Once critical of financial regulation bill, Republicans change their tone  —  Key Senate Republicans on Tuesday began to back away from their sharp criticism of proposed new financial regulations and expressed optimism that a bipartisan deal on a bill that would drastically change …

FreedomWorks Bullies GEICO To Axe Voice Over Actor  —  GEICO voice over actor targeted by Tea Party members after expressing opinion on FreedomWorks voicemail.  —  Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 21, 2010 — Los Angeles actor, D.C. Douglas, says he was dropped from the upcoming GEICO …

U.S. attorney, IRS and FBI investigating Florida GOP credit card use  —  Federal law enforcement agencies have launched a criminal investigation into the use of American Express cards issued by the Republican Party of Florida to elected officials and staff, according to sources familiar with the probe.

Obama's Bounce Goes Flat, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; But Voters Confident He Will Pick Good Judge  —  President Barack Obama's job approval, which bounced slightly to a 45 - 46 percent split March 25 in the wake of his health care victory, has flattened out at 44 - 46 percent …

Testimony Could Undercut SEC Charge Against Goldman  —  The government has testimony from a Paulson & Co. official that could contradict its own claims against Goldman Sachs, CNBC has learned.  —  Paolo Pellegrini told the government that he informed ACA Management that Paulson intended to bet against …

Mike Allen, the Man the White House Wakes Up To  —  Before he goes to sleep, between 11 and midnight, Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director, typically checks in by e-mail with the same reporter: Mike Allen of Politico, who is also the first reporter Pfeiffer corresponds with after he wakes up at 4:20.

N.J. voters reject school budgets in heated elections … New Jersey voters took a stand on school spending and property taxes Tuesday, rejecting 260 of 479 school budgets across 19 counties, according to unofficial results in statewide school elections.  —  In the proposed state budget …

Dems To Attack Sue Lowden With “Chickens For Checkups” Web Site  —  Chickens for Checkups!  —  That's the name of a new Web site the DSCC is planning to unveil today in an effort to draw national attention to GOP Senate candidate Sue Lowden, who doubled down this week on her assertion …

Senator DeMint to Brody File: Tea Party Movement Will Bring On “Spiritual Revival”  —  Senator Jim DeMint tells The Brody File that the Tea Party is a “spiritual revival” waiting to happen.  He compares it to “The Great Awakening”.  You can watch his fascinating comments below and read a partial transcription as well.

Iran boosts Qods shock troops in Venezuela  —  Pentagon predicts U.S. clash with Islamist paramilitary  —  Iran is increasing its paramilitary Qods force operatives in Venezuela while covertly continuing supplies of weapons and explosives to Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq …

Matthews Allows Gun Rights Protesters to Show Their Blind Hatred for President Obama  —  Chris Matthews allows 2nd Amendment protesters Larry Pratt and Skip Coryell to dig their own hole while trying to get them to explain what freedoms are being taken away from them and what right the 2nd Amendment protects.

Both national party committees spend big chunks on fancy meals, hotels, travel  —  Both the national Democratic and Republican party committees spend about two-thirds of the money they take in on the care and comfort of committee staffs and on efforts to raise more funds, with lavish spending on limousines …

Ariz House: Check Obama's Citizenship  —  PHOENIX — The Arizona House on Monday voted for a provision that would require President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate if he hopes to be on the state's ballot when he runs for reelection.  —  The House voted 31-22 to add the provision to a separate bill.

Would the U.S. Shoot Down an Israeli Jet?  Top Officer Won't Say  —  MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — I'm not going to make a big deal of this, although some dug deep in the trenches of the Middle East debate might.  But America's top military officer wouldn't rule the possibility today …

Farewell to Korengal  —  LAST week the United States military pulled out of the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan.  Six miles long, sparsely populated and of dubious strategic value, the Korengal was the scene of some of the most relentless fighting of the Afghan war.

Economic Scene: As Markets Fizzle, Buying May Cost Less Than Renting  —  In much of the country, for much of the last decade, renting a home has usually been a better financial move than buying one.  It's been true in Southern California, San Francisco, Phoenix, Las Vegas and large parts of Florida …

RNC Spent $340K On Hawaii Meeting  —  The RNC spent more than $340K at a semi-annual meeting in Honolulu in Jan., the latest example of the party spending lavishly on itself while GOP officials worry they won't have enough money to take advantage of a promising national landscape this fall.

The Auto Industry a Year Later  —  What a difference a year makes.  Just about a year ago, the American auto industry was on the brink of collapse.  Today, General Motors announced that it has repaid its $6.7 billion loan to the U.S. government in full five years ahead of schedule …

Chain Restaurants: Claim Jumper: The World's Unhealthiest Chain Restaurant?  —  The Widow Maker Burger [Photo: Claim Jumper]  —  It's a given that restaurant meals are high in calories, but Claim Jumper — the national Gold Rush-themed restaurant chain with 46 locations in eight states …