Senator Byrd is Ill; A Note on West Virginia's Vacancy Laws  —  The 92-year-old Senator Robert Byrd, the longest-serving senator in United States history, is seriously ill, according to his office.  —  Byrd has been hospitalized three times since 2009.  If he were not to recover this time …

As Kagan confirmation hearings begin, Republicans struggle for line of attack  —  For weeks leading up to the start of Elena Kagan's Senate confirmation hearings Monday, Republicans have struggled to find a compelling line of attack to take against the Supreme Court nominee.

The Third Depression  —  Recessions are common; depressions are rare.  As far as I can tell, there were only two eras in economic history that were widely described as “depressions” at the time: the years of deflation and instability that followed the Panic of 1873 and the years of mass unemployment …

U.S. officials say Karzai aides are derailing corruption cases involving elite  —  Top officials in President Hamid Karzai's government have repeatedly derailed corruption investigations of politically connected Afghans, according to U.S. officials who have provided Afghanistan's authorities …

Brown outpolls Kerry, Obama  —  US Senator Scott Brown, who only months ago was a little-known figure even within the tiny band of Republicans in the state Senate, not only catapulted to national stature with his upset US Senate victory, but is today the most popular officeholder in Massachusetts, according to a Boston Globe poll.

Alexi Giannoulias Subpoenaed For Blago Trial  —  CHICAGO (CBS) ― First it was President Barack Obama, then White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, now U.S. Senate Candidate Alexi Giannoulias is joining the Rod Blagojevich corruption trial subpoena list.

G-20 nations pledge to cut deficits despite Obama's push for stimulus  —  President Barack Obama's push for continued global stimulus in light of a tenuous economic recovery was largely pushed back at the G-20 as world leaders agreed to focus on deficit reduction.

Keystone Kanuck Kops — By: Mark Steyn  —  More fun from the G20 summit:  —  Having stood by watching as a mob trashed downtown businesses (and their own cruisers), the peculiarly insecure dweebs of the Toronto police are now threatening law-abiding passers-by (that would be Cop#3478) and beating up Guardian reporters:

Can the Obama Administration Meet Health Care Deadlines?  —  90 Days After Health Reform, A Look at Where it Stands and a Timeline of Implementation  —  Three months after the $938 billion health care bill was signed into law, questions abound about whether the Obama administration can meet …

Theater of the absurd  —  On Wednesday, the same day President Barack Obama ousted his humiliated Afghanistan commander, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs walked into the Oval Office with more grim news: The cap on the gushing oil in the Gulf had been dislodged.  —  “What?”

No, seriously!  —  David Weigel, who's been covering the right for the Washington Independent, will soon be heading to the Washington Post.  —  Weigel joins the Post on April 5, and will be launching a blog focused on the conservative movement, tea party activists, and how the GOP's preparing for November...