Editor's Note: We made corrections in the original version of this article. This is the corrected version, in full
From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski
Defense Secretary Gates has ordered a partial overhaul of Defense Department safeguards against terror-like attacks based on a scathing report that found DOD policies and procedures were "unclear" or "inadequate to prevent the mass shooting that killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in November. Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hassan is charged in the shootings that also wounded 31.

Secretary Gates ordered DOD to:

-- fully institute an FBI threat reporting system across the Defense Department to handle suspicious incident activities

-- establish an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense to work directly with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force

-- strengthen significantly DOD's antiteorrism training program.

Secretary Gates based his recommendations on earlier findings that:

-- DOD's commitment to the Joint Terrorism Task Force is "inadequate," which resulted in "inconsistent" coordination with the FBI. The Joint Task force knew well before the shooting that Hassan was in communications with an al Qaeda sympathizer and recruiter, but that was not reported to DOD or the military.

-- Commanders and supervisors do not always receive information about individuals who may commit violent acts.

-- Counterintelligence training does not address "emerging threats including self-radicalization," which may contribute to potential violence. Hasan was known to have gone off on Islamic-related religious rants, and expressed strong opposition to Muslims in the U.S. military serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

-- DOD policy prohibiting certain supremacist or extremist behavior is "unclear" and "limited" when it comes to individual behavior.

-- DOD does not have a comprehensive cyberspace counterintelligence program to alert authorities to "non-foreign intelligence" on potential threats.

What this report does NOT address is the personal responsibility up and down Nidal Hassan's chain of command. That report recommends that a number of individuals who failed to report Hassan's erratic behavior be relieved of duty or disciplined. The list reportedly includes commanders and officers at Walter Reed, where Hassan had worked as a staff psychiatrist counseling soldiers with PTSD returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army officials tell NBC News that the report is still sitting on the Army Secretary's desk while Army lawyers struggle to determine what legal hurdles must be cleared.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-D) and ranking member Susan Collins (R) today threatened to issue subpoenas to the Defense and Justice Departments on Monday if the administration failed to turn over information the committee needs to conduct its inquiry into the Fort Hood shootings.

"I regret to say our efforts to obtain this information necessary to conduct a thorough investigation of this homeland terrorist act have been met much foot dragging, very limited assistance, and changing reasons why the administration cannot provide us with the information that we have requested," Lieberman said.

He added, "The response of the executive branch ... has been inadequate and unreasonable." The committee's warning comes hours after the Pentagon released its report on the Fort Hood shooting, in which Major Nidal Hassan was charged in killing 13 people and wounding another 31.

Collins, who also joined Lieberman at the news conference, accused the administration of "spoon feeding us selected facts rather than giving us information to the data and individuals that we need."

"The president said that he not only welcomed a congressional investigation; he said that Congress should investigate. And we took him at is word," Collins said. "The administration has prevented us ... from gaining access to the information that we need to effectively carry out our constitutional role."

Collins said it was "most disturbing" the information her committee seeks has been given to three groups that have been conducting investigations on the administration's behalf.

From NBC's Shawna Thomas
New Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) was sworn in on the House floor today. He won Tuesday's special congressional election to replace Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), who left Congress to work for a Middle East think tank.

With Deutch's swearing in, the House of Representatives now officially has 431 members. 

From NBC's Ken Strickland
In a news conference today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he "hopes" to have  financial regulation reform bill on the Senate floor next week.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Earlier today, we wrote that Charlie Crist has three options: 1) remain in the Senate GOP primary that he's trailing, badly; 2) run as an independent; or 3) drop out of the race.

Today, Crist vetoed an education measure that, according to the C.W., hurts him even more in his GOP primary against Marco Rubio.

The AP:

Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a bill Thursday that would have made it easier to fire Florida teachers and link their pay to student test scores, a move that will anger Republican legislative leaders and former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Some say Crist's rejection of the measure (SB 6) signals that he is about to drop out of the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate, where he badly trails in the polls, and run as an independent.

The bill, the most far-reaching legislation of its kind in the nation, had strong backing from Republican conservatives, including Bush, who had worked for its passage.

But a Crist campaign source emails First Read that the veto won't hurt him in the GOP primary. "Not every Republican in the legislature was for this bill and there has been an outpouring from the most conservative of Republicans against the bill as well."

The source also points to this article noting that some Tea Party types are against the education bill.

From NBC's Jenna Pfeffer
In his first statewide TV ad, Kentucky Senate candidate Dan Mongiardo (D) emphasizes his background as a physician, because "you can't treat what ails Washington with the same old medicine."
 
Mongiardo, the state's lieutenant governor, also takes a veiled shot at primary opponent Jack Conway (D), who is a lawyer and serves as the state's attorney general. "There are over 200 lawyers in Congress. Think we need another one?"
 
The ad showcases Mongiardo in his hospital scrubs, hunting (reminding us he's an NRA member), and spending time with family and friends. Mongiardo highlights his appeal as a "proud father" who has "Worked [his] way through med school."
 
[Youtube:JU9Q9w8fQ7o]

From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski
NBC News has obtained a scathing report from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who says that most of the Defense Department's safeguards were "unclear" or "inadequate" to identify the threat and prevent the mass shooting that killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in December.

Army Psychiatrist Major Nidal Hassan is charged in the shootings that also wounded 31.

The Secretary's report found that:

-- DOD's commitment to the Joint Terrorism Task Force is "inadequate," which results in "inconsistent" coordination with the FBI. The Joint Task force knew well before the shooting that Hassan was in communications with an al Qaeda sympathizer and recruiter, but that was not reported to DOD or the military.

-- Commanders and supervisors do not always receive information about individuals who may commit violent acts.

-- Counterintelligence training does not address "emerging threats including self-radicalization," which may contribute to potential violence. Hasan was known to have gone off on Islamic-related religious rants, and expressed strong opposition to Muslims in the U.S. military serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

-- DOD policy prohibiting certain supremacist or extremist behavior is "unclear" and "limited" when it comes to individual behavior.

-- DOD does not have a comprehensive cyberspace counterintelligence program to alert authorities to "non-foreign intelligence" on potential threats.

There are a series of recommendations to improve or establish programs to deal with each of these shortfalls that may have prevent early detection of the potential threat.

What this report does NOT address is the personal responsibility up and down Nidal Hassan's chain of command. That report recommends that a number of individuals who failed to report Hassan's erratic behavior be relieved of duty or disciplined. The list reportedly includes commanders and officers at Walter Reed, where Hassan had worked as a staff psychiatrist counseling soldiers with PTSD returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army officials tell NBC News that the report is still sitting on the Army Secretary's desk while Army lawyers struggle to determine what legal hurdles must be cleared.

*** CORRECTION *** Per Mik, Gates actions today are intended to plug the gaps in security that were part of the findings in a previous report. He did not report the gaps but rather the fixes.

Secretary Gates ordered DOD to:

-- fully institute an FBI threat reporting system across the Defense Department to handle suspicious incident activities

-- establish an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense to work directly with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force

-- strengthen significantly DOD's antiteorrism training program

Charlie Crist has three options right now, and none of them is ideal… New Quinnipiac poll shows Rubio leading Crist by 23 points (!!!), but it has Crist leading a three-way contest… Is Palin more influential with the media than she is with Republicans?... The Tax Day protest cometh to DC… Obama gives his NASA speech in Florida at 2:50 pm ET… Michelle Obama talks about being a "strategic" first lady… Tommy Thompson expected to say "no" to Senate bid… And the Kentucky fight over the hotel mini-bar.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Crist's three options: Just as a new round of speculation about whether Charlie Crist will run as an independent comes a new Quinnipiac poll that is bound to throw fuel on the fire. The Q-poll finds Crist trailing Marco Rubio by a whopping 23 points among registered Republicans (56%-33%) in Florida's Senate GOP primary. But get this: In a three-way general election match-up, with Crist running as an independent, the Florida governor gets 32%, Rubio gets 30%, and Democrat Kendrick Meek gets 24%. Crist seems to have three options with the filing deadline coming up at the end of this month -- he stays in the GOP primary and tries to erase Rubio's double-digit lead; he runs as an independent; or he drops out of the race altogether. Here's one other thing the Quinnipiac poll shows: Rubio is a weaker general-election candidate. In a hypothetical match-up, Crist leads Meek by 14 points (48%-34%), but Rubio's lead over Meek is just four points (42%-38%).  and

*** Something to consider about three-way races: Here's one other thing to keep in mind about that Quinnipiac poll showing Crist leading a three-way race: It's very, very early. As we saw in that crowded 2006 Texas gubernatorial contest -- which also included Kinky Freidman and a former Republican-turned-independent Carole Strayhorn (Scott McClellan's mom) -- Democrat Chris Bell finished second and ahead of the better-known indies. Usually, the Democrats are going to rally around the Democratic candidate -- in this case, Kendrick Meek. Remember that Joe Lieberman won his 2006 three-way because Republicans voted for him overwhelmingly (and national Republicans made it clear it was ok to do that, and they did NOT embrace the actual GOP nominee). But do you think Florida Democrats will do the same for Crist? Plus, running as an independent will look like a "running scared" move -- a decision that's made not from a position of strength, but one of weakness. One other poll number in the Q poll worth noting: Crist's job rating has hit an all-time low (under 50%).

*** The Palin question: After giving at least four high-profile speeches in the last couple of weeks -- for John McCain's re-election, in Searchlight, NV, at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, and yesterday in Boston -- we once again raise this question about Sarah Palin: Is she more influential with the media than she is with Republicans? For example, she placed third at the SRLC straw poll (a disappointing finish when you consider that the winner, Mitt Romney, didn't show up and that Ron Paul was second). In addition, a New York Times/CBS poll finds that a plurality of self-identified Tea Party members don't think she's qualified to be president. And now Kentucky Senate candidate Trey Grayson (R) says Palin isn't qualified for the White House. No doubt that she's a political celebrity, but that isn't necessarily translating into GOP support. There is growing evidence that she is not the political force some would like to believe (indeed, if she were actually pondering a big for 2012, this last month would be seen as a disappointment). By the way, NBC's Andrea Mitchell reported on "TODAY" this morning that California AG Jerry Brown, who is running for governor, is investigating Palin's paid speech at Cal State Stanislaus about whether the school's foundation properly followed 501 3c rules.

*** The Tax Day protest cometh: Speaking of the Tea Party… On Tax Day, the Tea Party Express concludes its 19-day, 49-stop protest tour in the nation's capital. One Tea Party rally begins at 11:00 am at Freedom Plaza, and the other takes place at the Washington Monument at 6:00 pm. And here are the findings of that New York Times/CBS poll on the Tea Party: "The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45. They hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as "very conservative" and President Obama as 'very liberal.' And while most Republicans say they are 'dissatisfied' with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as 'angry.'" So more evidence that the Tea Party folks are disaffected Republicans? 

*** Obama's day: At 2:50 pm ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, President Obama delivers remarks on the administration's NASA plans. Afterward, he attends two fundraisers in Miami -- one at Gloria Estefan's home at 5:00 pm, and the other a DNC fundraiser at 7:10 pm. Lost in the space debate this week: How this puts a VERY important swing state in 2012 in potential peril for the president. By the way, Florida Sen. George LeMieux (R) is holding a conference call, sponsored by the RNC, to pre-but Obama's appearance in Florida today.

*** The "strategic" first lady: Yesterday, NBC's Savannah Guthrie interviewed First Lady Michelle Obama. Some highlights… On whether her husband should appoint a woman to replace John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court: "You know, I think that he will develop a process in the same way that he chose the last Supreme Court Justice that is thorough and thoughtful… Diversity in this country is a good thing.  Whether it's gender or race or socioeconomic background or religion.  You know, that's the world I come from." On whether she feels like she has to avoid controversy: "You know, I think that I am strategic. I try to be strategic, because I want to make sure that the things that I do further my husband's administration." What a fascinating choice of word by the FLOTUS -- "strategic."

*** Tommy! Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy -- "Hamlet" or "Favre" -- Thompson (R) is expected to announce today that he won't run to challenge Sen. Russ Feingold (D). The move wouldn't be surprising to political observers (especially those of us who watched his presidential bid in '08), but it does reduce the GOP's chances of picking up the 10 seats it needs to take back control of the Senate. Right now, the GOP has put 10 seats in play: AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, IL, IN, NV, ND, and PA. But to take back control of the Senate, Republicans need to win all of them -- including in states where they are behind like CA and CT. And then you add the Dem pick-up opportunities in KY, MO, NH, and OH. We're still watching to see if the GOP can put WA into play by convincing Dino Rossi (R) to run.

*** Super Senate Tuesday: In Arkansas, Bill Halter has a new TV ad defending on Social Security and whacking Lincoln as well… In Kentucky, Jim Bunning (R) has endorsed Rand Paul (R) in the GOP primary for Bunning's Senate seat… Also in Kentucky, Dan Mongiardo's campaign (D) has attacked primary opponent Jack Conway for using hotel mini-bars at taxpayer expense… And in Pennsylvania, Joe Sestak's campaign is reminding Pennsylvania Democrats that Rick Santorum endorsed Arlen Specter in 2004. *** NOTE *** In this space, we earlier included a poll on the AR Dem race, but we later discovered that it is an automated poll, and NBC News doesn't report on automated polls.

*** More midterm news: Finally, in South Carolina, gubernatorial candidate Henry McMaster (R) has a new TV ad out that touts his "good name" and "good reputation."

Countdown to IN, NC, and OH primaries: 19 days
Countdown to NE and WV primaries: 26 days
Countdown to AR, KY, OR and PA primaries: 33 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 201 days

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The AP previews Obama's remarks in Florida on NASA. "Near the launch pads where U.S. space voyages begin, President Barack Obama will try to reassure workers that America's space adventures sail on despite the coming end of space shuttle flights. And Obama on Thursday will also try to explain why he aborted his predecessor's return-to-the moon plan in favor of a complicated system of public-and-private flights that would go elsewhere in space, with details still to be worked out."

"It's a tough sell. So Obama is bringing deal sweeteners with him to Kennedy Space Center, pitching work that will save jobs, provide training for others and extend the life of the International Space Station. And he's doing it on what once was the home turf of his most prominent critics."

USA Today adds, "It's not easy to go up against a living legend, but that's what President Obama will be doing Thursday when he gives a speech on new NASA policies that are being blasted by Neil Armstrong."

After a visit to Florida's Space Coast to talk about the future of NASA, President Barack Obama heads to Miami Thursday evening for two Democratic fundraisers -- including a cocktail reception at the home of Gloria and Emilio Estefan that has irked some in the Cuban-American community," the Miami Herald reports.

"Senators challenged Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Wednesday over the Obama administration's long-delayed pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay and its plans to try alleged Sept. 11 co-conspirators. But Holder conceded little and emerged from the session mostly unscathed," the Washington Post says.

The New York Times looks at SCOTUS front-runner Elena Kagan's work as solicitor general. "Ms. Kagan appears popular with the justices, and they seem to appreciate her candor, quick mind and informal style. But she tangles regularly with Chief Justice Roberts, who has emerged as her primary antagonist, frequently criticizing her tactical decisions and trying to corner her at oral arguments. In February, for instance, at an argument about a law making it a crime to provide material support to terrorists, Chief Justice Roberts tussled with Ms. Kagan over what he called a shift in the government's position."

The Boston Globe also takes a look at Kagan. "Solicitor General Elena Kagan, the former Harvard Law School dean who is a leading candidate on President Obama's list of possible Supreme Court nominees, is facing opposition from some pockets of the political left because of her past statements on executive power and detentions, as well as her warm welcome by some conservatives."

The Washington Post front-pages, "The battle over reshaping the country's financial regulation escalated on several fronts Wednesday, with President Obama stepping up his personal efforts to win Senate passage of an ambitious bill while senators from both parties fought to claim the anti-Wall Street mantle. After a White House meeting between Obama and congressional leaders, Republican leaders criticized the Democrats' proposal for leaving the door open to future bailouts of big financial firms. But the president, who has turned his attention to the financial overhaul after winning passage of health-care legislation, said he was confident that a bipartisan bill could be worked out to ensure that the economy is protected from the collapse of large financial companies."

"House Republicans are launching a new effort to craft an election-year mission statement that appears to be part 'Contract With America' and part 'American Idol,'" Roll Call reports. "GOP Members said the ideas that will eventually become the basis for their initiative -- the working title is the 'Commitment to America' -- will come largely from outside Washington and largely online, but they pledged that reforming the legislative process would be a top priority." 
 
"The scant Republican support Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) secured last summer that proved crucial for passage of the House's climate change bill has eroded as the midterm elections draw near -- enough so that she likely would be short of votes if the same measure were on the floor today," Roll Call writes.

The Boston Globe on yesterday's Tea Party in Boston. "Waving stars and stripes and Gadsden flags warning 'Don't Tread on Me,' a crowd of some 6,000 gathered on Boston Common amid patriotic tunes, heated antitax rhetoric, and much-anticipated exhortations from the tea party movement's adopted standard bearer, Sarah Palin." More: "The Tea Party Express -- which landed in Boston on the eve of the federal tax deadline, a stone's throw from the site of the original Tea Party on Boston Harbor -- was a noisy and festive assault against Washington's political establishment that reveled in Republican US Senator Scott Brown's surprise victory on liberal turf."

"Tea party activists are ending a cross-country tour in a place and on a day that inspires much of their discontent," AP writes. "The place is Washington, and the day is Thursday: the April 15 deadline to file federal income taxes." The rally is from 11:00 am ET to 1:00 pm ET and will feature Dick Armey, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Rep. Michele Bachmann -- a crowd favorite -- Rep. Steve King, Grover Norquist and others.

But here's this from The Hill: "The Tea Party is hosting a Tax Day rally on Thursday in Washington, but the Republicans leaders in the House and Senate are not invited. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (Ariz.), House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) were not asked to speak at the April 15 rally in front of the Washington Monument."

Michael Steele appeared with Al Sharpton yesterday at a New York event to address Sharpton's National Action Network. He called Sharpton a friend and then had some harsh words for his fellow Republicans: "I work every day in this job, as I like to put it, to turn the elephant," he said, referring to the party's iconic symbol. "Now, I don't know if you ever had to turn an elephant, but the end you have to start with is not necessarily the best place to start." The New York Daily News writes, "Aides later stressed that Steele was not referring to anyone in particular and was only talking about his efforts to better position his party."

The NRSC has a new Web video pegged to Tax Day.

CONNECTICUT: The New York Times front-pages a blistering piece on Richard Blumenthal, despite the fact that he has a large lead in the polls. "No politician in the state had anything close to Mr. Blumenthal's popularity. So when he jumped into the race to succeed Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrats in Washington immediately crossed the seat off their list of ones to worry about. But signs of trouble have quickly emerged."

"Mr. Blumenthal flopped in his first televised debate against an obscure primary opponent, and he is ruling out any possibility of a rematch. He appears almost incapable of offering concise answers to even the most predictable questions, like why he is running for the Senate. And his reliance on prosecutorial parlance and legal arcana has raised unflattering comparisons to another attorney general in a Senate race who seemed a sure winner only to lose in spectacular fashion. Some Democrats are calling him 'Martha Coakley in pants,' referring to the candidate who lost the Massachusetts Senate election in January."

FLORIDA: "Yet another furor erupted Wednesday over whether Gov. Charlie Crist would run as an independent for the U.S. Senate, when Crist and his campaign manager dismissed or refused to answer questions about the possibility, which the campaign flatly denied last week," the Tampa Tribune writes.

KENTUCKY: Sen. Jim Bunning endorses Senate candidate Rand Paul to take his seat over GOP establishment-favored Trey Grayson, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. 
 
And Grayson is out with a new ad denying Paul's claims that he "took money from AIG," and alleging that Paul is supported mostly by out-of-staters, not Kentuckians.

NEW YORK: "Republican David Malpass jumped into the race to challenge Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday, blasting her as 'unable and unwilling' to control spending in Washington," the New York Daily News reports. Who is Malpass? "The fiscally conservative Malpass was an assistant secretary of Treasury and State for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He spent 15 years at investment bank Bear Stearns, including six years as its chief global economist, but jumped ship after the firm's 2008 meltdown and subsequent takeover by JPMorgan Chase. Malpass has said he had no role in Bear's everyday operations."
 
PENNSYLVANIA: Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak, running against incumbent Arlen Specter, re-surfaces a 2004 campaign ad showing then-Senator Rick Santorum endorsing then-Republican Specter, praising him for "cast[ing] the deciding vote for the Bush tax cut." 
 
SOUTH CAROLINA: Gubernatorial candidate Henry McMaster has a new ad out, touting his "good name" and "good reputation."

From NBC's Mark Murray and Scott Foster
In First Thoughts this morning, we noted how Neil Armstrong and a couple other NASA heroes wrote letters to NBC and the White House, criticizing the administration's plans to scuttle NASA's Constellation rocket program.

Now the White House has released a letter from another NASA luminary, Buzz Aldrin, that supports the administration's approach.

As an Apollo astronaut, I know full well the importance of always exploring new frontiers and tackling new challenges as we explore space. The simple truth is that we have already been to the Moon - some 40 years ago. What this nation needs in order to maintain its position as the 21st century leader in space exploration is a near-term focus on lowering the cost of access to space and on developing key, cutting-edge technologies that will take us further and faster - while expanding our opportunities for exploration along the way. The President's program will help us be in this endeavor for the long haul and will allow us to again push our boundaries to achieve new and challenging things beyond Earth. I believe that this is the right program at the right time, and I hope that NASA and our dedicated space community will embrace this new direction as much as I do. By so doing we can together continue to use space exploration to help drive prosperity and innovation right here on Earth.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Responding to GOP claims that he pulled back from bipartisan talks and that his financial reform bill would "institutionalize" government bailouts, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd fired back today -- with both barrels.

On the Senate floor this morning, Dodd accused Senate Republicans of sullying the debate with "outright falsehoods" and "misinformation." He said they were being "dishonest" and "playing politics."

On his bipartisan efforts over the past year Dodd said, "I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone could claim with a straight face that what I have tried to achieve with this bill is a partisan effort." And on the question of whether the bill will lead to more government bailouts he said, "Nothing could be further from the truth."

The chairman cited three areas to refute Republican claims that his bill will guarantee a perpetual taxpayer bailouts:
-- the bill establishes a financial stability oversight council to monitor risk
-- it eliminates the Fed's ability to prop up institutions
-- and it sets up a safe process for shutting down dangerous firms that fail without endangering the economy or taxpayers

Dodd said his patience is running out with his Republican colleagues, after trying for months to reach a bipartisan consensus. "It's not even a slight exaggeration to say that we spend countless hours, phone calls, meetings, e-mails, discussions, day after day, week after week, month after month, to try to get closer and closer to a proposal here that our colleagues could support."

From NBC's Jim Miklaszewski
Pentagon and military officials told a congressional hearing today that Iran is at least one year away from enriching enough uranium to build a nuclear weapon -- and three to five years away from producing the actual weapons itself.

Nevertheless, Democratic and Republican senators today expressed growing concern -- if not impatience -- in failed attempts by the U.S. and international community to force Iran to halt its efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.

In a testy exchange, Sen. John McCain led the charge in questioning both Pentagon and State Department officials, saying the U.S. should act unilaterally in an effort to cutoff refined oil and gas shipments to Iran and no longer wait for the United Nations to enact stiffer sanctions.

When the State Department's Bill Burns countered that it would be "very difficult" to get Russia and China to sign onto those kinds of tougher sanctions, McCain shot back that all the international communities efforts have failed so far to change Iran's behavior. When the Pentagon's Michele Flournoy waded in to say that Iran has in fact altered its behavior and Russia and China will sign on to new sanctions, McCain bristled saying there's "no justification" in her belief that Russia will play along since the Russians have been playing "rope a dope" with the US on this issue.

All members of the panel, when asked, gave the usual "all options are on the table" when asked if the U.S. has a military plan to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities but deferred any details to a closed session.

From NBC's Ken Strickland
The bill to extend unemployment benefits is now stalled on the Senate floor after Democrats lost a key procedural vote. That vote was on waving a "budget point of order." 

What's that?

Republicans raised the point of order saying -- in essence -- the bill was not fully paid for and would add to the deficit. This year, the Senate passed the so-called "pay-as-you-go" or "PAYGO" rules as part of the budget resolution requiring legislation that generate new spending to be fully paid for and not add to the deficit.

Since the benefits bill is NOT paid for, the point of order was sustained. However, it's very, very common in circumstances like this to take a vote to overrule or "waive" the point of order. But it takes 60 votes to do so, and Dems have 59 in their caucus.

In theory, Democrats had the votes to do it since Republican George Voinovich was voting with the Democrats -- that would have gotten them to 60. But Senate Democrat Pat Leahy is absent today, attending the funeral of a close friend.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid could get around this by trying to get another Republican -- or just holding the vote tomorrow, assuming Leahy is back.

I'd call this a speed bump, a hiccup, or a temporary setback for Democrats.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
BOSTON -- Before Sarah Palin spoke to the crowd here, numbering in the thousands here on the Boston Common, it was being revved up with anti-Obama and anti-tax rhetoric, as well as gauzy patriotic songs.

The expansive crowd was flying "Don't Tread on Me" and colonial America -- 11 stars -- flags.

As the crowd was gathering, one man said, "We're not all crazy."

Because of the optics, many here recognize the need of being careful. But there is no shortage of provocative signs and hot rhetoric.

For example, Mark Williams, chairman of the Tea Party Express, the group that organized the event, said, "Political correctness led to 9/11. Political correctness led to Barack Hussein Obama. We have a full blown case of AIDS and we're the cure."

During the so-called "Tea Party anthem," the singer, one of the only black participants in this massive rally, asked in song, "Are you a racist, angry, violent mob?"

"No," came shouts from the crowd

"Repeal the bill," he sang. "Repeal the bill," he continued.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Earlier this morning, local Wisconsin radio station WTMJ reported that former Republican Gov. (and HHS Secretary) Tommy Thompson would NOT run to challenge Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold this fall.

But Thompson later told the AP that he hadn't made up his mind. "The only person who knows what I'm going to do is myself and I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.

That forced the local radio station to amend its earlier report; it now says Thompson will announce his decision tomorrow.

All that said, a GOP source tells First Read that Thompson isn't expected to run against Feingold.

Neil Armstrong vs. President Obama… Obama meets with bipartisan congressional leaders at 10:45 am ET to discuss Wall Street reform… Palin speaks at Tea Party rally in Boston… Democrat wins special congressional election in South Florida…. Rick Scott challenges Bill McCollum down in Florida… Lincoln and Halter battle over an outside interest group… And Chet Edwards and Ciro Rodriguez get their challengers for the fall.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Lost in Space? One small step for Obama… One giant leap for his critics. As NBC's Tom Costello first reported on "NBC Nightly News" last night, Neil Armstrong and some other space icons fired off a letter to NBC and the Obama administration that criticizes the White House's decision to scuttle NASA's Constellation rocket plan. "Without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides, the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity," they wrote. That criticism spurred the White House to backtrack a bit on those plans, as well as release what Obama was supposed to announce tomorrow at his visit to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This story involves the 3 P's: policy (the administration is trying to save money on what it sees as a wasteful program), patriotism (even though shuttle launches seem outdated, there are many who still want the U.S. to dominate space and certainly get back to the moon before, say, China), and politics (there are many jobs in the important battleground state of Florida that are dependent on the space industry). One thing is for certain: Obama's appearance in Florida tomorrow just got a lot more interesting.

*** The next big battle: But before Obama turns to NASA and space tomorrow, he will deal with the next big policy fight on Capitol Hill: financial reform. At 10:45 am, Obama and Vice President will discuss the issue at the White House with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader John Boehner, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. This meeting comes one day after McConnell criticized the Democratic financial reform in the bill in the Senate of perpetuating Wall Street bailouts, a charge that Democrats deny. The meeting also comes after the news that Republicans McConnell and John Cornyn met with Wall Street executives last week to help map out a way to prevent the legislation from becoming law. McConnell may have a tougher challenge than Reid on this issue; keeping every Republican in line on this vote will be a LOT harder than it was on health care. There's more than one Olympia Snowe-like legislator in the GOP caucus when it comes to the issue of financial reform.

*** Today's Boston Tea Party: In the home of original tea party, a different brand of revolutionaries -- the Tea Partiers -- gather today from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm ET for a rally. According to organizers, it's expected to draw a couple thousand people. The big attraction, of course, is former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who's expected to address the group a bit before 11:00 am. This is all part of a 19-day, 49-stop tour by the Tea Party Express that began in Harry Reid's hometown of Searchlight, and today's rally is the next-to-last stop before concluding tomorrow -- Tax Day -- in DC. Some top Massachusetts Republicans won't be in attendance, like Tea Party fav Scott Brown. But Mark Williams, a Tea Party Express official and talk radio host, says there are no hard feelings. "I'm glad Scott Brown is busy," he told First Read, noting that a committee Brown sits on holds a congressional hearing today. "I'd rather him be at hearings rather than hop on an airplane at public expense. He's fulfilling the role he was elected to do." By the way, the Tea Party Express is billing a few other folks for today's rally, including former SNL cast member Victoria Jackson. It's also asking local TV stations to bring their traffic helicopters to cover today's event. We'll see if they follow suit.

*** Deutch wins in Florida: In the first election contest since health care's passage, Democrat Ted Deutch easily beat Republican Ed Lynch in the special election in Florida to replace Robert Wexler (D) in Congress. As we wrote yesterday, Deutch's margin of victory would be important in this Dem-leaning district, and Deutch got an impressive 62% of the vote. And as National Journal's Ron Brownstein has pointed out, Democrats' best chance of holding on to the House is to win in the blue and purple districts that are part of the Obama/Dem coalition. Yet perhaps the biggest news here has to do with seniors, who heavily populate that Broward/West Palm Beach district. That seniors -- the demographic group Obama has struggled with -- overwhelmingly stuck with the Democrat is pretty significant.

*** When the Bill McCollums and Jane Nortons are no longer safe: The other big midterm news in Florida is conservative Rick Scott's (R) primary challenge against Bill McCollum in the state's GOP gubernatorial contest. And when you combine Scott's entry with the fact that conservatives like Jim DeMint are now backing Ken Buck over Jane Norton in Colorado, we're seeing conservative candidates challenging establishment figures who aren't exactly Arlen Specters or even Charlie Crists. Speaking of Crist, Scott's entry is a nightmare for the current Florida governor, because it is going to push McCollum -- and the entire GOP primary electorate in August -- to the right. Now he's got one person actually running against him (Rubio) and two Republicans running against his legacy (McCollum and Scott). Nobody is running for Crist's second term as governor at all. and

*** Super Senate Tuesday: In Arkansas, the Halter and Lincoln camps are battling over an outside interest group that's running TV ads in the state. "Lt. Gov. Bill Halter's U.S. Senate campaign said today a nonprofit organization running an ad against Halter has ties to Sen. Blanche Lincoln and questioned whether federal campaign laws were broken, allegations that Lincoln's campaign vehemently denied," Arkansas News reports. "Arkansans for Common Sense is running an ad accusing Halter of wanting to privatize Social Security when he worked in the Clinton administration."

*** More midterm news: In Nevada, Danny Tarkanian is airing his first TV ad… And in the run-off primaries in Texas, Bill Flores (R) won the right to challenge Rep. Chet Edwards (D), and Quico Canseco (R) won the opportunity to face Rep. Ciro Rodriguez.

Countdown to IN, NC, and OH primaries: 20 days
Countdown to NE and WV primaries: 27 days
Countdown to AR, KY, OR and PA primaries: 34 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 202 days

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The Washington Post: "President Obama persuaded 46 countries Tuesday to sign on to a plan to put the world's nuclear material beyond the reach of terrorists within four years, but the commitments are voluntary, and experts said reaching the goal will be difficult. The governments attending Obama's Nuclear Security Summit agreed to take their own measures to safeguard nuclear material used in bombs, civilian nuclear reactors and power plants, and to strengthen international efforts. The gathering raised the profile of an issue long considered a sideshow in discussions of international security."

"When he took office last year, President Obama told his foreign policy advisers that he had two baskets of issues to deal with. The first would be the legacy issues left from his predecessor, like Iraq, Afghanistan and America's image in the world. The second would be his own agenda for the future," the New York Times says. "After 15 months addressing the vexing matters he inherited, Mr. Obama is now aggressively advancing his own vision of foreign policy and defining himself more clearly on the world stage. The 47-nation conference on nuclear security he wrapped up on Tuesday represented a chance to assert proactive leadership rather than simply showing that he is not George W. Bush."

First Lady Michelle Obama sits down with NBC's Savannah Guthrie later today in Mexico City. Mrs. Obama arrived in Mexico at about 915pm ET Tuesday night, after a surprise trip to Haiti.  She was greeted at the airport by the US Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual, Mexican Ambassador to the US Arturo Sarukhan, a group of girl guides and young Red Cross representatives, among others. Today she plans to meet with Mexico's first lady, tour a museum, visit an elementary school and give a speech at a university. The interview airs tonight on NBC Nightly News.

The Washington Post on what Obama will announce on Thursday in Florida: "President Obama will announce plans Thursday to revise and retain one element of the discarded Constellation rocket and space capsule system, commit to selecting a rocket capable of carrying astronauts to deep space within five years and allocate $40 million to put together a job-retraining program for Florida space workers who will lose their positions when the space shuttle is grounded next year."

"Addressing workers, astronauts and lawmakers in a much-anticipated speech at the Kennedy Space Center, Obama will flesh out the new NASA architecture for returning Americans to space that was first proposed in his 2011 budget announcement. Those proposals -- to kill the Constellation program that was supposed to return humans to the moon and to jump-start development of a commercial space industry that could take its place -- met with substantial bipartisan opposition."

The AP says the moves "are designed to counter criticism of the Obama administration's space plans as being low on detail, physical hardware and local jobs."

The Boston Globe profiles the latest name on the Supreme Court speculation list: Harvard Dean Martha Minow. She was one of Obama's professors when he was at Harvard. She replaced another Supreme Court possibility, Elena Kagan, now the Solicitor General. "When I was at Harvard Law School I had a teacher who changed my life -- Martha Minow," Obama said during the 2008 presidential campaign about whether or not to go into public or private life. And "Minow's father, Newt, was one of Obama's mentors at the Chicago law firm where Obama worked."

"Senate Republicans unveiled a fresh attack yesterday against a regulatory revamping of the US banking industry, contending that Democrats' proposals to curb the reckless practices that contributed to the 2008 economic meltdown would create a 'perpetual taxpayer bailout of Wall Street banks,'" the Boston Globe reports. "But Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican whose vote would be crucial to the success of a GOP filibuster, said he was not ready to join in specific denunciations of the plans, saying he did yet not know what they contained… Although the overhaul bill does not contain any new rescue funds for the industry, [Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell sought to link the measure to the 2008 bailout, which remains unpopular with voters."

But this story doesn't help that McConnell attack: "About 25 Wall Street executives, many of them hedge fund managers, sat down for a private meeting Thursday afternoon with two of the most powerful Republican lawmakers in Congress: Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and John Cornyn, the senior senator from Texas who runs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, one of the primary fundraising arms of the Republican Party."

"The stated topic of the meeting: The Financial reform bill being sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd, the Democrat and chairman of the senate banking committee. Both McConnell and Cornyn listened to numerous complaints the executives have with the bill. These included complaints about provisions that allow the government to continue to prop up financial institutions that are 'too big to fail.'"

After the latest details surfaced on former Rep. Eric Massa, as reported by the Washington Post, "House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday renewed his call for the House ethics committee to launch an investigation into how much Democratic leaders knew about allegations of sexual harassment against former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) before the lawmaker resigned last month," Roll Call writes. 

"House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday chided Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) for denying that a protester shouted a racial epithet at Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) during last month's healthcare battle," The Hill writes.

Roll Call on a new Blue Dog think tank: "Six Democratic lobbyists with deep ties to the Blue Dog Coalition, including former Reps. Bud Cramer (Ala.) and Charlie Stenholm (Texas), unveiled Tuesday a new nonprofit called the Blue Dog Research Forum. In a letter to Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.), who co-chairs the Blue Dog Coalition, Cramer and Stenholm wrote that they were establishing the organization to 'ensure there will always be a forum in Washington to mark that middle ground when it comes to issues affecting the country's fiscal health.' The group's goal is to be an incubator for policy ideas affecting the economy, such as energy, health care, tax policy, national defense and entitlements."

The Bipartisan Policy Center this morning is hosting a discussion on reforming the tax code -- with Sens. Judd Gregg (R) and Ron Wyden (D). Former Senate Dem leader Tom Daschle is moderating the talk.

Lieberman thanks God for GOP momentum? "There were a lot of people, particularly Democrats, who were declaring after the 2008 election that we were beginning a period of Democratic dominance that would go on for decades," Lieberman said during an interview with the conservative Newsmax magazine, per The Hill. "Now, all of a sudden, the momentum is with the Republicans. And that's -- thank God -- that's the way people have spoken, you know? That's our democracy." "Lieberman's spokeswoman Erika Masonhall said Tuesday that the senator's remark of 'thank God' in the interview was not a reference to momentum of Republicans, or the GOP winning back Congress, but to the fact that the United States is a Democracy."

"Sarah Palin may cast herself as a simple 'hockey mom,' but she's got more demands than an opera diva when she hits the road -- at least according to a contract for an upcoming speech," the New York Daily News reports. "The contract, discovered by some Cal State Stanislaus students in a university dumpster" lays out that she requires bendable straws, two bottles of water and "no Plexiglass or thin lecterns." She also requires "first-class" airfare "for two" or a private jet. And "The private aircraft MUST BE a Lear 60 or larger (as defined by interior cabin space) for West Coast Events; or, a Hawker 800 or Larger," states the contract, which adds that "the Speaker Reserves the right to change the flight plans at any time." She also requires an SUV for grond travel or "black town cars may be substituted." And hotel rooms must be "deluxe." The California State University, Stanislaus Foundation "previously denied a request to release details of the contract made by The Associated Press under the California Public Records Act."

On Palin's speech today in Boston before Tea Partiers: This is at least Palin's fourth major speech in a month. On Friday, she's addressing the Women of Joy, a Christian Women's group, in Louisville, KY. One analysis showed Palin, who commands about $100,000 a speech, has already made $12 million since she resigned as Alaska governor last year. All of that income is one thing, if she runs for president in 2012 that she will likely have disclose and would be combed over. But organizers say she's not being paid for this speech and was not paid for her appearance in searchlight. Likely means after the flack she took for her $100K speaking fee commanded in Nashville from another TP group, she won't be taking more from TP groups.

Some things to listen for in Palin's speech:
1. Anti-Obama rhetoric
2. Trying to link the original Boston Tea Party to today
3. Scott Brown's election -- though he won't be in attendance.
4. Health Care: Repeal or defund?
5. Policy: She tried a little energy policy at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, but that wasn't received as enthusiastically as the anti-Obama red meat that she served up.
6. Hits on the "Lamestream Media" as she likes to say.
7. Will it be the same speech she's given in Arizona, Nevada, and New Orleans ("hopey-changey," "party of hell no," etc.)?