Census Survey Revisions Mask Health Law Effects  —  WASHINGTON — The Census Bureau, the authoritative source of health insurance data for more than three decades, is changing its annual survey so thoroughly that it will be difficult to measure the effects of President Obama's health care law …

Rand Paul for President  —  Because what the GOP needs is a humbling landslide defeat.  —  Republicans, let's get it over with.  Fast forward to the finish line.  Avoid the long and winding primary road.  It can only weaken the nominee.  And we know who he—yes, he—has to be.

Prominent Republican: Women Need To Be Paid Less So They Can Find Husbands  —  On Sunday, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sought to advance the GOP's rebranding effort among female voters by suggesting that Republicans have long “led the fight for women's equality.”

Ukraine on the brink as troops take on rebels  —  Vladimir Putin denounces Kiev for mobilising forces against pro-Russian gunmen in east of country  —  Alec Luhn in Kramatorsk, Paul Lewis in Washington and Julian Borger  —  Ukrainian government forces launched their first significant military action …

U.S. right wing extremists more deadly than jihadists  —  Deadly shootings in Kansas City suburb … (CNN) — On Sunday, a man shot and killed a 14-year-old boy and his grandfather at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and then drove to a nearby Jewish retirement community where he shot and killed a third person.

Ben Carson: White House wanted apology for ‘offending’ Obama  —  Neurosurgeon Ben Carson says the White House wanted him to apologize for “offending” President Obama after he famously delivered a conservative message at the National Prayer Breakfast last year.

WATCH: Congressman Tells Black Constituent He's Not Sure The Civil Rights Act Is Constitutional  —  Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) addresses a town hall meeting in Gainesville, Florida.  —  CREDIT: Scott Keyes  —  GAINESVILLE, Florida — Last week, former presidents and dignitaries celebrated …

Police Unit That Spied on Muslims Is Disbanded  —  The New York Police Department has abandoned a secretive program that dispatched plainclothes detectives into Muslim neighborhoods to eavesdrop on conversations and built detailed files on where people ate, prayed and shopped, the department said.

Read My Lips: More New Taxes!  —  A bigger April 15 bill would mean a better society  —  Happy Tax Day.  Yes, I say that every year.  Yes, I still mean it.  Yes, I know that not many people feel the same way.  —  Nobody likes writing checks to the government.  At best, it's something people tolerate.

Who Goes to Jail?  Matt Taibbi on American Injustice Gap from Wall Street to Main Street … Award-winning journalist Matt Taibbi is out with an explosive new book that asks why the vast majority of white-collar criminals have avoided prison since the financial crisis began …

UO law school prof angry about plan to use his raise for student fellowships  —  4/14/2014: Several members of the law school email lists (which included staff, secretaries etc.) have forwarded these two emails from professor Rob Illig (Law) about a plan apparently floated by Law Dean Michael Moffitt …

Eric Holder ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ About Marijuana Legalization In Washington And Colorado  —  CHARLESTON, S.C. — Attorney General Eric Holder is “cautiously optimistic” about how things are going in Washington state and Colorado following the legalization and state regulation of marijuana.

As MLB honors Jackie Robinson, can it reverse a trend?  —  Just when we want to believe that times are changing, and prejudice is waning, along comes a ferocious reminder like a Manny Pacquiao punch to the jaw.  —  Sheer racism, exposed in vile letters directed to Hall of Fame great Hank Aaron …

They wouldn't print it if it wasn't true  —  Erwin Chemerinsky and Carrie Menkel-Meadow in the NYT on the “supposed” “crisis” “in” “legal” “education:” … As my second all-time favorite tennis player would put it: You cannot be serious.  —  I don't know what's more egregious here, the laziness or the intellectual dishonesty.

Rumsfeld Has ‘Absolutely No Idea’ If He Filed His Taxes Correctly  —  Donald Rumsfeld got his taxes filed in time.  Just don't ask him if they were done correctly.  —  In a letter sent Tuesday to the Internal Revenue Service, Rumsfeld said he has “absolutely no idea” whether his family's tax returns …

Mitt Romney Stars in Ad in Heated Idaho Primary  —  Mitt Romney is making his first foray into the 2014 campaign airwaves, appearing in a new U.S. Chamber of Commerce television spot touting Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson in an increasingly heated Republican primary.

Hillary Clinton, Youth Candidate  —  Our old colleague Patrick Caldwell has an interesting article up at Mother Jones about the way the Hillary Clinton campaign—or whatever we can call it at this point, since it isn't actually a campaign but it isn't exactly just a bunch of independent people doing …

Landrieu Reenacts Committee Hearing for Campaign Ad  —  Democratic senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana is in a tough reelection battle because of her support for Obamacare.  So its not surprising her latest TV ad focuses on the one high-profile fight she's had with the Obama administration, over oil and gas exploration.

Why You Should Be Sympathetic Toward Cliven Bundy  —  On Saturday, I wrote about the standoff at Bundy Ranch.  That post drew a remarkable amount of traffic, even though, as I wrote then, I had not quite decided what to make of the story.  Since then, I have continued to study the facts and have drawn some conclusions.

Governor Bans Minimum Wage Increases And Paid Sick Leave Laws  —  At a time when many states and cities are working passing minimum wage increases, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) has gone in the opposite direction and signed a law banning cities from passing higher wages.

Republicans lead in Texas  —  PPP's newest Texas poll finds Republicans leading by double digits in all of the state's major races for 2014.  —  In the Governor's race Greg Abbott's at 51% to 37% for Wendy Davis.  Those numbers are largely unchanged from our last poll of the state in early November when Abbott had a 50/35 advantage.