On weekday mornings, I'll post the most controversial, shocking and (of course) ridiculous stories for your reading pleasure. That way, when you walk into work, you'll be the master of witty conversation.

National 

• Why birtherism is not a smart campaign tactic: Trump's poll numbers plummet. (PPP) 

• The announcement before the announcement of the announcement: Newt's in. (ABC) 

• Rick Santorum still has that pesky problem with Google. (ABC) 

• Yeah, I think we start wars over this: Liberals in Arizona look to create new state. (Reuters) 

• Thank God you live in America: 10,000 protesters arrested in Syria. (NYT) 

• I'm in the wrong line of work: The $200,000 lifeguards. (OC Register) 

Local 

• O'Malley extends rights to illegal immigrants. (Baltimore Sun) 

Quote of the Day:

"We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement. But even though we've answered these concerns, I gotta say I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goal posts on us one more time. Maybe they'll need a moat. Maybe they'll want alligators in the moat." - Barack Obama