Gingrich's ‘Bain bomb’ fizzles  —  The “Bain bomb” is full of wet fuses.  —  We've been keeping regular track of claims made about Mitt Romney's business history over at our Mitt Meter, but today's video “documentary” from the Gingrich-affiliated Winning Our Future PAC requires its own post.

Should The Times Be a Truth Vigilante?  —  I'm looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by newsmakers they write about.  —  One example mentioned recently by a reader: As cited in an Adam Liptak article on the Supreme Court …

Panetta orders probe of video allegedly showing Marines urinating on dead Taliban  —  The top commanders of the Marine Corps U.S. forces in Afghanistan are investigating a video that purports to show U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered …

President Obama's got sons?  —  President Obama, speaking last night in Chicago at a fundraiser at a private home, unloaded this bombshell:  —  Obama, according to the White House transcript, talked about “The first bill I signed — a bill that said that we're going to have equal pay …

Conservatives Remain the Largest Ideological Group in U.S.  —  Overall, the nation has grown more polarized over the past decade  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Political ideology in the U.S. held steady in 2011, with 40% of Americans continuing to describe their views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal.

Canada's Conservative Government Turns My Husband Back Into My Boyfriend  —  After issuing thousands of marriage licenses to same-sex couples from United States and other nations where same-sex marriage is not yet legal—marriage licenses that did not come with a disclaimer or an asterisk …

Laura Bush wanted Jeb to run for president in 2012  —  SARASOTA  —  Former first lady Laura Bush wishes there were one more candidate in the Republican presidential primary: Jeb Bush.  —  Speaking to a sold-out Sarasota audience on Wednesday, Bush said she had hoped that her brother-in-law …

Justice Department approved recess appointments  —  President Barack Obama's decision last week to snub Congress and make a series of recess appointments while the Senate claimed it was technically in session had the legal blessing of the Justice Department, according to a formal legal opinion released Thursday.

C-SPAN Getting Hammered With Prank Calls About Mitt Romney's Penis  —  C-SPAN is not, typically, a place where one can expect to find the sort of gaffes, fights, and general shenanigans running rampant on other politically-minded networks.  But, lately, it has had to contend with a couple of] …

5% of patients account for half of health care spending  —  WASHINGTON - Just 1% of Americans accounted for 22% of health care costs in 2009, according to a federal report released Wednesday.  —  That's about $90,000 per person, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

President Obama requests $1.2T debt hike over GOP objections  —  President Obama on Thursday made an official request that Congress raise the debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion over the objections of several House Republicans.  —  Obama's formal notification gives both chambers 15 days to vote on whether to approve the hike.

Scandalous Photos Reveal Grover Norquist Carried On Secret Affair With Taxes For Years  —  WASHINGTON—In a scandal that strikes at the very heart of the American anti-tax movement, a series of incriminating photos surfaced online Thursday, revealing that, for decades, leading Republican power …

Elizabeth Warren out-raises Scott Brown, defends $$  —  Elizabeth Warren — who hauled in an eye-popping $5.7 million the last three months of 2011 — refused to swear off Wall Street money yesterday, instead claiming that any money she gets from deep-pocketed financiers is coming from those who “want reform.”