IRS official will plead the Fifth rather than testify to Congress tomorrow.

Sen. Inhofe says Oklahoma relief won’t be like Sandy because Sandy relief was a slush fund.

At the risk of drawing more obloquy upon myself, I have to second the questions Jack Shafer raises in this piece just published by Reuters: What was James Rosen Thinking?

There are a few points that seem important to make about this story.

Read More →

Fresh off blaming Hollywood and the video gaming industry for extreme gun violence, the NRA is out with its top ten list of “coolest gun movies.”

I lived in the Midwest for a decade, hunkering down in basements this time of year the way you do (or at least are supposed to do), but tornado videos never get old to me. Some of the most dramatic videos from yesterday’s storm.

The confirmed death toll in Oklahoma has been revised downward to 24.

I think it’s fair to say that Harry Reid isn’t by inclination or temperament a big fan of filibuster reform. That’s partly because it will upset whatever collegiality is left in the Senate and make it really hard for him to “run” the Senate. But he’s not above keeping it in play as a negotiating chip with Mitch McConnell over important White House nominations. That’s why Reid keeps raising the prospect of doing something on filibuster reform, after initially declaring the issue resolved with some minor rules changes in January. His threats make a lot more sense in that context, especially since it’s not clear he has 51 Democrats on board for a dramatic rule change. But McConnell probably knows that, too, so at some point this posturing will lose his effectiveness, if it hasn’t already.

For some straight talk on leaks, leak probes, and national security journalism, go read Walter Pincus.

Some amazingly good photos of people being extricated from the rubble in Moore, Okla., here, here and here.

Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma says he’ll press for offsetting cuts to other spending to fund federal aid to his state.