Secret Tape: McConnell and Aides Weighed Using Judd's Mental Health and Religion as Political Ammo  —  A recording of a private meeting between the Senate GOP leader and campaign aides reveals how far they were willing to go to defeat the actor/activist.  —  On February 2, Mitch McConnell …

Did Thatcher Turn Britain Around?  —  There will presumably be a lot of commentary about Margaret Thatcher over the next few days, although probably nothing like the “Reagasm” of 2004.  And there will in particular be many assertions that Thatcher turned around a moribund British economy.

Santorum doesn't think Supreme Court will rule in favor of same-sex marriage  —  He doesn't think it will rule in favor of same-sex marriage.  —  A “chastened” U.S. Supreme Court won't make the mistake of granting same-sex marriage rights, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum predicted in an interview Monday.

Uh-O: Jon Stewart Tears Into Obama's ‘Attractive’ AG Comment And Michelle's ‘Single Mom’ Gaffe  —  Jon Stewart kicked off The Daily Show Monday night by looking at some of the more troubling aspects of President Obama's difficult weekend.  From his unfortunate remarks about California Attorney …

Annette Funicello, Mouseketeer and Beach Movie Actress, Dies at 70  —  Annette Funicello, who won America's heart as a 12-year-old in Mickey Mouse ears, captivated adolescent baby boomers in slightly spicy beach movies and later championed people with multiple sclerosis, a disease from which she suffered …

Watch Navy's New Laser Cannon, Mounted on a Ship, Kill a Drone  —  The video above is what the Navy's top officers view as the future of their dominance on the surface of the world's waterways.  A laser cannon, its magazine limited only by the amount of energy pumped into it and costing pocket change …

The U.S. has a foreign-policy partner in Iraq  —  Today, on the 10th anniversary of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the debate about whether it was worth it to topple the regime and the direction of the U.S.-Iraqi relationship is influenced by a pessimistic view that the United States has lost Iraq.

Fox News' Jana Winter wins reprieve in theater shooting case  —  Fox News reporter Jana Winter arrives at Arapahoe County court on April 1, 2013.  She could be put into jail at a hearing this week after refusing to reveal anonymous law enforcement sources to the court.  (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

Exclusive: Beyonce, Jay-Z Cuba visit had U.S. Treasury Department OK - source  —  (Reuters) - A visit by American pop star Beyonce and rapper husband Jay-Z to Havana last week was a cultural trip that was fully licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department, a source familiar with the itinerary said on Monday.

Obama declares Tuesday ‘National Equal Pay Day,’ despite paying female staffers less than male counterparts  —  President Barack Obama officially declared Tuesday “National Equal Pay Day,” symbolically marking how much extra work women supposedly must perform to reach pay parity with men.

Washington Post Editors Get Mixed Up On Iran's Nuclear Program  —  An editorial in today's Washington Post gives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credit for the Iranian government's decision to stop short of accumulating enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon.

Man Faces Charges After Defending Himself from a Bear in His Own Yard  —  Richard Ahlstrand, of Auburn, Massachusetts, faces criminal charges after encountering a bear in his back yard and shooting the damned thing to avoid being mauled or eaten.  Specifically, as noted at Reason 24/7 …

New gun control strategy: Tax 'em  —  State and local officials are pushing a new way to expand gun control: taxes.  —  Gun owners in and around Chicago last week started paying a new $25 tax on every firearm they purchase.  In California, a statehouse panel on April 15 will hear testimony …

Bobby Jindal's Political Collapse Is Dangerous News For The National GOP  —  Sure the GOP may need a little outreach here and a little fine tuning there, but Republicans in Washington say they're confident that a principled message of low taxes and cuts to social services will eventually propel them back to victory.

Michael Bloomberg group's gun-control scorecard will give lawmakers letter grades  —  New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, one of the nation's most committed and deep-pocketed gun-control proponents, is ratcheting up pressure on lawmakers by launching a new system to grade them based on their votes and statements on gun issues.