Romney using ethics exception to limit disclosure of Bain holdings  —  Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, whose wealth has become a central issue in the 2012 campaign, has taken advantage of an obscure exception in federal ethics laws to avoid disclosing the nature and extent of his holdings.

Republican Committee Makes Big Turnaround on Fund-Raising  —  Once teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and irrelevance, the Republican National Committee has raised more than $110 million over the past 15 months and retired more than half its debt, accumulating large cash reserves …

DWS?s ?  Jewbag? hire questioned  —  The staffer for DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz who posted the controversial ‘Jewbag’ photo on her Facebook page in 2006 is no anonymous aide — but the daughter of Mark and Nancy Gilbert, two major Florida donors who have raised more than $500,000 for the Obama campaign.

Lawyers: Zimmerman whispered ‘punks’ before shooting Trayvon Martin  —  Sanford, Florida (CNN) — George Zimmerman told his lawyers that he whispered “punks,” not a racial slur, in the moments before he shot Trayvon Martin, his attorneys told CNN on Thursday.

Is Obama ‘Dangerously Close To Totalitarianism’?  —  Power: Given the president's end-runs around Congress, his shredding of the Constitution and his assault on the authority of the courts, a second term free of electoral restraints may be a frightening prospect.

Republicans woo Silicon Valley  —  In Silicon Valley, the Wild West of American industry, Republican “Young Guns” now dot the horizon.  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) took a ride in Google's driverless car this week, and he's planning a trip to Microsoft later this spring.

TEXT: Read Eric Holder's DOJ Response to 5th Circuit on Authority of the Supreme Court  —  Below is the full letter signed by Attorney General Eric Holder, requested by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals following comments made by President Obama calling the DOJ's stance into question. … April 5, 2012

Obama's War On Women  —  President Obama believes it is “long past the time” for women to be admitted to the traditionally all-male Augusta National Golf Club, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday.  —  The remarks were viewed by some as a conscious effort by the White House …

Keith Olbermann files suit against Current TV  —  When Current TV terminated Keith Olbermann's contract last week, the outgoing host announced his intention to file suit against the company.  —  He has apparently followed through on his word: According to an “exclusive” report from TMZ …

Matt Lauer to Stay With NBC's ‘Today’ Show  —  NBC News has signed Matt Lauer to a new multiyear contract to remain as the co-host of the “Today” show, addressing one of the division's most pressing issues.  —  The news will be announced formally on the air during the show Friday morning.

Barack Obama: If the Supreme Court throws out the federal health care law, it “would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress.”  —  Obama attaches stark terms to possible Supreme Court ruling on health care law

Super PAC Money Stalled Despite Obama Greenlight  —  Former White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton in 2010  —  After Bill Burton failed to win the job of White House press secretary last year, he took a position nobody else wanted—helping lead a super PAC to help re-elect the president.

TPM2012  —  Romney, Who Holds Two Harvard Degrees, Says Obama Spent ‘Too Much Time’ At Harvard  —  Mitt Romney again bashed President Obama for his connections to Harvard on Thursday, despite holding multiple degrees from the university himself and relying heavily on Harvard advisers as part of his presidential campaign.

PG-13 Rating Granted for BULLY by MPAA Without Cutting Crucial Scene  —  NEXT STEP: FIGHT TO PASS SAFE SCHOOLS IMPROVEMENT ACT  —  The Weinstein Company (TWC), aided by the guidance and consultation from attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson, announced today that the MPAA has lowered the R rating …