Jill Abramson and the Times: What Went Wrong?  —  In the gossipy world of New York journalism, the firing of Jill Abramson from her position as the executive editor of the Times provoked a veritable explosion of talk, posts, and Instagram pictures of the objects of interest.

The case for skepticism about climate scientists.  —  Florida's Sen. Marco Rubio came under attack this week for refusing to submit to scientific authority.  “I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it,” he said in an interview with Jonathan Karl.

Democratic Party Still Seen More Favorably Than GOP  —  Both parties face “upside down” net favorable ratings  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans view the Democratic Party more favorably than the Republican Party, even though both parties have a net unfavorable rating.

Head Of ‘Benghazi Truth Squad’ Comes Up Short On Answers To Basic Questions  —  Former Clinton Administration official Lanny Davis is all about damage control.  In fact, his latest book is called Crisis Tales and it's all about his career helping important people out of very tough jams.

Conservatives seek to regain control of Republican agenda  —  Although many Republicans are optimistic about their chances in this year's elections, some of Washington's leading conservatives gathered Thursday to privately vent frustrations about what kind of party they will be left with after November.

Obamas Had Up to $7 Million in Assets in '13, Records Show  —  The assets of President Obama and his wife, Michelle, were valued as high as $7 million last year, according to a financial disclosure form released by the White House on Thursday.  —  Most of the president's income came …

Sources: Donald Sterling refuses NBA sanctions, threatens to sue  —  Through his attorney, Donald Sterling has directly refused to adhere to serious NBA sanctions.  —  SI.com has learned that Clippers owner Donald Sterling has hired prominent antitrust litigator Maxwell Blecher …

Spitting, Stalking, Rape Threats: How Gun Extremists Target Women  —  Welcome to the dark side of America's war over guns.  —  A threatening “Mother's Day” video aimed at women calling for gun reforms  —  AS JENNIFER LONGDON STEERED her wheelchair through the Indianapolis airport on April 25 …

The Consensus Candidate  —  Cory Gardner unifies Colorado Republicans.  —  “I love to smoke,” says Colorado congressman Cory Gardner, his voice trailing off.  His aide's eyes widen.  “Finish that thought!” she says.  —  The 39-year-old Republican lets out a distinctive belly laugh at his unfortunate pause.

Book News: Rush Limbaugh Wins Children's Book ‘Author Of The Year’ Award … The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.  — Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh won the “Author of the Year Award” at the Children's Choice Book Awards …

Liberals' Dark Ages  —  Each week seems to bring another incident.  Who will the thought police come for next?  —  Welcome to the Dark Ages, Part II.  We have slipped into an age of un-enlightenment where you fall in line behind the mob or face the consequences.  —  COLUMN: Dear Condi, no one was listening anyway

Some Juggernaut  —  Democrats look awfully frantic for a party with history on its side.  —  Democrats think they are the party of the future.  After a last hurrah for Republicans in this year's midterm elections, Democrats will have a commanding majority at the polls as far as the eye can see.

Congress Party Concedes Defeat as India Backs Modi  —  NEW DELHI — The Indian National Congress, which has headed India's government for nearly all the country's post-Independence history, conceded defeat to the opposition leader Narendra Modi on Friday, as voters rendered a crushing verdict …

Adventures in Fox News polling, Part VI  —  As regular readers know, I hold a special place in my heart for Fox News polling, because unlike independent polls commission by major journalistic institutions, Fox News' surveys tend to be ... special.  —  The network's latest poll includes …

Residents of mostly white New Hampshire town ready to oust police official who called Obama the N-word and refuses to apologize  — Wolfeboro police commissioner Robert Copeland admits he spoke the words in a restaurant, when he happened to be overheard  — 'I do not apologize …

Fast food workers rally for higher wages  —  Dozens of fast food workers held a demonstration outside of a McDonald's in Manhattan Thursday morning.  They were part of a worldwide day of protests in 230 cities. … NEW YORK — Hundreds of fast food workers walked off their jobs in many U.S. cities …

Amid protests, U.S. FCC proposes new ‘net neutrality’ rules  —  (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Thursday advanced a “net neutrality” proposal that would ban Internet providers from blocking or slowing down access to websites but may let them charge content companies for faster and more reliable delivery of their traffic to users.

Gov. Christie was told about George Washington Bridge closure plans claims his former campaign manager  —  Bill Stepien, who lost his job in the ‘Bridgegate’ scandal, contends he told Christie about the GWB traffic plans on Dec. 12, a day before the governor told reporters his staff didn't know about them.