Poll show health care plan gains favor  —  WASHINGTON — More Americans now favor than oppose the health care overhaul that President Obama signed into law Tuesday, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds — a notable turnaround from surveys before the vote that showed a plurality against the legislation.

On Health Care Day, Obama Skips Signing Executive Order on Abortion; Stupak, on Defense, Compares Order to Emancipation Proclamation  —  President Obama signed the Senate health care bill into law Tuesday.  He did not sign the executive order on abortion negotiated with Michigan Democratic …

At White House, Biden's Expletive Caught on Open Mike  —  Beyond the ebullient atmosphere, shout-outs and cheers at the White House signing ceremony of the health care bill, there's another moment that is being rewound and played again and again: Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s overheard, overly effusive aside to President Obama.

Court Rules That Mississippi School Violated First Amendment Rights Of Lesbian Student  —  Alternative MSSC Prom Open To All Students Will Be Held May 8  —  CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org  —  ABERDEEN, MS - A Mississippi federal court today ruled that school officials violated …

Patrick Kennedy leaves note for Ted on gravesite: “Dad, the unfinished business is done.”  —  The political odyssey of health care reform in many ways is the story of Ted Kennedy, and as President Obama signed the historic bill into law Tuesday, Kennedy's gravesite was a place of quiet celebration and poignant reflection.

New East Jerusalem homes approved hours before Netanyahu-Obama meet  —  The Jerusalem municipality has given final approval to a group of settlers construct 20 apartments in a controversial hotel in East Jerusalem, Haaretz learned on Tuesday.  —  The announcement comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …

Vandals hit at least five Dem offices nationwide, threaten to ‘assassinate’ children of pro-reform lawmakers.  —  Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported that several Democratic offices around the nation had been vandalized in the days surrounding the House health care vote.

Discovery expected to land “Sarah Palin's Alaska”  —  Sarah Palin to Discovery?  You betcha.  —  Discovery Communications is expected to announce that it has won the Sarah Palin tourney.  The cabler had been a front-runner to land the untitled Alaska-themed series, to be produced by Mark Burnett Prods., along with A&E.

Protesting Health Reform, GOP Attempts To Bring Senate Hearings To A Standstill By Blocking All Proceedings  —  There is a little-known rule in the Senate stating that hearings can't happen after 2:00 p.m. each day without unanimous consent.  However, every day, at the start of business …

NRSC's Cornyn: We Won't Call For Repealing All Of Health Care  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  In the wake of the passage of health care reform, nearly the entire slate of Republican senatorial candidates seems ready to run on a repeal of the bill.  But now, the lawmaker overseeing their election strategy is softening the message.

Having insurance ‘going to be like Christmas’  —  DURHAM, N.C. — Uninsured Triangle residents said Monday that they eagerly await the overhaul of the nation's health care system.  —  “It's just going to be like Christmas,” said DeCarlo Flythe, who lost health coverage for his family when he was laid off almost three years ago.

Tough Times for Dems in the Midwest  —  It's really looking like a brutal year for Democrats in the Big Ten states.  —  Barack Obama's approval numbers in the two places we polled this week- Wisconsin and Ohio- tell the story.  He won Wisconsin by 14 points in 2008 but we find his approval …

Why George Washington would disagree with the right wing about health care's constitutionality.  —  Yesterday, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announced that he would join a growing list of right-wing attorneys general who are suing to have health reform declared unconstitutional.

Opinion: Scary new GOP poll  —  NEW YORK - On the heels of health care, a new Harris poll reveals Republican attitudes about Obama: Two-thirds think he's a socialist, 57 percent a Muslim—and 24 percent say “he may be the Antichrist.”  —  To anyone who thinks the end of the health-care vote means a return to civility, wake up.

Republicans might reform health-care reform, but they won't repeal it  —  When people think about the GOP's threats to repeal the health-care bill, they need to think about the actual votes that Republicans would need, and when they would take place.  In the short term, they'd need …

In Health Bill, Obama Attacks Wealth Inequality  —  For all the political and economic uncertainties about health reform, at least one thing seems clear: The bill that President Obama signed on Tuesday is the federal government's biggest attack on economic inequality since inequality began rising more than three decades ago.

1,000 Words: Home Alone Edition  —  H/T to Christopher Roughton, who alerted me (via Twitter) to this AP Photo.  It shows House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers holding a Capitol Hill news conference today on health care legislation:

Health bill may exempt top Hill staff  —  The health care reform bill signed into law by President Barack Obama Tuesday requires members of Congress and their office staffs to buy insurance through the state-run exchanges it creates - but it may exempt staffers who work for congressional committees …

An open letter to conservatives  —  The years have not been kind to you.  I grew up in a profoundly Republican home, so I can remember when you wore a very different face than the one we see now.  You've lost me and you've lost most of America.  Because I believe having responsible choices …

No Viagra for sex offenders  —  Republicans are doing their best to use Senate procedure to derail the reconciliation bill.  And true to form, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn has introduced a few amendments that will be very hard for Democrats to vote against, including no Viagra for sex offenders.

John Dingell's Journey  —  President Obama's smile as he signed the health-care bill today reminded me of a private smile I saw Sunday night during the big vote—the historic vote—on the measure.  Another man was smiling, because he saw the measure as the culmination not of a two-year crusade …