Study: Medicaid reduces financial hardship, doesn't quickly improve physical health  —  Welcome to Health Reform Watch, Sarah Kliff's regular look at how the Affordable Care Act is changing the American health-care system — and being changed by it.  You can reach Sarah with questions, comments and suggestions here.

Mountain Dew Releases Arguably the Most Racist Commercial in History Tweet  —  If you've never heard of Felicia the Goat, you'll know about her soon.  Felicia the Goat is the main character in a recent Mountain Dew commercial, created in part by Tyler the Creator.

Penny Pritzker to be nominated for Commerce secretary … Making official what many Democrats have expected for weeks, President Obama plans to nominate Chicago business executive Penny Pritzker, a longtime political supporter and heavyweight fundraiser, as his new Commerce secretary this morning.

U.S. to Defend Age Limits on Morning-After Pill Sales  —  The Justice Department said on Wednesday that it would appeal a federal judge's order to make the most common morning-after contraceptive available without a prescription for girls and women of all ages.

The systemic plight of labor  —  It's May Day, and Henry Blodget is celebrating — if that's the right word — with three charts, of which the most germane is the one above.  It shows total US wages as a proportion of total US GDP — a number which continues to hit all-time lows.

3 pals of Boston Marathon bombing suspect charged with coverup  —  Azamat Tazhayakov (left), Dias Kadyrbayev, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (right) in a photo taken in Times Square.  The picture, which appeared on Tsarnaev's page on VKontakt, the Russian equivalent of Facebook, is believed to be from November 2012.

Florida School Responds to Criticism for Expelling Student Over Science Project: “There Are Consequences to Actions”  —  By all accounts, Kiera Wilmot's science experiment gone wrong triggered just a tiny pop and a small amount of smoke at Bartow High School last week — but her tale is certifiably blowing up the Internet today.

The Time Terry McAuliffe Left The Delivery Room For A Washington Post Party  —  Another time: “We got to the dinner and by then Dorothy was in tears, and I left her with Justin and went inside.”  But he raised a million bucks.  —  Source: youtube.com  —  Former Democratic National Committee …

Police say liberal student activist threatened herself with rape in Facebook hoax, framed conservatives  —  A well-known female liberal blogger and radio host at the University of Wyoming (UW) is being accused by police of fabricating a rape threat against herself to appear as if it came from a conservative.

Meat Processing Plant Ordered To Pay Mentally Disabled Workers $240 Million For Decades Of Abuse  —  A badly stained mattress at the Henry's Turkey Services bunkhouse (Credit: Justin Hayworth/The Des Moines Register)  —  A federal jury ruled Wednesday afternoon that Henry's Turkey Service of Goldwaithe …

I'm still here: back online after a year without the internet  —  I was wrong.  —  One year ago I left the internet.  I thought it was making me unproductive.  I thought it lacked meaning.  I thought it was “corrupting my soul.”  —  It's a been a year now since I “surfed the web” or …

Governors, GOP Allies Clash Over Tax Cuts  —  Republican lawmakers in several states are blunting plans by GOP governors to reduce or eliminate income taxes, putting the legislators at odds with figures many in the party see as leading voices on reshaping government.

The GOP Sets Its Sights on the Senate in 2014  —  Republicans could win a majority if they avoid candidates likely to self-destruct in the election.  —  Last week Sen. Max Baucus (D. Mont.) announced that he would not seek a seventh term.  His retirement makes it even more likely the GOP will make gains in the U.S. Senate next year.

Parnell plans to announce 2014 plans Friday  —  JUNEAU, ALASKA — Gov. Sean Parnell is ready to announce his plans for 2014.  —  The Republican intends to make the announcement Friday in Fairbanks.  —  This comes weeks after the end of a legislative session in which Parnell scored a huge win …

Paul Krugman's Proud War on Fools, Knaves and Lunatics  —  Could I say a word about Paul Krugman?  A recent blog post by the eminent economist and New York Times columnist struck me as out of the ordinary, even for him.  Krugman was responding to critics who accuse him of seeing everybody …

2016 Poll: If Clinton doesn't run, then who?  —  (CNN) - A second straight national poll this week indicates the obvious: Hillary Clinton, if she decides to run for the White House again, would be the overwhelming front-runner among Democrats for their party's 2016 presidential nomination.

17 arrested as Seattle May Day protests turn violent  —  (CNN) — A May Day protest in downtown Seattle turned violent Wednesday night, with police saying they resorted to pepper spray to disperse demonstrators who pelted them with whatever was at hand.  —  Seattle Police said the crowd tossed rocks …

Reid: More funding needed to prevent ObamaCare from becoming ‘train wreck’  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he shares colleagues' concerns that the Affordable Care Act could become a “train wreck” if it's not implemented properly.  —  Reid warned that people will not be able …

Don't Write Off Massachusetts Senate Race Just Yet  —  Markey, who has been in Congress since 1977, begins the Senate race as the clear frontrunner.  (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)  —  The Senate special election in Massachusetts took an interesting turn this week …

Six Ways to Separate Lies From Statistics  —  The discovery of a spreadsheet error in an influential study by Harvard University economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff inevitably raises a troubling question: To what extent can we trust what any researcher claims to be true?

Too-Big-to-Fail Takes Another Body Blow  —  Minds are changing on Too Big to Fail.  A month ago, it was just something in the air.  Now, it looks like we're headed for a real legislative confrontation.  And man, is the finance sector freaking.  —  Last week, on April 24th …

Division, Uncertainty over New Immigration Bill  —  Most View Boston Attack as Separate Issue  —  OVERVIEW  —  As Congress debates a bill to overhaul the nation's immigration policy, much of the public has yet to form an opinion about the legislation.  About as many say they favor (33%) …