Washington Post: "The United Nations on Thursday authorized the use of “all necessary measures” to protect civilians in Libya, opening the door to air and naval attacks against the forces of leader Moammar Gaddafi as he vowed to level the city of Benghazi, the last major rebel stronghold."

AP: "Dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant forced Japan to order 140,000 people to seal themselves indoors Tuesday after an explosion and a fire dramatically escalated the crisis spawned by a deadly tsunami."

Chicago Sun Times: "Gov. Quinn plans to sign landmark legislation today that will repeal the state’s death penalty, said a key House lawmaker and sources briefed on his plans."

USCCB: "Signing a bill to end the use of the death penalty would “begin building a culture of life in our country,” said the bishop who oversees the domestic justice efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in a letter to the governor of Illinois."

Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson: "But unions play another role, too - one more like that of civic groups than private associations. Although they want "more" for their members, they also want to make good middle-class jobs the norm. And the most important way they pursue this larger goal isn't by demanding concessions at … Continue reading The Wisconsin union fight isn't about benefits. It's about labor's influence

NY Times: "President Obama on Thursday made his most forceful statements yet on the crisis in Libya, calling again for the immediate resignation of the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, and leaving the door open to the imposition of a no-flight zone over the country."

Politics Daily: "Could two independent economic reports, a liberal think tank and four bipartisan reports on debt reduction be wrong? They all conclude that slashing federal spending this year could cause job losses and threaten the economic recovery.The latest report, from Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics, says 700,000 jobs could be lost by the end … Continue reading Can Seven Reports Be Wrong About the Risks of Spending Cuts? GOP Says Yes

Bold Faith Type: "We've been tracking the myriad ways that federal budget proposals would eviscerate domestic programs that offer vital safety nets for the poor and make life harder for working families. Self-described deficit hawks are also positioning to make deep cuts to international humanitarian aid that are similarly cruel and misguided."

DFLA's Caitlin Conroy in Our Daily Thread: "That is why I oppose abortion and that is also why I describe myself as a Democrat.  I believe that being pro-life goes well beyond expressing opposition to abortion.  To me, being pro-life requires demonstrating a concern, not only for the unborn, but also for the poor, the … Continue reading Just Another Pro-Life Democrat