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio beclowns himself and his wayward admirers, it is worth bearing in mind that the manufactured controversy surrounding President Barack Obama's birth certificate has its origins in anonymous e-mails sent by Hillary Clinton partisans during the 2008 Democratic primary.

Maine Miscellany  —It looks like Maine voters will reverse their 2009 decision and legalize gay marriage in the state this fall.  54% think that gay marriage should be legal to only 41% who think it should be illegal.  And when we asked about the issue using the exact language voters …

Clay clerk accuses U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns of trying to buy him out of race  —  GREEN COVE SPRINGS — Clay Clerk of Courts James Jett told a group of Republicans today the FBI is looking into Rep. Cliff Stearns for what Jett said is a plot to buy him out of this fall's congressional primary.

Subject for Debate: Are Women People?  —  I've always assumed that women are fully autonomous human citizens—who vote, even!—but now I'm not so certain  —  From left: Catholic Bishop William Lori, the Rev. Matthew Harrison, Dr. Ben Mitchell, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik and Craig Mitchell …

Missing Kucinich  —  America has reached the point where its politics are conformist and polarized at the same time.  That's maybe not such a paradox: when there's little substantive disagreement between the party of Obamacare and the party of Romneycare, the party of foreign intervention …

Massive solar storm heading for Earth  —  Airlines and energy suppliers are on alert as the largest solar storm in five years threatens to disrupt flights and power lines  —  Airlines and energy suppliers are on alert as the largest solar storm in five years heads toward Earth, threatening to disrupt flights and power lines.

First on CNN: Levin says Limbaugh should be dropped from Armed Forces Network  —  (CNN) - Sen. Carl Levin, the powerful chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday he would like the Armed Forces Network to drop the controversial Rush Limbaugh program from its service that provides radio …

Romney's Not to Blame for the GOP's Primary Slog  —  In 2008, 80% of the Republican delegates were chosen before March.  This year, only 13% were.  —  The Republican presidential nomination contest is dragging on because Mitt Romney is a weak front-runner—right?