Surprise! Eyman benefactor exceeded campaign-contribution limit to John Koster 

The Seattle Times’ Kyung M. Song reports that Michael Dunmire, the Woodinville investment banker who has written dozens of six-figure checks to Tim Eyman, has donated more money to John Koster than federal election law allows.

Security researcher accidentally figures out how to mount DOS attack against a Samsung TV 

A security researcher in Italy has just demonstrated why having every appliance in the home be connected to the Internet is a bad idea: The software that runs the “smart” appliances can be corrupted or hacked, causing mayhem inside the living room, laundry room, or kitchen.

Ryan budget would crush the American Dream 

The Republican budget – released by House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan – is a remarkably revealing document. The budget’s text says it is time for America to choose. And with this document, Republicans choose to be the tribunes of the 1 percent, willing to destroy basic elements of the American dream in service of that cause. Robert Borosage explains.

High turnout in French presidential election 

There is a solid turnout so far in the first round of France’s presidential election, the BBC is reporting. Officials said 70% of people had voted by late afternoon - only slightly down from the exceptional results recorded in the last poll in 2007.

Mexico bribery case hushed up by Wal-Mart after internal bickering in executive suite 

Confronted with evidence of widespread corruption in Mexico, top Wal-Mart executives focused more on damage control than on rooting out wrongdoing, an examination by The New York Times found.

Supreme Court: Corporations aren't people ... when they torture 

Today, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that “an individual” meant only a human for purposes of the Torture Victim Prevention Act, impairing the ability of victims of torture to seek meaningful relief from its sponsors. As Justice Sotomayor acknowledges in the last part of the Court’s opinion, this is bad for victims, but insists it’s Congress that’s to blame.

Citigroup shareholders to CEO Pandit: Forget about that extra $15 million in compensation 

In an advisory vote, Citigroup shareholders have refused to sign off on the bank CEO’s plan to award himself $15 million he doesn’t deserve in compensation. The vote is not binding, however, and the board of directors could still award Pandit the pay he wants.

Surprise! TurboTax maker Intuit wants filing taxes to be difficult 

Matt Stoller reminds us that Candidate Barack Obama promised to “dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes.”  Why hasn’t that happened? Well, one reason is that companies like Intuit have lobbied against simplifying the process of filing tax returns at the state and federal level.

Tornado damages Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing Wichita 

A fierce tornado slammed into south Wichita, Kansas, yesterday, causing massive damage to the state’s aerospace hub, where Spirit AeroSystems and Boeing have facilities.

Cory Booker fire rescue 'very heroic', but very dangerous, fire officials say 

Newark Mayor Cory Booker is being hailed as hero for running into a burning building to save a neighbor’s daughter. But fire officials say that such actions often end badly. Ron Scherer of the Christian Science Monitor has more.