Dems spark alarm with call for national ID card  —  A plan by Senate Democratic leaders to reform the nation's immigrations laws ran into strong opposition from civil liberties defenders before lawmakers even unveiled it Thursday.  —  Democratic leaders have proposed requiring every worker …

EXCLUSIVE: Administration Vows No New Offshore Drilling Until Investigation is Complete  —  Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Threatens to Jeopardize President Obama's Offshore Drilling Policy  —  As some Democratic lawmakers call on President Obama to suspend his plans to expand offshore oil drilling …

Greene Enters Fla. Senate Race  —  Just when we thought the Florida Senate race couldn 't get any stranger...  No sooner did GOP Gov. Charlie Crist announce that he'll run as an independent, clearing the way for Marco Rubio to secure the Republican nomination, than billionaire credit default …

BOEHNER TAKES CREDIT FOR DEMOCRATIC HEALTH CARE ADVANCES.... House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) spoke to NPR's Steve Inskeep this morning, and twice said Republicans would repeal the Affordable Care Act if given congressional majorities next year.  (thanks to reader A.D.)

At some point you have grabbed enough power  —  Given that poorer citizens always outnumber the rich, the classic political philosophers held that government based on majority rule was untenable.  They were of the view that it would lead to organized theft from the wealthy by the democratic masses.

Prosecutors Said to Start Inquiry at Goldman  —  By LOUISE STORY and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED  —  Federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into trading at Goldman Sachs, raising the possibility of criminal charges against the Wall Street giant, according to people familiar with the matter.

Leslie Buck, Designer of Iconic Coffee Cup, Dies at 87  —  It was for decades the most enduring piece of ephemera in New York City and is still among the most recognizable.  Trim, blue and white, it fits neatly in the hand, sized so its contents can be downed in a New York minute.

Consumers Help Drive U.S. Economy to 3.2% Growth Rate  —  The United States economy continued to expand in the first quarter, but economists cautioned that the pace of growth is still not nearly fast enough to recover ground lost during the recession.  —  National output grew …

Like it or not, the 2010 election is now (substantially) about immigration  —  The Democrats' immigration plan is based on a simple compromise: Restrictionists get increased border security, reformers get a path to legalization.  And the compromise is in that order, too …

Debate, British Style  —  I started watching this debate hoping that Nick Clegg would wipe the floor with the other guys.  This is not solely because Pavlovianly, I salivate at any mention of the words “Liberal Democrat”; in the past (from a safe distance to be sure) I've always preferred Labour …

House transparency caucus vows to regain public's trust in government  —  Twenty-seven House Republicans and Democrats kicked off a congressional transparency caucus on Thursday with a panel discussion on how the government can earn back Americans' trust.  —  “We're going to do a review …

Harrison Ford to Green Critics: 'I'll Walk Everywhere When They Walk Everywhere,' ‘I Only Fly One’ of My 7 Planes ‘At A Time’  —  (CNSNews.com) — Actor, environmental activist and pilot Harrison Ford, who owns seven airplanes, told his environmental critics that he will “start walking everywhere when they start walking everywhere.”

The man in the middle  —  Back in 1987, the man hired to crack wise at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner had a case of jagged nerves.  —  Ronald Reagan was president, and Jay Leno was just turning 37 — already a celebrated comic, not yet one of the country's most familiar faces.

Obama Criticizes Liberal Supreme Courts of '60s and '70s  —  WASHINGTON — In a seeming rejection of liberal orthodoxy, President Obama has spoken disparagingly about liberal victories before the Supreme Court in the 1960s and 1970s — suggesting that justices made the “error” …

‘99ers’ dread future without jobless benefits  —  They've exhausted 99 weeks of unemployment checks.  Thousands are banding together to lobby Congress for another extension.  —  Becky Morgado talks with her daughter, Elysha, as she looks in the mirror in her bedroom.