Four Questions for Bill Maher  —  JAKE TAPPER: Bill, thanks for doing this.  I just wanted to make sure that  —  as I cover this debate about appropriate language and such, I'm not  —  excluding any points you think should be made.  —  BILL MAHER: I don't really know all the “points,” but as I said on my show

RutherfordGate: Historian Responds to President Obama's Hayes Slur  —  Rutherford B. Hayes: Very much pro-phone.  —  It's not unusual for President Obama to criticize his Republican predecessors from time to time, but this morning, he targeted his scorn not at George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan, but ... Rutherford B. Hayes.

At NCAA Tournament, Southern Miss Band Chants 'Where's Your Green Card?'  At Hispanic Kansas State Player  —  During their school's NCAA Tournament game against Kansas State University today, members of the Southern Mississippi University band chanted, “Where's your green card?” at a Puerto Rican Kansas State player.

No, Obamacare's Cost Didn't Just Double.  Sigh.  —  Sorting through the deceptive attacks on health care reform gets old, even for me.  But on Wednesday the Republicans and their allies made a claim so obviously misleading that they, and the media outlets parroting them, must have known they spreading false information.

Sen. Lugar: Marion County Election Board declares senator and wife ineligible to vote in home precinct  —  UPDATE: The Election Board has voted 2-1 along party lines to find Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican, and his wife ineligible to vote in their former home precinct.

‘Vigorous’ Santorum crackdown may catch Internet porn viewers with pants down  —  Internet pornography could conceivably become a thing of the past if Rick Santorum is elected president.  —  The unapologetic social conservative, currently in second place behind Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination …

Obama hits GOP on fuel rhetoric  —  President Barack Obama took the bully pulpit on Thursday as he assailed Republicans for suggesting they can cut gas prices even as he can't, and for dismissing the development of alternative sources of energy.  —  Obama didn't mention the GOP presidential contenders …

Violence Against Women Act Divides Senate  —  WASHINGTON — With emotions still raw from the fight over President Obama's contraception mandate, Senate Democrats are beginning a push to renew the Violence Against Women Act, the once broadly bipartisan 1994 legislation that now faces fierce opposition from conservatives.

PA GOP Governor Defends Ultrasounds Bill: Tells Concerned Women ‘You Just Have To Close Your Eyes’  —  More than 10 state legislatures are considering or have passed bills forcing women to receive an ultrasound before having an abortion.  And Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering …

Michael Fitzgerald, Approved on 91-6 Vote, Will Be First Out LGBT Federal Judge Outside New York  —  Michael Fitzgerald, an out gay California lawyer, received overwhelming approval today from the U.S. Senate, with a 91-6 vote, for his nomination to serve as a federal judge on the U.S. District Court …

Catholic bishops pressured Komen over Planned Parenthood  —  (Reuters) - When he visited the United States four years ago, Pope Benedict XVI blessed a box of silver ribbon-shaped pins for breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure and sent them to its founder, Nancy Brinker.

The richest get richer  —  The aftermaths of the Great Recession and the Great Depression produced sharply different changes in U.S. incomes that tell us a lot about tax and economic policy.  —  The 1934 economic rebound was widely shared, with strong income gains for the vast majority, the bottom 90 percent.

Romney Set to Dominate Race Through April  —  Three of the four candidates for the Republican presidential nomination — Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul — might soon agree with T.S. Eliot: for them, April may indeed be “the cruelest month.”  —  That's because their front-running rival …

Suspect in Afghan Attack ‘Snapped,’ U.S. Official Says  —  WASHINGTON — The American staff sergeant suspected of killing 16 Afghan villagers had been drinking alcohol — a violation of military rules in combat zones — and suffering from the stress related to his fourth combat tour and tensions …

Orrin Hatch is no conservative  —  “What do you call a senator who's served in office for 18 years?”  Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), asked about his opponent in the first of his many Senate campaigns.  “You call him home.”  —  I have a similar question: What do you call a senator who claims to be …

Mitt Romney's Terrible Fox News Interview  —  Why does he save his worst performances for the right-leaning network?  —  When Mitt Romney sits down with a Fox News anchor, things can get hairy.  —  That fact was on full display Wednesday when the candidate went on Megyn Kelly's show …

20Q: Meghan McCain  —  Q1  —  PLAYBOY: You're a blogger and political columnist, as well as a conservative pundit in the liberal wilds on MSNBC.  But aside from being John McCain's daughter, why should we listen to you?  —  MCCAIN: Hey, I get it.  People love me or hate me and there's nothing in between.

Rep. Gary Ackerman will not seek reelection  —  Rep. Gary Ackerman will not run for reelection to the House in 2012, his office announced Thursday.  —  The New York Democrat will retire after 15 terms in Congress.  —  “The residents of Queens and Long Island have honored me with their trust …