LIMBAUGH REJECTS COMPANY THAT SUSPENDED ADS FROM SHOW OVER FLUKE REMARKS  —  Rush Limbaugh has rejected an advertiser's apparent attempt to reunite with his show after the company initially dropped its ads from the program following his remarks about contraception advocate Sandra Fluke.

The employment recovery is real  —  I can't remember the last time there was this much excitement and anticipation surrounding a payrolls number — and it's another solid report.  There were 227,000 new jobs created in March, and the already-excellent numbers from the previous two months …

Was Soledad O'Brien Bailed Out by Producers on Critical Race Theory Definition?  —  CNN's Soledad O'Brien's venomously sarcastic interview with Breitbart.com editor-in-chief Joel Pollak culminated with her throwing out her definition of “Critical Race Theory” in the heat of her interview over the Obama/Bell Tapes released last night.

New Republic Gets an Owner Steeped in New Media  —  The newest owner of The New Republic magazine is Chris Hughes, a new-media guru who co-founded Facebook and helped to run the online organizing machine for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.  —  Mr. Hughes's purchase of a majority stake …

Romney Calls Southern Primaries “An Away Game”  —  Lowering expectations for a rough stretch, he tells an Alabama radio station he hopes to pick up delegates in Birmingham — even if he can't win the state.  —  Mitt Romney admitted Thursday that he might not be the most natural fit …

The Unchained Woman  —  What used to be a normal family life is now available only to the affluent.  —  Susanna Mancini, a 27-year-old lawyer, sent her boyfriend a photo of herself wearing a swimsuit and sunglasses.  “Too bad you can't see my eyes,” she wrote him.  “I am so proud of my tough yuppie stare!”

Ignorance Is Strength  —  One way in which Americans have always been exceptional has been in our support for education.  First we took the lead in universal primary education; then the “high school movement” made us the first nation to embrace widespread secondary education.

Alabama GOP Primary: Gingrich 30%, Santorum 29%, Romney 28%, Paul 7%  —  Alabama Republicans are up to bat next, and right now it's a near three-way tie going into next Tuesday's primary.  —  The first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Republican Primary Voters …

Breakfast Is Ready  —  Who says Mitt Romney can't appeal to southern voters.  —  The man likes grits, and he'll tell you so.  —  Video below the jump.  —  Paul Werdel  —  Paul Werdel is an Associate Editor at TPM.  Before joining TPM he was a News Editor with Al Jazeera English, and before that a Producer with BBC News.

An American Auto Bailout for France?  —  Attention U.S. taxpayers: You now own a piece of a French car company that is drowning in red ink.  —  That's right.  In a move little noticed outside of the business pages, General Motors last week bought more than $400 million in shares of PSA Peugeot Citroen …

Government-subsidized green light bulb carries costly price tag  —  The U.S. government last year announced a $10 million award, dubbed the “L Prize,” for any manufacturer that could create a “green” but affordable light bulb.  —  Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the prize would spur industry …

White House Works to Shape Debate Over Health Law  —  WASHINGTON — The White House has begun an aggressive campaign to use approaching Supreme Court arguments on the new health care law as a moment to build support for the measure seen as President Obama's signature legislative achievement …

About Virginia Postrel  —  Virginia Postrel writes about commerce and culture, innovation, economics and public policy.  Shes the author of “The Future and Its Enemies” and “The Substance of Style,” and is writing a book on glamour.  —  Fight Birth-Control Battle Over the Counter: Virginia Postrel

Six Surprising Takes on The GOP Nomination Contest  —  I direct FairVote, a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization known for its innovative analysis and state and local successes in advancing electoral reforms like instant runoff voting, the National Popular Vote plan …

Not So Fast, Romney  —  If the Republican Party doesn't wrap up its nomination very soon and rally around a consensus candidate, we are heading to a Tampa National Convention of epic battles, divisive delegate challenges and a deadlock that could rupture the party or cause it to reach outside …

Scandal at The Washington Post: Fraud, Lobbying & Insider Trading  —  In the summer of 2010, business columnist for The Washington Post Steven Pearlstein lifted the veil on the little-known company operating procedure that involves an incestuous relationship between his own employer …

Elizabeth Warren's Star Support Criticized  —  BOSTON — Elizabeth Warren may be running for the United States Senate in Massachusetts, but her campaign is getting deep support 3,000 miles away in California, where the other day, Cher was speaking glowingly of Ms. Warren's candidacy.

Haaretz poll: Most of the public opposes an Israeli strike on Iran  —  Support for Netanyahu's Likud party is at all-time high, but Israelis still skeptical regarding attack on Iran's nuclear facilities without U.S. backing.  —  Get Haaretz on iPhone  —  Get Haaretz on Android

Levy Explains Cato's Counter-Offer and Timeline  —  I just spoke with Robert Levy, chairman of the Cato Institute's board of directors.  He responded to a number of claims in Charles G. Koch's statement issued yesterday.  —  First let's review what Koch said:

O'Reilly: Former Obama adviser Anita Dunn's PR firm representing Sandra Fluke  —  Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke is being represented by a former Obama adviser's PR firm, Bill O'Reilly explained on his Thursday night program “The O'Reilly Factor,” suggesting that the young woman …