The Obama Administration continued its “we can’t wait” initiative by ordering earlier notification of potential shortages and/or price gouging for medical drugs. But shortages and exorbitant prices are the natural outcomes of allowing drug monopolies and extended patent protection.

Russ Feingold may be well-positioned to return to the US Senate if he chooses, now that Herb Kohl has retired. A normal politician in that position would not make waves with any party leaders, or take up principled causes where both parties have failed. Feingold is not that normal politician. The Hill reports that he publicly shamed several Democrats in an email to supporters of his new organization, Progressives United. But they don’t make clear what the fuss is about.

The draft executive order that would force any corporation doing business with the federal government to disclose its political donations is this close to being held back, I’d gather. It’s become a large political headache for the White House, and if there’s one thing they hate, it’s political headaches. Republicans took the rare step of threatening a subpoena for OMB Director Jack Lew and Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients to testify at a Darrell Issa-led House Oversight Committee hearing on the proposal, before the White House agreed to allow OMB Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy Daniel Gordon to testify.

While I think that immigration reform groups are generally appreciative of having their message delivered in a high-profile way, they aren’t likely to wait while concrete steps could be taken by the Administration right now to improve the lives and standing of undocumented immigrants.

Republicans are getting worried that corporations might have to admit that they give money to Republicans. Much like the Chamber of Commerce is worried that corporations might have to admit that they give money to the Chamber of Commerce. They are all just very ashamed of themselves, I guess. So they’re trying to stop the Obama Administration from delivering an executive order that would force government contractors to disclose their political donations.

So, like all good conservatives looking for a legal patina for their theories, they’ve turned to John Yoo.

The DISCLOSE Act would have mandated disclosure of most campaign spending. Having failed to achieve that through Congress, Chris Van Hollen is attempting to force the FEC to make certain rules to that effect through a lawsuit.

President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing covert U.S. government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

I want to raise one question, both for the supporters of this policy and for those using this Gitmo 2.0 roll-out to discuss whether Obama, or Congress, deserves the blame for the fact that we haven’t closed Gitmo.

Why doesn’t this policy apply to detainees in Bagram and elsewhere?

I didn’t know whether to laugh or weep watching Rachel Maddow last night as she pleaded with her friend Gene to talk her off another ledge, this one driven by the fear our President has completely sold out to corporate capture and Republican frames defending it.

Don’t jump, Rachel, call them out. Hint: He’s not on your side.

For most of the week, you could see the wheels coming off of the Catfood Commission. First we heard that “they may surprise us,” but then there was this moving of the goalposts. Despite the fact that 14 of the 18 panel members had to agree to secure any recommendations which would go to Congress for a vote, now insiders were saying that a majority vote would show a signal of support.

But it’s clear that Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson can’t even get that.