Tsunami hits north-eastern Japan after massive quake  —  A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan, triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage.  —  Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

Secretly recorded phone calls cast NPR fundraiser in unflattering light  —  An NPR fundraising executive said her organization would be willing to shield a would-be donor from a government audit by keeping the donor's name anonymous, according to a series of surreptitiously recorded phone …

GOP woos ‘Morning Joe’ for Fla. Senate  —  Republicans in Washington are trying to recruit Joe Scarborough to run against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) next year.  —  Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told The Hill on Thursday that he has talked …

Blacked up and in a bow tie: Eva Braun in party mood as rare set of pictures of Hitler's wife are unearthed  —  Previously unseen images from the fascinating private albums of Eva Braun have come to light.  —  They give us incredible retrospective access to Hitler's little-known companion and her life.

Palin: ‘We need much greater cuts’ than in GOP spending plan  —  The former Alaska governor urged Republicans to be “bold and strong” and have “steel spines” in the budget debate.  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Thursday criticized congressional Republicans' spending plan as too tepid …

Dumbing Deficits Down  —  Like anyone who writes regularly about what passes for economic and fiscal debate in American politics, I've developed a strong tolerance for nonsense.  After all, if I got upset every time powerful people were illogical and/or dishonest, I'd spend every waking hour in a state of raging despair.

Bachmann increasingly serious about presidential bid  —  Washington (CNN) - Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is increasingly serious about joining the wide-open race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.  —  And a growing number of conservative activists, legislators …

Et tu, Jack Lew?  —  Everyone knows that the U.S. budget is being devoured by entitlements.  Everyone also knows that of the Big Three - Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security - Social Security is the most solvable.  —  Back-of-an-envelope solvable: Raise the retirement age …

Sen. Graham Wants Intel Chief Gone After He Claims Russia, China Pose ‘Mortal’ Threat  —  A prominent Republican senator called on Director of National Intelligence James Clapper to resign Thursday after he said Russia and China pose the biggest “mortal threat” to the United States …

Why do these people, many of whom are professionals, feel no fear in expressing such death wishes in the open?  —  You have seen the video of Twitter death wishes directed at Sarah Palin, by people who did not feel the need to hide their identities.  —  So like clockwork, death wishes …

Rand Paul's Toilet Tirade  —  ABC News' Matthew Jaffe reports:  —  Members of Congress are upset about a lot of things - the economy, the debt... the toilets?  —  Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, today went off on a tirade about toilets in the midst of an Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing …

Congressional Approval Back Below 20%  —  Decline in approval rating in third month of new Congress similar to 1995, 2007  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Congress' approval rating is down to 18% after being in the 20% range the first two months of the year, and is essentially back to where it was just after last November's midterm elections.

More than 60 people, including ‘Snoop’ of ‘The Wire,’ arrested in drug raids  —  Arrests in operation ‘Usual Suspects’ are culmination of 5-month investigation  —  Felicia “Snoop” Pearson had served a prison sentence for murder and returned to drug dealing on the streets of East Baltimore …

What I Learned At The Treasury Department  —  I was at the Treasury Department yesterday afternoon for one of these double super-secret background briefings with the Secretary and other senior officials.  What I learned: … So that's for your consideration.  I dunno.