CNN Exclusive: Bachmann to form exploratory committee in June, possibly earlier  —  Washington (CNN) - CNN has exclusively learned that Rep. Michele Bachmann will form a presidential exploratory committee.  The Minnesota Republican plans to file papers for the committee in early June, with an announcement likely around that same time.

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  White House: Libya fight is not war, it's ‘kinetic military action’  —  In the last few days, Obama administration officials have frequently faced the question: Is the fighting in Libya a war?  From military officers to White House spokesmen up to the president himself …

President Barack Obama gets locked out of White House  —  Staff wasn't ready for his return  —  Last Updated: 1 hour and 48 minutes ago  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Barack Obama had to try a couple of doors at the White House before finally gaining access to the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Dear Reuters, You Must Be Kidding  —  This is from a Reuters story on the Jerusalem bombing earlier today: … Those Israelis and their crazy terms!  I mean, referring to a fatal bombing of civilians as a “terrorist attack”?  Who are they kidding?  Everyone knows that a fatal bombing …

Liberal Bias at NPR?  —  Surveys show that millions of conservatives choose NPR, even with powerful conservative alternatives on the radio.  —  On the day NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller lost her job, I was reporting from Egypt.  That evening, I had dinner with employees from NPR's Cairo bureau.

Assad offers freedoms after forces kill 37  —  DERAA, Syria (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad made an unprecedented pledge of greater freedom and more prosperity to Syrians Thursday as anger mounted following a crackdown on protesters that left at least 37 dead.

Ohio Voters Divided On Second Term For Obama, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; But Voters Like Him More Than Gov. Kasich  —  Ohio voters are split 45 - 46 percent on whether President Barack Obama deserves a second term, but they favor him over an unnamed Republican 2012 challenger 41 …

Top Ten Accomplishments of the UN No-Fly Zone  —  1. The participation of the Muslim world in the United Nations no-fly zone over Libya has been underlined.  The measure was called for by the Arab League, which has not in fact changed its mind about its desirability.

Unsustainable budget threatens nation  —  Repeated battles over the 2011 budget are taking attention from a more dire problem—the long-run budget deficit.  —  Divided government is no excuse for inaction.  The bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform …

Why Trump's Birth Certificate statement will resonate  —  ...in three sentences.  —  My wife is starting a new job, we will be getting new insurance because of it.  We are REQUIRED to provide not only our marriage certificate but the long form copies of the birth certificates of both of our children.

Worldwide Approval of U.S. Leadership Tops Major Powers  —  U.S. also remains top desired destination for potential migrants  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States continues to achieve higher global approval ratings than China, Russia, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

Rep. Weiner sinks meat hooks into health-care law's attackers  —  Democrats would be better off if more of them acted like Weiners.  —  As the first anniversary of the health-care law approached this week, many Democratic lawmakers went to ground, leaving unanswered Republican accusations …

Rights Are Curtailed for Terror Suspects  —  New rules allow investigators to hold domestic-terror suspects longer than others without giving them a Miranda warning, significantly expanding exceptions to the instructions that have governed the handling of criminal suspects for more than four decades.

State-Level Anti-Stimulus  —  Atrios says “All the various cuts that our horrible new Republican governors are trying to implement aren't just going to make the residents of their states suffer, they're also going to work against the macroeconomy.”  —  I don't really think that's true.

Buried Provision In House GOP Bill Would Cut Off Food Stamps To Entire Families If One Member Strikes  —  All around the country, right-wing legislators are asking middle class Americans to pay for budget deficits caused mainly by a recession caused by Wall Street; they are attacking workers …

Brawl over spaghetti in NYC subway ignites debate … NEW YORK (AP) — The city's subway riders can handle panhandlers, rats and tuneless street musicians.  But eating spaghetti in a crowded subway car?  Well, that's just going too far.  —  An Internet video that shows New Yorkers brawling …

A Surprising Snapshot  —  Among common impressions of the current Supreme Court are that Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas are joined at the hip and that the majority tilts reflexively in favor of corporations and employers.  —  As the court heads into the current term's final three months, I looked at the statistics.