thinkprogress.org — Tea Party activists have gathered on Capitol Hill today for a “Code Red” rally against health care reform. Speakers at the event included Republican Reps. Steve King (IA), Michele Bachmann (MN), and Mike Pence (IN). The gathering was organized by Tea Party Profiteer organizations like FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity.

huffingtonpost.com — (AP) Police in the Greek capital say a bomb has exploded at the offices of American financial services firm JPMorgan Chase & Co., causing no injuries. The blast occurred early evening Tuesday in an upscale area of central Athens, following a warning telephone call to an Athens newspaper. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

huffingtonpost.com —   The spotlight has been bright, not necessarily kind to former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 71% of Americans do not feel that Palin is qualified to be President. That includes a sharp drop in Republican support, where 45% believe she is qualified compared to 66% who thought she was last fall. Overall, 37% have a favorable view while 55% have an unfavorable view of the former Alaska Governor. Palin has been able to count on support from the Tea Party, but the Washington Post indicates that the movement itself has split favorability and is poorly understood: Nearly two-thirds of those polled say they know just some, very little or nothing about what the tea party movement stands for. About one in eight says they know "a great deal" about the positions of tea party groups, but the lack of information does not erase the appeal: About 45 percent of all Americans say they agree at least somewhat with tea partiers on issues, including majorities of Republicans and independents. The movement's supporters were identified as, "overwhelmingly white, mostly conservative and generally disapproving of Obama." If Palin intends to become a key player in Washington, she would share something in common with those already there. The poll also shows that two out of every three Americans are "dissatisfied" or "angry" at the federal government. That's the worst result for Washington in nearly 14 years. In another revealing question, the poll found that taxpayers estimate 53% of their money is "wasted."

hamptonroads.com — On a near party- line vote, Virginia's state Senate passed a measure Monday that would protect gay and lesbian state workers from discrimination. Suffolk Republican Frederick Quayle broke ranks with the GOP and joined the 22 Democrats in the chamber in supporting the bill. "I just thought it was the right thing to do," he said later.

today.msnbc.msn.com — Looks like Todd wears the pants in the Alaska Governors Office.

crooksandliars.com —  In the past week, I've heard of other Senate and House versions of a bill forbidding campaign contributions from foreign-owned companies (and in one case, companies that have even one foreign stockholder). This one's from Sen. Al Franken, announced today:

facebook.com — Now you can become a fan of PolitiLife.com on Facebook. We will be posting posting your news stories, blogs and polls on our FB fan page. Now PL is easier to share and show your support. Become a fan today!

news.bbc.co.uk — Political scientist Dr David Runciman looks at why is there often such deep opposition to reforms that appear to be of obvious benefit to voters.

msnbc.msn.com — The face-to-face encounter turned into a made-for-TV venting session as the president and Republican lawmakers clashed over numerous issues. NBCs Savannah Guthrie reports.