Rand Paul won't answer Civil Rights Act question  —  Moving from the Republican Primary to the general election means, for Rand Paul, addressing a broader set of issues than the anti-tax, anti-spending focus of his campaign.  —  And while he's answered this question before …

A big hit against big government  —  As we approached the Tuesday night with the year's most significant senatorial primaries so far, I turned for guidance to a man who had already been through the fires that define the incendiary politics of 2010.  —  Ten days after he was barred from the ballot …

Sen. Harry Reid Suggests Sen. Scott Brown Lied  —  ABC's Jonathan Karl reports: Did Harry Reid just call Scott Brown a liar?  —  Basically, yes.  —  Here's the story: The Senate just rejected Reid's effort to move to a vote on the Wall Street reform bill, 57-42 (60 votes were needed).

The New York Times has some explaining to do  —  This Associated Press report about the controversy surrounding Richard Blumenthal's description of his military service raises some questions about the New York Times' handling of the story: … So why didn't the Times include Blumenthal …

White House Embraces Upstart Who Beat Specter  —  Shortly after Representative Joe Sestak won an improbable victory Tuesday over Senator Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate primary, President Obama called Mr. Sestak to congratulate him.  The president pledged his full support …

Md. second-grader gives first lady pop quiz on immigration  —  As much as they might want to defer the conversation, the politically charged issue of illegal immigration continues to dog members of the Obama administration.  —  On Wednesday, with TV cameras rolling during an event to promote healthy eating …

Scientists Fault U.S. Response in Assessing Gulf Oil Spill  —  Tensions between the Obama administration and the scientific community over the gulf oil spill are escalating, with prominent oceanographers accusing the government of failing to conduct an adequate scientific analysis of the damage …

Gulf oil spill leak now pegged at 95,000 barrels a day  —  This is the most recent video released of the larger of the two Deepwater Horizon leaks.  It was shot Monday, May 17, after a 4-inch pipe was inserted in an effort to draw some of the escaping oil to the surface.  View all the new videos.

Stunning Drop in Whitman's Support Transforms GOP Race for Governor  —  Fiorina, Campbell in Dead Heat While DeVore's Support Doubles  —  Support for Meg Whitman has plummeted 23 points since March, and she is now in a far closer race with Steve Poizner to become the Republican nominee for governor.

London 2012: Olympic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville unveiled  —  After 18 months, 40 focus groups and a secret operation worthy of MI5, London 2012 on Wednesday finally revealed the mascots that will help define the capital's Olympic experience, and just as importantly help pay for it.

Congress about to limit political speech of bloggers?  —  The same sloppy legislative writing that created so many unintended consequences in ObamaCare also plagues the DISCLOSE Act, the effort in Congress to tighten spending rules in the wake of the Citizens United decision — and that's the generous take on the situation.

Democratic New York senator Chuck Schumer is poised to become majority leader  —  On Mother's Day, Chuck Schumer delivered two commencement speeches upstate, flew back to Brooklyn to eat dinner with his wife, mother and daughters and at 7:38 p.m. toted a briefcase into his midtown office …

Feingold and Cantwell Explain Their Votes Against Cloture  —  [Ed. Note: See David's previous post on the financial regulation bill's failure to pass a cloture vote earlier today.]  —  After voting against cloture on the Wall Street reform bill, Russ Feingold released this statement:

James Delingpole  —  James Delingpole is a writer, journalist and broadcaster who is right about everything.  He is the author of numerous fantastically entertaining books including Welcome To Obamaland: I've Seen Your Future And It Doesn't Work, How To Be Right, and the Coward series of WWII adventure novels.

Landis Admits Doping, Accuses Others  —  Floyd Landis, the American cyclist whose 2006 Tour De France victory was nullified after a positive doping test, has sent a series of emails to cycling officials and sponsors admitting to, and detailing, his systematic use of performance enhancing drugs during his career.

Record growth of new small businesses  —  More entrepreneurs launched new businesses in 2009 than any other time in the past 14 years, according to a study released Thursday.  —  The figures from the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity report that entrepreneurs have remained a strength …