Why are Americans confused about Obama's religion?  —  Fresh from a controversy over his views on evolution, Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker is now involved in a controversy over his views, or lack of them, on President Obama's religion.  On Saturday, two Washington Post reporters asked Walker …

We Don't Have A Wage Gap Problem, But Hollywood And The White House Do  —  Last night at the Oscars, the lovely Patricia Arquette won a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role in Boyhood.  There's something delightful and quirky about all members of the Arquette clan, and Patricia is no exception.

Seven in 10 Americans Continue to View Israel Favorably  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Even as relations between the leaders of Israel and the United States reportedly deteriorate over disagreement about how to handle Iran's nuclear program, Israel has retained its broadly favorable image in the U.S. over the past year.

Idaho lawmaker asks if woman can swallow camera for gynecological exam before medical abortion  —  BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho lawmaker received a brief lesson on female anatomy after asking if a woman can swallow a small camera for doctors to conduct a remote gynecological exam.

Concerns Mount as Homeland Security Shutdown Looks Likely  —  WASHINGTON — The notion that Congress might actually shut down the Department of Homeland Security as part of a broader fight over President Obama's immigration policies seemed laughable just a few weeks ago.  —  Literally.

Obama Derangement Syndrome  —  In 2003, the conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer diagnosed a new affliction in some of George W. Bush's fiercest critics.  He described the condition as “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency …

Baton Rouge man returning home to check on kids, accidentally shoots, kills 13-year-old baby-sitter  —  A Baton Rouge man was working on his handgun Saturday night when it accidentally discharged, killing a 13-year-old boy who was baby-sitting his kids.  —  The incident began …

Why the Bill O'Reilly charges aren't sticking  —  Fox News host Bill O'Reilly almost certainly exaggerated his experiences during the Falklands War and its aftermath in 1982, as several CBS News staffers who were with him at the time attest.  He wasn't actually in a “war zone” or “combat situation …

Secrecy around police surveillance equipment proves a case's undoing  —  TALLAHASSEE — The case against Tadrae McKenzie looked like an easy win for prosecutors.  He and two buddies robbed a small-time pot dealer of $130 worth of weed using BB guns.  Under Florida law, that was robbery …

Look who's living on the financial edge  —  CNBC's Kelli Grant discusses how to cut spending and save extra cash.  —  If your rainy day fund is light, you have plenty of company.  —  According to a newly released report from Bankrate, 24 percent of Americans have more credit card debt …

Special report: Records show Gov. Jindal spent half of 2014 outside of Louisiana; view governor's expenses, activities  —  Frequent flier  —  The day one of Louisiana's levee boards filed an environmental damages lawsuit against 97 oil and gas companies, which would become the biggest issue during …

UT/TT Poll: In Texas, Walker Ties Cruz; Clinton Soaring … UT/TT Poll - February 2015 - Summary UT/TT Poll - February 2015 - Methodology  —  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has erased U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's strong lead among Texas Republicans in the volatile and still-developing race …

Walker's anti-union law has labor reeling in Wisconsin  —  KING, Wis. — At the old union hall here on a recent afternoon, Terry Magnant sat at the head of a table surrounded by 18 empty chairs.  A members meeting had been scheduled to start a half-hour earlier, but the small house …

Documents show the expensive tastes of Jeb Bush's low-key wife  —  In 1999, Columba Bush, the famously private wife of then-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, was detained and fined by federal customs officials for misrepresenting the amount of clothing and jewelry she had bought while on a solo five-day shopping spree in Paris.

Comcast, Al Sharpton Hit With $20 Billion Racial Discrimination Lawsuit  —  The National Association of African-American Owned Media alleges that Sharpton and other advocates have been bought off.  —  Al Sharpton  —  Even though the FCC hasn't yet ruled on the proposed merger between Comcast …

Patriot Games  —  Glenn Reynolds may be pulling one of the better Poe's Law fast ones here, but it sure looks like the guy is saying (in his always baffling weekly USA Today column, how he keeps that I'll never know) that, rather than questioning President Obama's patriotism …

The liberal media won't tell people that Joe Biden is a moron  —  If Biden was a Republican, would the media have laughed off his molestation of Stephanie Carter?  —  It was just another Tuesday for the vice president of the United States, and another week in which the mainstream media turned …

Why People Probably Won't Pay to Keep Their Web History Secret  —  AT&T is conducting an experiment in how much money Americans will pay for privacy.  If consumers in Kansas are willing to pay an extra $30 per month for super-fast fiber-optic Internet access, the telecom giant won't track their online browsing for targeted ads.

Knowledge Isn't Power  —  Regular readers know that I sometimes mock “very serious people” — politicians and pundits who solemnly repeat conventional wisdom that sounds tough-minded and realistic.  The trouble is that sounding serious and being serious are by no means the same thing …

McConnell fails to deliver  —  After a terrible, bone-breaking accident and two eye surgeries, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the former Senate Majority Leader, is scheduled to be back on Capitol Hill this week.  —  Somehow the bruised Reid looks good compared to the new Republican Majority Leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.).