Conn Carroll, Examiner

Tom Chatfield, BBC

Jill Filipovic, The Guardian

"Saturday Night Live" addressed the death of Margaret Thatcher during its April 13 Vince Vaughn-helmed episode with a sketch that acknowledged the former prime minister's complicated legacy, while also being surprisingly sweet. Set up as a look back at fictional, Sex Pistols-esque band The Bizzarros, the sketch saw Fred Armisen as frontman Ian Rubbish, who hated everything, including the police and the queen, except Thatcher. While other members of the band tried to convince Rubbish that Thatcher was "a terrible person", they learned that because she reminded him of his mum, there was no changing his mind. The sketch reached its apex with archival footage of Rubbish and Thatcher (played by Vanessa Bayer) meeting for tea and rocking out together, finally wrapping up with an RIP title card.

When I heard that Margaret Thatcher had died, I immediately flashed back to the afternoon of February 11, 1975 when, on my car radio in London, I first heard the news that Thatcher had been elected leader of the Tory Party. What had been almost universally assumed to be impossible -- the election of a woman from a modest background to the highest position of power within the conservative establishment -- now suddenly seemed to have had been inevitable. And love her or loathe her (the Trafalgar Square "party" to celebrate her death reminds us how many did the latter), Margaret Thatcher was the kind of conviction-driven leader who can bridge the chasm between the impossible and the inevitable. In a week when even an anemic gun control bill had to fight off a filibuster -- and still faces a long, uphill road -- those working for its passage should ask themselves: what would Maggie do?

In my last column I suggested there is a convergence of interest between Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Democrats in Congress. Today I suggest that pay equity for women could influence the political future of America. This includes turning Texas blue, especially because the entire Texas Republican delegation to the U.S. House and Senate, as far as I know, opposes pay equity for women, while Texas Hispanic women are among those treated most unfairly. This week Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced a discharge petition that would require the House of Representatives to vote on pay equity for women. Three cheers for Rep. DeLauro. I urge readers to contact their members of Congress and urge them to sign the discharge petition. Pay inequity is an outrage committed against women of all demographic groups. What most people do not know is that the hardest-hit of those who suffer pay discrimination may well be Hispanic women. We can quibble about the exact numbers, but if women generally earn 77 percent of what men make -- the most quoted number -- Hispanic women earn closer to 60 percent or 62 percent, or even less. Some Republicans concerned about the Hispanic vote, as they should be, are increasingly taking a more reasonable position on immigration. Next they should take a more reasonable position on pay equity and stop supporting those who discriminate against Hispanic women and so many other women. This is a nationally powerful issue that could give Democrats enough new seats to take control of the House of Representatives in 2014. Equal pay for women has potential realigning power for swing states and red states with large populations of women and Hispanics, such as Texas, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. As I have suggested before, the question is when Texas turns blue, not whether. It is astounding that both Texas Republican senators and the Texas Republican House members are so aggressively against pay equity for women, including Hispanic women. I expect pay equity will be a major issue that helps Texas Democrats running for the Senate, House and Texas state offices in 2014. And it even could tip the balance to help Hillary Clinton carry Texas in 2016. This is true in many states. House Republicans from all states should be asked to support the pay equity discharge petition. Republicans from suburban, centrist and swing districts could be defeated in close races if they continue to oppose pay equity.

Oh Canada, indeed. A new study conducted by UNICEF on child well-being found that Canadian kids smoke more marijuana than kids from any other developed country. UNICEF's "Report Card 11" found that Canada ranked first out of 29 countries for the percentage of of youths who smoke pot. According to the findings, 28 percent of 11, 13, and 15-year-old Canadians surveyed said they had smoked marijuana at some point in the last year. Notably, the study found that countries with more liberal drug laws had lower rates of youths who smoked marijuana than nations with stricter penalties. In the Netherlands, where the weed laws vary from city to city, the study found that 17.05 percent of kids smoked last year, and only 10.5 percent smoked in Portugal, where marijuana has been decriminalized.

Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) emphasized his ties to the Granite State during a Saturday appearance in New Hampshire, where he hinted he may pursue a senate run. "I think it's important to note, I do have ties to New Hampshire," Brown said during an appearance during a National Guard conference, according to Patch. "For me to be here is not unusual. I have nine generations of ties to New Hampshire." Brown shied away from any definite answers on a potential senate run, echoing comments he made on April 5 that he's "not going to rule out anything right now." "Nothing's off the table, but nothing's on the table, either," Brown said on Saturday. Democrats are taking advantage of Brown's hints at another run, using the talk to raise money for their incumbent in New Hampshire, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Click here for more from Patch, including a video interview with Brown.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) will vote to expand background checks, NBC reported Saturday. Collins told NBC's Kelly O'Donnell "I do intend to support" the bill, proposed by Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) this week. Collins is the third Republican senator to support the effort, following Toomey and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). HuffPost reported earlier: According to a Wednesday release from Manchin's office, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act is designed to prevent convicted criminals and mentally ill individuals from obtaining guns, while maintaining Americans' constitutional right to bear arms. Existing background checks are also expanded to gun shows and online gun sales, which previously stood as loopholes in the system. Click here to read the full text of the Manchin-Toomey background checks bill. Collins' public support of the background checks bill comes days after she met with families of Newtown shooting victims. Saturday's Politico Playbook featured comments from Collins on the Newtown visitors, who lamented that the families were "VERY late for their meeting with me." “I was 45 minutes late for dinner with the president of the United States," she said. "Everybody was seated when I got there, because I spent time talking to the parents and the family members of those who were killed at Newtown. I told them I had a dinner with the president but that I was deliberately being late."

By Yereth Rosen ANCHORAGE, Alaska, April 12 (Reuters) - The head of the Alaska Republican party was ousted from her post and a public feud raged on this week between state party traditionalists and Tea Party loyalists allied variously with Sarah Palin and Ron Paul. State Republican chairwoman Debbie Brown, a self-described "strong conservative" who shuttered party headquarters in midtown Anchorage as a part of her war with the party's old guard, says she is still the party's leader despite "shenanigans" by its executive committee, who removed her from the job on Monday. Brown, from Kasilof, Alaska, was traveling and did not attend Monday's meeting, which she dismissed as illegitimate. She was the second GOP chief ousted this year in sparsely populated Alaska, where big personalities can be just as powerful politically as ideology. Brown was replaced by retired Army Colonel Peter Goldberg, a little-known recent returnee to the state where he was once posted during his military service. Officially, Brown was removed over management issues. "She simply failed to demonstrate any capacity to lead or success in the position of chair," said Frank McQueary, a non-voting committee member who participated in the meeting. That meeting was held at a site away from the darkened state party headquarters in midtown Anchorage, which on Brown's orders had notices posted outside, still there on Friday, advising that access to the building had been rescinded as of April 4. The leadership upheaval followed months of infighting pitting longtime party leaders against activists including supporters of former Governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, former Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller, and libertarian-minded supporters of Ron Paul, the former candidate for the Republican presidential nominaion. But national politics have little to do with the turmoil among Alaska Republicans. "This is much more specific to Alaska than it is a reflection of the national issues," said Gerald McBeath, a political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Brown has found herself at a national Republican meeting in Los Angeles this week alongside her appointed successor, Goldberg, with both identifying themselves as head of the state party - and both denied that title at the meeting, she said in a text message to Reuters on Friday signed "Debra Holle Brown, Chairman, Alaska Republican Party." The national Republican leadership "decided the best solution, for all parties, was to deny Alaska a Chairman's seat," she wrote. PARTY CONTROVERSY Brown's ouster followed a similar move in January against her fellow Tea Party ally Russ Millette. He had been elected to succeed longtime chairman Randy Ruedrich, who left the job voluntarily. Ruedrich had long feuded with Palin and Miller. Miller, who is mulling a 2014 campaign against Democratic Senator Mark Begich, defended Brown in an essay published on his website, "Restoring Liberty." He said charges against her were spurious and that she had been the victim of "a kangaroo court-type proceeding orchestrated by long-time party bosses." McQueary, the executive committee member, said Brown has the right to appeal her removal. If she appeals, party members will consider the matter at their May 25 state convention, he said. (Reporting by Yereth Rosen; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Gary Hill)

"I'll never forget where I was when I heard the news," a friend told me. "I haven't felt this horrible since 9/11," another mom disclosed to me, just days after the Newtown massacre. In the four months since the Sandy Hook murders, I've heard that sentiment echoed hundred of times, in hundreds of ways. We each have different details that seem to hit home, but as a whole, the women of this country are forever changed. First there was immense grief. "One of the girls killed had my daughter's name," one mom said with deep sadness in her eyes. "I know kids with almost every single one of those names. That is who I am picturing." A mom of twins told me she can't shake the story of Noah Pozner, who leaves behind a twin sister. "What is it like for a twin to know that a part of them is gone forever? How could I ever help my kid deal with a loss like that?" she asks rhetorically over lunch one day. "Sometimes I still feel guilty when I hug my kids at night, thinking of those parents who lost everything," says another mom. Followed by a low-grade, ever present fear. A friend of mine, who recently gave birth to her third child, tells me, "I'm mostly OK when I go out in public. But I have strange thoughts. What if someone starts shooting? Will I throw myself on top of my daughter's stroller? Am I losing it?" On a message board, I see a mother's comment, "I haven't even begun to deal with what happened to those kids. I'm not over this." A fellow-psychologist tells me, "They did a drill at my daughter's school today. They handled it very sensitively, but I almost started to cry thinking that my 6 year old has to be prepared for something like this... She's so fragile, so small." Another mom muses on Facebook, "I can't even relax with my kids at the movies anymore. I used to love the movies." Months later, that fear and sadness isn't gone. It's fueling action. Despite the fact that the NRA was hoping that the memory of Newtown would soon fade, the vast majority of women are in favor of gun laws that protect public safety, including universal background checks, a limit on magazine capacity and a ban on semi-automatic weapons. "We are just two mothers who've completely had enough," two women tell me at a meeting of the state legislature. This is their first experience with political activism. "The mothers of this country have your back!" someone tweets to Erica Lafferty, daughter of the slain Sandy Hook principal. Sure enough, Lafferty is on most of the morning talk shows and cable news networks the very next day because her social media campaign has gotten the attention of our politicians. Personally, wherever I go, I hear fellow mothers say, "We can't quit on the gun issue. We've got to keep up the fight." It's becoming a familiar refrain. The growth of Moms Demand Action, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and Americans for Responsible Solutions attest to the fact that we are transforming our sadness and fear into meaningful change. There is deep solace in the fact that we are not alone. It is truly incredible to see women everywhere -- mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, aunts and daughters -- speaking up and speak out. We will never forget Newtown. We will never "get over" Newtown. And we have really long attention spans. Are you listening, Congress?

By Douwe Miedema WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - Mark Zandi, a well-known economist, is a front-runner to lead the U.S. housing regulator and oust Edward DeMarco, who critics say hasn't done enough to aid homeowners, the Wall Street Journal reported. President Barack Obama tried to replace DeMarco in 2011 as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but Senate Republicans blocked his nominee to succeed DeMarco. The two agencies help finance two-thirds of new U.S. home loans, but were seized by the government in the 2008 economic crisis when mortgage losses mounted. They have since drawn nearly $190 billion from the U.S. Treasury to stay afloat. Zandi is rating agency Moody's often-quoted chief economist, and has testified many times as a witness in congressional hearings. He has also published a well-received study about the 2008 mortgage market implosion. The White House had not made up its mind about the nomination, but there were signs that Zandi might draw some Republican support, the Wall Street Journal said on Saturday, quoting people familiar with the matter. The White House declined to comment. Zandi declined to say whether he had been approached for the job, or whether he was interested in the position. The Journal said representative Mel Watt, a North Carolina Democrat, was also a candidate to replace DeMarco. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said this week that Obama has the power to send DeMarco home and can likely replace him without congressional approval, for instance with one of the agency's deputy directors. An eight-page memorandum prepared by Schneiderman's team quoted Sandra Thompson, who was recently appointed as a deputy director, was a viable replacement. Liberals take issue with DeMarco's decision to block Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from reducing loan principals for borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth, a position at odds with that of the White House. (Reporting by Douwe Miedema and Roberta Rampton. Editing by Christopher Wilson)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) responded to criticism of an email she sent describing her brother David, who counts on Social Security for income, saying "not everyone has a sister who can help." The email, which was sent on Wednesday, was a response to President Barack Obama's plan to cut Social Security benefits. Warren said she was "shocked to hear" of Obama's plan before describing how her brother David lives on the $13,200 per year he receives in Social Security benefits. A reporter from Boston's FOX 25 questioned Warren on the email, asking the senator why she didn't help her brother. "I do help him. This is a question about how much," Warren said. "He was worked for 40 years and paid into this system and that's all the money he has to live on. And there are literally millions of people around the country for whom that is the case." Warren also emphasized that the email was not just about her brother, but about all Americans who rely on Social Security benefits to get by. "Let's be clear about this. Not everyone has a sister who can help," Warren said. "This is about people who work all their lives and all they've got at the end is their social security." Warren's not the only one to criticize Obama's plan, which involves a measure of inflation known as the chained Consumer Price Index, or chained CPI. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Obama "owns" chained CPI, and Grover Norquist, leader of Americans for Tax Reform, called it "a Taxpayer Protection Pledge violation."

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico's governor on Saturday signed a law to protect a swath of land along the island's northeast coast that is a top U.S. nesting site for the world's largest turtle species. The law ends a 15-year fight that environmentalists and celebrities including actor Benicio Del Toro had waged against developers eager to build hotels, golf courses and luxury homes in an area fringed by palm trees and turquoise waters. "This is so exciting," said Angie Colon, an official with a nonprofit activist group that fought to preserve the land. "I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is real." The area, known as the Northeast Ecological Corridor, covers more than 1,200 hectares (2,900 acres) of lush vegetation and pristine beaches that are a nesting site for the federally endangered leatherback turtle. It is also the site of a popular bioluminescent bay featuring microorganisms that emit a blue glow in the dark when agitated. The 13-mile-long area also features all ecosystems found in Puerto Rico, ranging from a subtropical dry forest to El Yunque tropical rain forest, the only one that forms part of the U.S. forest system. The protected region has more than 861 types of flora and fauna, including 50 rare, endemic or threatened species. Scientists recently spotted a large brown bird known as a limpkin for its unusual walk that was last seen in the late 1950s. The region has long been a point of contention among developers, government officials and environmentalists. Former governor Anibal Acevedo Vila sought to protect the area by law several years ago, but some senators rejected the project. As a result, Acevedo issued an executive order in 2007 to protect the land, declaring it off-limits to all development except for small, eco-friendly projects. Acevedo was later defeated by former governor Luis Fortuno, who issued a new order to allow large-scale development on land just north of El Yunque rain forest. Fortuno acted with support from officials including local mayors who sought to open the region to development to generate jobs and boost the local economy. Developers in recent years have submitted plans to build two large hotels, four golf courses and 4,000 luxury homes. However, none of those projects obtained permits. "Today, with the signing of this law, we honor and acknowledge the respect that this natural reserve deserves," said Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla. Environmental groups now plan to develop the area for ecotourism. Camilla Feibelman, coordinator of the local Sierra Club, said she envisions the land as a complementary destination to El Yunque. The group would promote hiking, rent bikes to visitors and offer tours to see hatching turtles. In the high season, female leatherback turtles lay eggs in more than 400 nests they carve out on the Northeast Ecological Corridor's protected beaches, where waves help push the 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) animals out of the water, she said. The government still has to buy private land to complete the designated corridor, Colon said. About 35 percent of the land that was designated as a protected area is private, she said. Upon approving the bill last month, legislators said they aim to protect at least 16 percent of land in Puerto Rico in upcoming years. Currently, only about 8 percent of the island's territory is designated for preservation and conservation, compared to 54 percent in the U.S. Virgin Islands and 42 percent in the Dominican Republic.

Despite speculation indicating otherwise, most employers don’t plan to drop workers from their healthcare plans as a result of Obamacare, a new survey finds. Nearly 70 percent of benefit professionals said their companies “definitely will” keep offering coverage to full-time workers next year, when many of the provisions of President Obama’s healthcare reform law take effect, according to a recent survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Just one percent of the respondents said their companies definitely wouldn’t be offering health care coverage to full-time workers and two percent said it was “somewhat unlikely.” The share of employers saying they would “definitely offer” coverage to full-time workers is up from last year, when only 46 percent said they would do so in a similar survey. Obama’s Affordable Care Act requires companies with 50 or more workers to provide healthcare coverage for their employees or face a financial penalty. Some critics have argued that the law may force employers to cut workers’ hours or drop them from their plans and pay the fine. Dave Dillon, the CEO of the Kroger grocery chain, told the Financial Times in February that while his company plans to continue to insure full-time employees under Obamacare, others may not. “If you look through the economics of the penalty the companies pay versus the cost to provide coverage, the penalty’s too low, or the cost of coverage is too high, or the combination is wrong,” he said. Other companies have experimented with cutting workers’ hours or hiring more part-time employees to decrease the cost of coverage. Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, hired more part-time workers last year as part of a test plan aimed at limiting healthcare costs. Darden ultimately backed off of the test, which was met with negative backlash. Some, like the owner of several Wendy’s franchises in Nebraska, went even further. Gary Burdette, an executive at the company the owns the franchises, said in January that the company would reduce hundreds of workers’ schedules to 28 hours per week. Still, those businesses seem to be outliers. Nearly 90 percent of employers don’t plan to shift full-time workers to part-time status as a result of Obamacare, a recent survey from the Minneapolis Federal Reserve found.

Megan McArdle, The Daily BeastKermit Gosnell, a Pennsylvania abortion doctor, is on trial for a lurid series of lurid crimes at his clinic. I can't bring myself to describe them, so I'll let Kirsten Powers do it.Infant beheadings. Severed baby feet in jars. A child screaming after it was delivered alive during an abortion procedure. Haven't heard about these sickening accusations?

Holman Jenkins, Wall Street JournalRay Kurzweil must encounter his share of interviewers whose first question is: What do you hope your obituary will say?This is a trick question. Mr. Kurzweil famously hopes an obituary won't be necessary. And in the event of his unexpected demise, he is widely reported to have signed a deal to have himself frozen so his intelligence can be revived when technology is equipped for the job.

Jal Mehta, New York TimesIN April 1983, a federal commission warned in a famous report, “A Nation at Risk,” that American education was a “rising tide of mediocrity.” The alarm it sounded about declining competitiveness touched off a tidal wave of reforms: state standards, charter schools, alternative teacher-certification programs, more money, more test-based “accountability” and, since 2001, two big federal programs, No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top.

Hugh Hewitt, TownhallDetails of the “deal” between from the Senate “Gang of 8″ working on the immigration bills are emerging and they are very troubling.  The two issue that divide most conservatives are eligibility for citizenship for regularized immigrants who do not return to their countries for standard entry and the border fence –not “virtual border security,” but actual, honest-to-God border fences.On the first matter some conservatives want “never” as an answer to the question when will regularized aliens be...

Ezra Klein, BloombergThe season premiere of “Mad Men” ended with Don Draper staring at the front page of the New York Times from Jan. 1, 1968. “World Bids Adieu to a Violent Year,” reads the headline. (The Times story, by Murray Schumach, is real; you can read it here.)As in “Mad Men,” a sense of dread pervades the Times story. “Nations said farewell to a year of violence, tension, and economic uncertainty,” it informs readers, who will soon discover that the new year brings even more lurid violence than the one just past. The...