Activist says he targeted NPR because of Juan Williams firing  —  (CNN) - The conservative activist responsible for producing an undercover video showing a National Public Radio senior executive slamming the Tea Party as “racist” and “scary” is speaking out about why he went after the organization.

E-mails reveal possible Walker concessions on union bill  —  By Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison — Gov. Scott Walker's office released documents Tuesday showing he's willing to give on some points of his union bargaining bill to break the Capitol standoff …

For Lawmaker Examining Terror, a Pro-I.R.A. Past  —  WASHINGTON — For Representative Peter T. King, as he seizes the national spotlight this week with a hearing on the radicalization of American Muslims, it is the most awkward of résumé entries.

Welfare State: Handouts Make Up One-Third of U.S. Wages  —  Government payouts—including Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance—make up more than a third of total wages and salaries of the U.S. population, a record figure that will only increase if action isn't taken before the majority of Baby Boomers enter retirement.

Searching for Marizela: An update  —  SEATTLE — The photo above from Marizela's friends/family shows the tattoo on her left inner arm that reads “lahat ay magiging maayos” — a Tagalog saying for “all will be well.”  —  Thanks so much to all of you for your prayers and for helping to spread the word across the Internet.

NPR sting also nets ... Pamela Geller?  —  Conservative activist James O'Keefe today released a sting video showing an NPR fundraising official saying impolitic things to a couple of (fake) potential Muslim donors.  A key part of the sting was the creation of a hoax website for the fake group …

Vilsack: ‘I took it as a slam on rural America’  —  Yesterday afternoon, I got an e-mail from a “usda.gov” address.  “Secretary Vilsack read your blog post ‘Why we still need cities’ over the weekend, and he has some thoughts and reflections, particularly about the importance of rural America,” it said.

Israel Considers Military ‘Upgrade’  —  JERUSALEM—Israel will need to boost military spending and may seek an additional $20 billion in U.S. security assistance to help it manage potential threats stemming from popular upheavals in the Arab world, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday.

Can Any One Of These People Beat President Obama?  —  To do so, one of these candidates has to win the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.  What follows is a cheat sheet of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the GOP presidential candidates and a quick assessment of where they stand now.

GOP Sen. Lugar says he'll support House Republican spending cuts  —  Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), who faces a Tea Party-backed challenge in his 2012 primary, has withdrawn his stated opposition to House-passed spending cuts.  —  Lugar said Tuesday afternoon that he made a mistake …

GOP steps up attacks on Obama energy policy  —  Republicans are tapping into Americans' growing anxiety over rising oil and gas prices to step up attacks on President Barack Obama's energy policies.  —  This week, they're taking to the Senate floor, issuing news releases and chatting …

Charlie Sheen is not filial  —  Actor Charlie Sheen is a classic example of the difference in Western and Eastern values and norms.  —  Ignoring public pleas from his father, Sheen has continued a weeklong media blitz, exhibiting obvious signs of mania.  With no firm hand to guide them …

Maine gets break in federal health care overhaul  —  PORTLAND, Maine - The federal government Tuesday granted Maine a waiver of a key provision in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, citing the likelihood that enforcement could destabilize the state's market for individual health insurance.

Conservative Corporate Advocacy Group ALEC Behind Voter Disenfranchisement Efforts  —  The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative organization linked to corporate and right-wing donors, including the billionaire Koch brothers, has drafted and distributed model legislation …

Opposition in Libya Struggles to Form a United Front  —  BENGHAZI, Libya — In less than three weeks, an inchoate opposition in Libya, one of the world's most isolated countries, has cobbled together the semblance of a transitional government, fielded a ragtag rebel army and portrayed itself …

NPR, PBS campaigns to keep federal funds called unlawful  —  NPR and PBS stations nationwide are rallying their audiences to contact Congress to fight against Republicans' proposed spending cuts, but some affiliates' pleas may violate laws preventing nonprofits or government-funded groups from lobbying.

21 Priests Suspended in Philadelphia  —  The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Tuesday that it had placed 21 priests on administrative leave from active ministry in connection with credible charges that they had sexually abused minors.  —  The mass suspension was one of the single …

Senate Democrats weigh making big mistake on health-care reform  —  I'm getting some worried e-mails from Hill staffers who think Senate Democrats might rubberstamp a policy House Republicans passed to undermine the Affordable Care Act.  It's the sort of policy decision that won't get much attention …

Intruder calls 911, afraid homeowner may have gun  —  (CNN) — This time it was the intruder who called 911.  —  A man who broke into a house in Portland, Oregon, called police — afraid the homeowner may have a gun.  —  The suspect, Timothy James Chapek, was in the bathroom taking a shower …

Petraeus Sees Military Progress in Afghanistan  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Besides well-reported advances in southern provinces, American and NATO forces have also been able to halt or reverse Taliban gains around the capital, Kabul, and even in the north and west of the country, Gen. David H. Petraeus …

Obama's new executive order on Guantanamo  —  (updated below)  —  President Obama yesterday signed an Executive Order which, as The Washington Post described it, “will create a formal system of indefinite detention for those held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay” and …

Republican Senators Introduce National Right to Work Act  —  Bill would stop discrimination against millions of workers who don't want to join unions  —  WASHINGTON, D.C.  —  Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), introduced the National Right to Work Act to reduce workplace discrimination …

Missouri still very much a tossup  —  PPP's 2nd poll on the 2012 US Senate race in Missouri finds pretty much the same thing as the first one.  Voters are closely divided on Claire McCaskill's job performance and she polls in the mid-40s against all of her prospective Republican opponents.