Tedisco concedes to Murphy  —  Republican state Assemblyman Jim Tedisco conceded the New York special election this afternoon to Democratic businessman Scott Murphy, giving the Democrats a key off-year victory in a race that both parties aggressively contested.

Obama Repeatedly Reminds House GOP Of Their Zero Stimulus Votes  —  In a meeting with House Republicans at the White House Thursday, President Obama reminded the minority that the last time he reached out to them, they reacted with zero votes — twice — for his stimulus package.  And then he reminded them again.

Document: Military Agency Called Harsh Methods ‘Torture,’ Questioned Their Effectiveness  —  The military agency that helped to devise harsh interrogation techniques for use against terrorism suspects referred to the application of extreme duress as “torture” in a July 2002 document sent …

Yes, National Review, We Did Execute Japanese for Waterboarding  —  In a CNN debate with Ari Fleischer, I said the United States executed Japanese war criminals for waterboarding.  My point was that it is disingenuous for Bush Republicans to argue that waterboarding is not torture and thus illegal.

Video: Frank in 2005 — Bubble?  What bubble?  —  Barney Frank argued this week that he had always warned about the excesses of pushing home ownership and had advocated for rentals instead.  Our friends at Verum Serum couldn't believe their ears, because Frank has long been one of the loudest …

Obtained: Cheney's Request Form Detailing The Two CIA Torture Docs He Wants  —  I've just obtained from the National Archives the actual request form that Dick Cheney submitted for CIA documents he claims will prove that torture worked.  —  Cheney requested all of two CIA documents, a total of 21 pages.

‘A person who can actually be trusted’  —  OK, I promise to get off the Armenian genocide story soon, as it's obviously not the most important issue of the moment.  —  But the reason it's a worth noting is captured in this campaign video from Samantha Power, which made a big impression …

Emmanuel Saez Wins John Bates Clark Medal  —  The John Bates Clark medal goes out to a promising young economist who often later finds himself burdened with a Nobel Prize.  This year's winner is Emmanuel Saez which is exciting for policy-oriented progressive bloggers since his specialty is inequality.

Barack Obama and the CIA: why does President Pantywaist hate America so badly?  —  If al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the rest of the Looney Tunes brigade want to kick America to death, they had better move in quickly and grab a piece of the action before Barack Obama finishes the job himself.

Gore, Gingrich and Greenhouse Gases  —  Former Vice President Al Gore and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich returned to the Capitol on Friday to lecture their onetime colleagues on legislation that would impose limits on the gases blamed for the cooking of the planet.

Key Dem Senator Likely To Vote Against Top Obama Legal Nominee  —  Uh oh.  This could signal real trouble for a key Obama nominee under assault by the right: Office of Legal Counsel chief Dawn Johnsen, a fierce Bush critic who would be at the center of the war over whether Obama …

Blackburn challenges Gore's motives  —  Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) challenged Al Gore's motives for supporting climate change legislation when the former VP appeared before a House panel today.  —  Blackburn noted Gore's role as partner in Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers …

FBI Arrests Oklahoma Teabagger For Twitter Threats  —  An Oklahoma City man who announced on Twitter that he would turn an April 15 tax protest into a bloodbath was hit with a federal charge of making interstate threats last week, in what appears to be first criminal prosecution to stem from posts on the microblogging site.

The GOP: divorced from reality  —  The Republican base is behaving like a guy who just got dumped by his wife.  —  If conservatives don't want to be seen as bitter people who cling to their guns and religion and anti-immigrant sentiments, they should stop being bitter and clinging to their guns, religion and anti-immigrant sentiments.

Piper alert: Obama relocated in caution  —  It happens every once in a while.  —  A small airplane strays into the restricted air space over Washington, D.C., and the Capitol and White House lock down — people evacuated from the halls of Congress on Capitol Hill, and automatic weaponry coming out of the bags on White House grounds.

Obama ‘wrapped around the axle’  —  The Bush administration “kept the country safe” with its tactics in the interrogation of suspected terrorists, says Dana Perino, the former press secretary for ex-President George W. Bush.  —  And the Obama administration has “made a mess of the whole thing” …

In Reversal, Army Ends Delay on Lightweight Armor  —  WASHINGTON — The Army has ordered that $3 million in new, lighter combat gear be sent immediately to two battalions preparing for duty in Afghanistan, officials disclosed on Friday.  —  The decision lifts a hold on the experimental effort …

Friends Say Judge Bybee Regrets Interrogation Memo He Signed  —  Friends Say Judge Wasn't Proud of Outcome  —  LAS VEGAS — On a Saturday night in May last year, Jay S. Bybee hosted dinner for 35 at a Las Vegas restaurant.  The young people seated around him had served as his law clerks …

Taliban Spokesman Blames American Women  —  Update |  1:25 p.m. Britain's Channel 4 News aired a video report on Thursday night showing Taliban forces on the streets of the strategically important Pakistani town of Buner, just 70 miles from the country's capital, Islamabad.