Timothy D. Cook’s visit to a Foxconn plant comes as the company has been criticized for working conditions there.

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Apple’s Chief, Timothy Cook, Visits Foxconn Factory

The killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman — the case where nothing makes sense, nothing — gained greater clarity in the past couple days. The story put forth by the Sanford Police Department (SPD) and by Zimmerman “friend” Joe Oliver is starting to crumble. Read full article > >

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Jonathan Capehart: George Zimmerman’s crumbling story, part 3: the detective

Since the 2010 health-care bill became law two years ago Friday, it has launched fundamental changes to Medicaid, Medicare and the private health-insurance system relied on by millions of Americans. Its most transformative — and controversial — provisions are not set to take effect until 2014, but a complex web of new rules has already extended coverage and expanded benefits across the country. Read full article > >

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Health-care changes may not all disappear even if justices overturn the law

Days after former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney eked out a presidential primary victory in his home state of Michigan, ‘Saturday Night Live’ satirized the event in its opening sketch. In the skit, Fox News Channel’s Shepard Smith (Bill Hader, in a very creepy portrayal) asks GOP presidential candidate Romney (Jason Sudeikis) how he feels about the Michigan win. Read full article > >

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‘SNL’ lampoons Mitt Romney’s Michigan victory (video)

In Richmond last week, the General Assembly wrestled with a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, and another that would declare that life begins at conception. In Annapolis, the state Legislature narrowly approved a measure legalizing same-sex marriage. Read full article > >

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Hill agenda thin on social issues as Republicans remain patient

Conservatives need to do more to “take on” their Lib Dem coalition partners over calls to make it easier to hire and fire people, Liam Fox tells the BBC.

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Fox: Take on Lib Dems on economy

Decades ago, a congressman from Texas argued passionately that the federal government should pay for birth control for poor women. “We need to take sensationalism out of this topic so that it can no longer be used by militants who have no real knowledge of the voluntary nature of the program but, rather are using it as a political stepping stone,” said George H.W. Bush. “If family planning is anything, it is a public health matter.” Read full article > >

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Birth control as election issue? Why?

Foxconn Technology’s decision to raise pay at its Chinese factories reflects shifts in China’s economic system.

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Pressures Drive Change at China’s Electronics Giant Foxconn

The Republican presidential campaign is breathing new life into the Founding Fathers. In recent months, Republican candidates have invoked these original American statesmen to provide powerful political precedents on issues as diverse as the “Me Generation,” inequality, the legalization of marijuana, the policies of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, foreign military intervention, same-sex marriage and religion in public life. And although in real life they often bitterly disagreed with one another, the newly imagined Founding Fathers have reached a surprising degree of harmony in the minds of the GOP presidential candidates on these contemporary matters — many of which were unimaginable in an era of horse-drawn carriages, kerosene lamps and powdered wigs. Read full article > >

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GOP presidential candidates bring Founding Fathers back into political spotlight

The World Bank on Tuesday announced that President Robert Zoellick would step down when his five-year term expires in June, triggering questions about where the longtime Republican stalwart will end up next and who will replace him at the international financing institution. Read full article > >

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World Bank chief Robert Zoellick to step down in June

The channel would combine resources from ABC News and Univision’s news division to take on established players like CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

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Media Decoder Blog: Univision and Disney In Talks For An English-Language News Channel

Yea, though NBC walks through the valley of the shadow of death, all hope is not lost. “Smash,” the network’s easily engaging new Monday night drama about the making of a Broadway musical, turns out to be quite the little sunbeam. It has some endearing characters, an instinct for backstage meows and a firm grip on its own sense of camp control, which, if nothing else, sets it apart from Ryan Murphy’s now fully atrocious “Glee.” Read full article > >

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‘Smash’ review: All that jazz is sometimes worth it

“I won’t be returning to ‘The X Factor’ next season,” show judge Paula Abdul said Tuesday afternoon in a statement, bringing the Fox singing competition’s body count to three. “I’ve learned through my longevity in this industry that business decisions often times override personal considerations. Simon and I, along with Fox and Fremantle, have been communicating about this for a while now, and I have absolute understanding of the situation,” Abdul added. Read full article > >

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Abdul is latest to leave ‘X Factor’

“I wont be hosting next seasons X Factor which is a shame but I cant complain as Ive had a great time. Good luck to everyone on the show,” “X Factor” host Steve Jones tweeted Monday evening. Fox later announced that both Jones and judge Nicole Scherzinger are gone from the show. Read full article > >

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TV Column

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots have Tom Brady , a three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback. They have Wes Welker, an uncanny wide receiver who led the NFL in catches. They have a pair of tight ends — Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez — who are all but changing the way their position is played, particularly in tandem. And they have a resume — the top seed in the AFC, eight straight wins to close out the regular season, a 45-10 annihilation of Denver to open the playoffs — that would suggest they should be the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Read full article > >

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NFL playoffs 2012: New England Patriots say their defense is peaking at the right time