Polish President Dies in Jet Crash in Russia  —  WARSAW — A plane carrying the Polish president and dozens of the country's top political and military leaders to the site of the Soviet massacre of Polish officers in World War II crashed in western Russia on Saturday, killing everyone on board.

Haley Barbour's growing influence  —  A self-described “fat redneck” is the most influential Republican in the country in our latest Friday Line.  —  Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is that rare combination of effective politician and savvy strategist, popular in his home state and revered among …

Junior Florida Republican Party staffer had $1.3 million charged to party credit card  —  She was a 25-year-old junior staffer when the Florida Republican Party gave her an American Express card.  —  Over the next 2½ years, nearly $1.3 million in charges wound up on Melanie Phister's AmEx …

The “Kennedy Court,” only more so  —  Analysis  —  If it has been so that the Supreme Court could properly be called the “Kennedy Court,” because of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy's grip on a tie-breaking vote much of the time, that may well be even more so when the Justices open a new Term next October.

REMEMBER THOSE TAX CUTS?.... April 15 comes this week, so taxes will no doubt be on the minds of many.  President Obama used his weekly address to remind the public about a little detail that usually goes overlooked: he cut taxes.  —  “All across America are good, decent folks who meet …

A Voice of Reason  —  The Republican Party is not simply the “just-say-no” party.  It's also a shameless advocate of the free lunch.  Ronald Reagan famously told us he could jack up defense spending, cut taxes and balance the federal budget all at the same time.  —  George W. Bush put two big wars on a credit card.

“Bias”  —  Not to nitpick too much, but the decision by Andrew Golis and Chris Lehman to kick off their new Yahoo News venture with lame efforts at even-handedness kind of annoyed me: … I think it's important to note that on the Media Matters “about us” page they don't once mention bias.

Huckabee Rips Steele, Romney, LGBT Activists  —  Calls Romney's Healthcare Plan “Dismal Failure,” Compares Same-Sex Marriage to Incest  —  In an interview Wednesday, former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee weighed in on embattled Republican National …

15 Mind-Blowing Facts About Wealth And Inequality In America  —  The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.  Cliché, sure, but it's also more true than at any time since the Gilded Age.  —  The poor are getting poorer, wages are falling behind inflation, and social mobility is at an all-time low.

The Libertarians and the Democrats  —  With a hat tip to Andrew Sullivan, here's Will Wilkinson: … This sort of naivety is so cute.  —  The philosophy of political parties is, at best, only partially a product of ideology and understandings of the good.

U.S. Tries Softer Approach to Afghan Leader  —  WASHINGTON — After more than a year of watching America's ability to influence President Hamid Karzai ebb, Obama administration officials now admit privately that the tough-love approach Mr. Obama adopted when he came to power may have been a big mistake.

Deficits and Spending  —  Taking a deeper look at the film IOUSA.  —  The movie IOUSA portrays a picture of the United States as a country hopelessly addicted to debt, which is one-sided and misleading.  —  This analysis puts many of the issues raised in the movie in a broader context …