From Bush baseball to Google's April Fool joke...

From American Progress:

Think Fast

For the second year in a row, President Bush will skip the tradition of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch in Washington's baseball home opener. With Bush's approval ratings stuck in the low 30s in recent polls, a White House spokeswoman "was asked whether the president feared he'd get booed. 'No,' she replied. 'Certainly not.'" Last Opening Day, Vice President Cheney filled in for Bush and was peppered with loud boos. (Watch it.)

Amir Raheem, a merchant at the Shorja market visited by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), disagreed with the senators' claims that the market is proof Iraq is getting safer. "Just yesterday, an Iraqi soldier was shot in his shoulder by a sniper, and the day before, two civilians were shot by a sniper as well. ... Everybody closes their shops by 2:30 p.m."
"Iraqi figures estimate civilian deaths in violence across the country rose by 13% last month, despite the security crackdown in Baghdad."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) "has installed longtime friends and political associates on several boards," including his dentist on the state dental board and his chiropractor as chair of the chiropractic panel. They are "facing complaints that they are unqualified, beholden to the industries they oversee or otherwise mired in conflicts of interest."

"As Al Qaeda rebuilds in Pakistan's tribal areas, a new generation of leaders has emerged under Osama bin Laden to cement control over the network's operations, according to American intelligence and counterterrorism officials." Michael Scheuer, a former head of the CIA's bin Laden tracking unit, said, "Al Qaeda is still humming along, and with a new generation of leaders."

The American Prospect details the connections between former MZM lobbyist Mitchell Wade and Vice President Cheney, offering some clues as to how Wade was able to receive a federal contract from the Vice President's office without having any previous experience. From 1991-93, Wade worked in Cheney's Pentagon as an intelligence officer.

And finally: Google celebrated April Fool's Day yesterday by announcing that it will offer broadband Internet service through home plumbing systems -- Toilet Internet Service Provider (TiSP). "[T]oday our Toilet ISP team is pleased to be leading the way through the sewers, up out of your toilet and splat right onto your PC," said co-founder and president Larry Page in the facetious statement.

Wrap...