Frum thinks critique of GOP led to boot — 2 big bipartisan bashes — Chris Matthews, cornered — HHS Secretary is vastly more powerful — Jackie Calmes to White House beat — Kimberly Dozier to AP  —  FIRST LOOK: Valerie Jarrett is Jake Tapper's exclusive guest Sunday as he begins four months of interim-hosting of “This Week.”

Binyamin Netanyahu humiliated after Barack Obama ‘dumped him for dinner’  —  Giles Whittell, Washington, and James Hider, Jerusalem  —  For a head of state to visit the White House and not pose for photographers is rare.  For a key ally to be left to his own devices while the President withdraws …

Going to Extreme  —  I admit it: I had fun watching right-wingers go wild as health reform finally became law.  But a few days later, it doesn't seem quite as entertaining — and not just because of the wave of vandalism and threats aimed at Democratic lawmakers.

Bullet that hit Cantor office was randomly fired  —  RICHMOND — A bullet that hit a window in Republican U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor's office building was fired randomly into the air, police said Thursday.  —  Cantor announced at a Capitol Hill news conference Thursday that a shot had been fired into his Richmond campaign office.

Tea Party Advocates Who Scorn Socialism Want a Government Job  —  Tea Party activists, who are becoming a force in U.S. politics, want the federal government out of their lives except when it comes to creating jobs.  —  More than 90 percent of Tea Party backers interviewed …

Maddow takes full-page ad in Boston to say she's still not running  —  An ad slated for the Boston Globe.  (Click for full jpg or pdf.)  —  People in Massachusetts picking up their morning papers today may spot an open letter from Rachel Maddow.  The full-page ad explains that she's …

Beneath the Obama agenda, the Obama agenda  —  Last night, the House of Representatives passed the reconciliation fixes.  “And oh, by the way,” writes Jon Cohn, “they managed to completely revamp the student loan program along the way.  At any other time in recent memory, that would have been a huge accomplishment all its own.

McCain and Palin, Together Again: Palin Stumps for McCain in Arizona, Targets Reid in Nevada  —  For the first time since November 2008, Sarah Palin hits the campaign trail today for John McCain.  It's the first stop in a Republican counter-attack that she hopes to lead.  —  Sarah Palin's message to conservatives?

Iowa man joins protest against Obama and health-care reform  —  IOWA CITY, IOWA — He had no plans to throw bricks, issue death threats, spit in faces or scream racial slurs.  But Randy Millam, 52, intended to make a scene, so he woke up early Thursday morning to prepare for President Obama's visit.

JPMorgan, Lehman, UBS Named as Conspirators in Muni Bid-Rigging  —  JPMorgan Chase & Co., Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and UBS AG were among more than a dozen Wall Street firms involved in a conspiracy to pay below-market interest rates to U.S. state and local governments on investments …

Coburn blocks extension of unemployment benefits, threatens start of recess  —  Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has blocked passage of a crucial package of expiring provisions, including extended unemployment insurance benefits that are scheduled to run out on April 5.

Pope Was Told Pedophile Priest Would Get Transfer  —  MUNICH — The future Pope Benedict XVI was kept more closely apprised of a sexual abuse case in Germany than previous church statements have suggested, raising fresh questions about his handling of a scandal unfolding under his direct supervision …

Obama readies steps to fight foreclosures, particularly for unemployed  —  The Obama administration plans to overhaul how it is tackling the foreclosure crisis, in part by requiring lenders to temporarily slash or eliminate monthly mortgage payments for many borrowers who are unemployed, senior officials said Thursday.

In Possible Retirement, the Likelihood of an Election-Year Confrontation  —  WASHINGTON — No announcement has been made, but the widely anticipated retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens in coming weeks has the White House, Senate and lobbying groups bracing for an election-year confrontation over the future of the Supreme Court.

What do conservatives believe about health care?  —  Conservative strategist Patrick Ruffini has a searching and skeptical post on his party's approach to health-care reform.  “On health care, I have no idea what our basic guiding principle is,” he writes.  “Seriously, I don't.”

Sharp momentum shift back to the Democrats after passing health bill  —  Political momentum has shifted so fast over the last week that it has given Republicans whiplash.  —  Democrats are heading into the two-week Easter recess in high spirits after passing the most sweeping domestic policy …

Halperin, Heilemann sign deal for 2012 book  —  Following up on the best-selling “Game Change,” Mark Halperin and John Heilemann have signed on with Penguin to write a book on the 2012 campaign, complete with a $5 million advance.  —  Crain's reports:  —  The deal was reached earlier …

Personal Income Drops Across U.S.  —  Personal income in 42 states fell in 2009, the Commerce Department said Thursday.  —  Nevada's 4.8% plunge was the steepest, as construction and tourism industries took a beating.  Also hit hard: Wyoming, where incomes fell 3.9%.