Rodent scurries by as Obama lauds Wall Street vote  —  WASHINGTON - In his battle with the titans of Wall Street, President Barack Obama almost got upstaged by a rat.  —  But he didn't even seem to notice.  Assuming that's what it was, scurrying in front of his podium Thursday in a sun-drenched Rose Garden.

Exclusive: President Obama To Replace Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair*  —  ABC News has learned that President Obama will replace the Director of National Intelligence, Admiral Dennis Blair (ret.) His resignation will come as soon as tomorrow, sources tell ABC News.

Rand Paul comments about civil rights stir controversy  —  Two days after becoming the newest symbol of “tea party” politics, Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul of Kentucky thrust himself, his party and the movement into an uncomfortable conversation about the federal government's role …

And The Winner of The Everybody Draw Mohammad Contest is...  To remind readers of the stakes: In recent months, a Swedish cartoonist that sketched Mohammed as a “roundabout dog” as part of a planned street installation was assaulted during a lecture and, the following week, two extremists attempted to burn his house down.

Immigration crackdown for Illinois  —  Feds to step up enforcement  —  In the midst of an outcry over illegal immigration and Arizona's new crackdown, a top Department of Homeland Security official visiting Chicago on Wednesday said his agency intended to step up enforcement in places such as Illinois.

THE SITUATION ROOM  —  Interview with Mexican President Felipe Calderon; Analysis of Special Election Results  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Thanks very much, guys.  —  Happening now, the presidents …

The New Term for the War on Terror  —  If you blinked, you might have missed it.  The Obama administration has unofficially rebranded “war on terror” phrase that dominated public discourse throughout the Bush administration.  The replacement phrase, carefully chosen, is “CVE” — Countering Violent Extremism.

Lost Decade Looming?  —  Despite a chorus of voices claiming otherwise, we aren't Greece.  We are, however, looking more and more like Japan.  —  For the past few months, much commentary on the economy — some of it posing as reporting — has had one central theme: policy makers are doing too much.

The Story of an Angry Voter  —  Let's imagine a character named Ben.  A couple of decades ago, Ben went to high school.  —  It wasn't easy.  His parents were splitting up.  His friends would cut class to smoke weed.  His sister got pregnant.  But Ben worked hard and graduated …

Chuck DeVore has a staunch conservative record  —  The Senate candidate is a veteran of politics who portrays himself as an outsider.  —  Chuck DeVore argues that his military experience gives him an edge over his primary rivals.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Democrats point the finger at Obama's chief of staff for immigration reform's poor progress  —  Rahm Emanuel, who in the past referred to the issue as the ‘third rail of American politics,’ has argued privately that it's a bad time to push an immigration bill.

71% in Arizona Now Support State's New Immigration Law  —  Arizona voters now support the state's new immigration law more than ever and are still more inclined to think the law will be good for the state's economy rather than bad.  A lot of voters in the state are thinking it's payback time …

House Panel Rejects a Plan to Shift Detainees to Illinois  —  WASHINGTON — The House Armed Services Committee has dealt a blow to President Obama's hopes to shutter the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, by unanimously approving legislation that would prohibit creating a detention center inside the United States.

Op-Ed Contributor: The Rush Limbaugh Victory  —  THERE are many theories for why very conservative Republicans seem to be doing so well lately, taking their party's Senate nominations in Florida, Kentucky and Utah, and beating Democrats head-to-head in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia.

The Fruits of Weakness  —  WASHINGTON — It is perfectly obvious that Iran's latest uranium maneuver, brokered by Brazil and Turkey, is a ruse.  Iran retains more than enough enriched uranium to make a bomb.  And it continues enriching at an accelerated pace and to a greater purity (20 percent).