What Everyone Needs To Know About The Smear Campaign Against Trayvon Martin (1995-2012)  —  Trayvon Martin, as he appeared on his actual Facebook page  —  Over the last 48 hours, there has been a sustained effort to smear Trayvon Martin, the 17-year old African-American who was shot dead by George Zimmerman a month ago.

TPMDC  —  John Roberts May Have Tipped His Hand On ‘Obamacare’ Reasoning  —  In a little-noticed exchange Monday, conservative Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts may have tipped his hand that he's entertaining the possibility that the health care law's individual mandate can be upheld …

Support in U.S. for Afghan War Drops Sharply, Poll Finds  —  WASHINGTON — After a series of violent episodes and setbacks, support for the war in Afghanistan has dropped sharply among both Republicans and Democrats in recent months as increasing numbers of Americans say that the United States …

EPA to impose first greenhouse gas limits on power plants  —  The Environmental Protection Agency will issue the first limits on greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants as early as Tuesday, according to several people briefed on the proposal.  The move could end the construction …

Pro-Romney PAC Killing Machine With Attack Ads  —  One of the political ads airing in the run-up to the April 3 Wisconsin primary accuses Rick Santorum of voting with former Senator Hillary Clinton in favor of granting voting rights to violent convicted felons.

Mitt Romney's four-car fantasy home  —  SAN DIEGO — At Mitt Romney's proposed California beach house, the cars will have their own separate elevator.  —  There's also a planned outdoor shower and a 3,600-square foot basement — a room with more floor space than the existing home's entire living quarters.

House conservatives to unveil budget which balances books faster  —  House conservatives on Tuesday morning will tack to the right and unveil an alternative to the House GOP leadership's 2013 budget plan that balances in five years.  —  The new Republican Study Committee (RSC) …

In Secret Documents, Anti-Gay Marriage Group Looked To Divide Gays, Blacks  —  Blunt language and broad plans from the National Organization for Marriage.  A goal: “Fanning the hostility.”  Another project: “Sideswiping Obama.”  —  The leading opponents of same-sex marriage planned …

Racist Hunger Games Fans Are Very Disappointed [Hunger Games]  —  The good news?  The Hunger Games made $155 million at the box office its opening weekend, making it the third-best debut in North American box office history.  The bad news, however, reflects a level of idiocy that we weren't really expecting.

Jane Fonda to play Nancy Reagan in ‘Butler’  —  Actress will portray former First Lady in Lee Daniels pic  —  In the midst of recruiting an all-star ensemble for his long-gestating passion project “The Butler,” director Lee Daniels has tapped Jane Fonda to play Nancy Reagan.

Gray Nation: The Very Real Economic Dangers of an Aging America  —  Two economists envision a scary — and scarily realistic — future where the working population expands slower and slower, and jobless recoveries are the only recoveries we know  —  In the future, U.S. growth will be slower.

House Dems introduce $3.6T budget plan  —  House Democrats on Monday night introduced their 2013 budget plan to compete with the Republicans' proposal on the chamber floor this week.  —  Sponsored by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee …

Gingrich Begins Charging $50 for Photos at Events  —  Candidate previously posed for free with people attending his appearances.  —  HOCKESSIN, Del. - In a sign that his campaign is in need of fresh funds, Newt Gingrich on Monday began charging $50 to have a photograph taken with him following …

Acting Under Secretary Kathleen Stephens Travels to Algeria, Qatar, Jordan, Jerusalem, and Israel  —  Media Note  —  Washington, DC  —  Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Kathleen Stephens is traveling to Algiers, Doha, Amman, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv from March 23 …

Planned Pipelines to Rival Keystone XL  —  Two major energy companies are planning to build new pipelines that will move as much as 850,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Canada to refineries along the Gulf Coast by mid-2014, in the latest effort to cope with a surge of oil production in North America.

Pennsylvania representative asks if female co-sponsors of state ultrasound bill are ‘men with breasts’  —  Pennsylvania State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Philadelphia, picked up the political hand grenade that is the state's ultrasound bill today when she wondered aloud at a Capitol rally …

Mitt: I Won't Detail Plans, Because Then I'd Lose  —  You'll have to wait until I'm elected.  —  Mitt Romney has embraced a budget plan that would entail cutting federal programs other than defense and Social Security by more than half.  It does raise the question of how he plans to carry out such a sweeping goal.

Catholic Bishops Lose a Big Battle Over Contraception  —  For the past several months, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has been waging war on the Obama administration over reproductive health care, declaring it no less than a battle over religious freedom.