Reid Hints at Using ‘Nuclear Option’ on Judges  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that unless nominations start moving swiftly through the Senate, another round of dramatic rules changes may be in the offing.  —  The Nevada Democrat said that while he was “happy” …

Ben Carson apologizes to Johns Hopkins  —  Maryland neurosurgeon Ben Carson, the nationally celebrated physician who has become a political lightning rod in recent weeks after his criticism of President Barack Obama and gay marriage, sent an apologetic email Friday to the Johns Hopkins …

Will Demographics Doom the Dems' Demagoguery on Entitlements?  —  A friend who has been on this particular case for a long time writes: … Meanwhile, the Left is up in arms about Obama's suggestion that Social Security cost of living increases might be slowed to a more realistic level.

Pryor: “Undecided” on Same-Sex Marriage  —  U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said in an interview at 5NEWS in Fayetteville on Friday (April 5) he is undecided on same-sex marriage and has spoken about the issue with gay friends, who told him their sexual preference is not a choice.

Why Obama's ‘Best-Looking Attorney General’ Comment Was a Gaffe  —  The system of beauty, the system of power, and Kamala Harris  —  President Obama's biggest gaffe yesterday when speaking of California Attorney General Kamala Harris was not in flirtatiously complimenting her as …

Obama budget to take aim at wealthy IRAs  —  President Obama's budget, to be released next week, will limit how much wealthy individuals - like Mitt Romney - can keep in IRAs and other retirement accounts.  —  The proposal would save around $9 billion over a decade, a senior administration official said …

Third major oil spill in a week: Shell pipeline breaks in Texas  —  Thousands of gallons of oil have spilled from a pipeline in Texas, the third accident of its kind in only a week.  —  Shell Pipeline, a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, shut down their West Columbia, Texas …

Frank Lautenberg Hill return unclear  —  New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg will not return to Capitol Hill next week, and now it's unclear when — or even if — the veteran lawmaker will be back.  —  Democrats in New Jersey and Washington are watching the moves of the retiring 89-year-old senator closely …

Senator: NASA to lasso asteroid, bring it closer  —  WASHINGTON — NASA is planning for a robotic spaceship to lasso a small asteroid and park it near the moon for astronauts to explore, a top senator revealed Friday.  —  The robotic ship would capture the 500-ton 25-foot asteroid in 2019.

Rand Paul: Defense of Marriage Act defenders are going to ‘lose that battle’  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said that conservatives fighting to uphold the federal definition of marriage as between one man and one woman are going to “lose that battle.”  —  Paul suggested in an interview …

Rubio, Amid Planning, Is Yet to Commit on Immigration Bill  —  WASHINGTON — When Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, last appeared with a bipartisan group of senators to discuss their plans for a broad overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, he looked optimistic, apple-cheeked — and slightly nervous.

Condom scientist hits Hannity comment  —  The lead scientist of a federally funded condom research study is firing back at Fox News commentator Sean Hannity and other conservatives after they charged that the $423,000 project was wasteful spending.  —  “I would tell Sean …

The Dark Side of Verbs-as-Nouns  —  In my previous essay, I wrote about nominalization — the deployment as nouns of words we mostly expect to encounter as verbs or adjectives.  Aware of many people's tendency to vilify this kind of usage, I speculated about the psychology behind it.

CNN Looking To Revive ‘Crossfire’  —  CNN is looking to bring back “Crossfire,” TVNewser hears.  The long-running political debate show was canceled in 2005.  —  It isn't entirely clear what time the program would air, though we hear it would likely be a 30-minute format.

Pope Francis calls for action on clerical sex abuse  —  The remarks were made in the new Pope's first public statement on the clerical sex abuse issue  —  Pope Francis has called for “decisive action” in the fight against sex abuse of minors by priests.  —  He told Bishop Gerhard Mueller …

Hill staff rages as LegiStorm gets personal  —  LegiStorm editor Garrett Snedeker said on Thursday that the service has long compiled all kinds of data, including travel and finances, about staffers and members of Congress.  —  “Probably the biggest thing I'd like to stress is LegiStorm publishes …