An Unhappy 5th Birthday For The Tea Party … Five years after the Republican Party birthed the tea party movement, mother and child have never been more at odds.  —  The tension between “establishment” Republicans and tea party activists was on full display today at a 5th Anniversary event in Washington.

GOP blocks veterans bill  —  Senate Republicans stopped Democrats from advancing a bill that would have expanded healthcare and education programs for veterans.  —  In a 56-41 vote Thursday, the motion to waive a budget point of order against the bill failed, as Democrats fell short …

Now on your restaurant bill: Obamacare fee  —  Several restaurants in a Florida chain are asking customers to help foot the bill for Obamacare.  —  Diners at eight Gator's Dockside casual eateries are finding a 1% Affordable Care Act surcharge on their tabs, which comes to 15 cents on a typical $15 lunch tab.

Not safe to display American flag in American high school  —  Today's Dariano v. Morgan Hill Unified School Dist.  (9th Cir. Feb. 27, 2014) upholds a California high school's decision to forbid students from wearing American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.  (See here and here for more on this case.)

Obama unveils 'My Brother's Keeper,' opens up about his dad, drugs and race  —  (CNN) - The President has a message for young minority men who grew up like he did.  —  “No excuses.  Government, and private sector, and philanthropy, and all the faith communities, we all have a responsibility to help provide you the tools you need.

Federal Budget Deficit Falls to Smallest Level Since 2008  —  The Treasury Department reported Thursday that the federal government's deficit was $680 billion in the last fiscal year, $409 billion less than in 2012, largely because of increased revenue.  —  WASHINGTON — Closing the books …

Dem senators push IRS to cap political activity  —  A group of Democratic senators urged the Obama administration on Thursday to cap the amount of political activity that tax-exempt 501(c)(4) groups can engage in at 5 to 15 percent.  —  The 15 senators, in public comments on a proposed regulation change …

Where Time Comes From  —  The time that ends up on your smartphone—and that synchronizes GPS, military operations, financial transactions, and internet communications—originates in a set of atomic clocks on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory.  Dr. Demetrios Matsakis, Chief Scientist for USNO's Time Services, gives a tour.

The GOP Already Has a 2016 Front-Runner... for Vice President  —  As defense and foreign policy return to the fore and with a Hillary candidacy looming, the first term New Hampshire senator is looking more and more like the GOP's best veep choice to sure up the ticket in 2016.

Walt Disney World Postpones Local Support for Boy Scouts of America  —  Scouts for Equality, the national campaign to end discrimination within the Boy Scouts of America, praised Walt Disney World's decision to end its local support of the Boy Scouts of America's Central Florida Council.

Tea Party Nation: Brewer's Veto Imposed ‘Slavery,’ Mandatory Penis Cakes For ‘Homosexual Weddings’  —  Judson Phillips, president of Tea Party Nation, is a little upset about Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's decision last night to veto a bill that would have expanded the ability of business owners …

De Blasio starts his war on charter schools  —  The de Blasio administration is blocking the opening or expansion of three Success Academy charter schools run by Eva Moskowitz.  —  The charter schools received approval last year from former Mayor Mike Bloomberg to operate rent-free in existing city buildings starting in the fall.

Harlem church sign warns: Obama has released ‘the homo demons’  —  A church sign in New York City's Harlem is warning black women to be on the lookout for a “white homo” trying to steal their man.  —  “Obama has released the homo demons on the black man.  Look out black woman.

After government shutdown, dozens of lawmakers gave to charity  —  From the very outset of the 16-day government shutdown last fall, members of congress recognized its potential for political damage.  So many of them, seeking to contain the possible fallout, pledged to give …

Outgoing NSA chief Keith Alexander signals openness to surveillance reform  —  Alexander says NSA could accept a change where agency would only be allowed to collect phone data related to terrorism  —  The outgoing director of the National Security Agency suggested on Thursday …

Bitcoin: By The Privileged, For The Privileged  —  A protester stands outside of Mt Gox headquarters in Tokyo after the Bitcoin banking site's collapse.  —  CREDIT: AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi  —  Every once in a while — most recently with the collapse of online exchange site Mt Gox …

To my fellow citizens of California:  —  To my fellow citizens of California:  —  Four years ago, I asked that you support my candidacy for governor based on my bringing an “insider's knowledge but an outsider's mind” to fix the budget breakdown and overcome Sacramento's poisonous partisanship.

GOP's “religious liberty” scam just died: Why Brewer's veto is so momentous  —  Back in 2012, a full two years before conservatives insisted that religious freedom entailed the right to discriminate against gay people or gay spouses in both private and public workplaces …

GWB Scandal: Release of previously redacted messages reveals new information  —  The private messages that linked Governor Christie's office to lane closures at the George Washington Bridge also contain jokes about causing “traffic problems” at the home of a New Jersey rabbi associated …