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 …

'I'm through whining about a liberal press,' says Sarah Palin  —  Sarah Palin insists she's done complaining about the liberal media.  —  Speaking to Greta Van Susteren on Fox News Wednesday night, the former Alaska governor shrugged off what she contends is a double standard in the way conservative women are treated.

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.

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 …

Rebel Insider Concedes Weaknesses in Libya  —  BENGHAZI, Libya — After the uprising, the rebels stumbled as they tried to organize.  They did a poor job of defining themselves when Libyans and the outside world tried to figure out what they stood for.  And now, as they try to defeat …

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 …

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.

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 …

Egypt Air removes Israel from map  —  Jordan stretches to sea in online map by Egypt's largest airline, though it continues to fly to Israel  —  Egypt Air, the largest airline in Egypt, has removed Israel from the map - literally.  On its website, Ynet has learned, Jordan's land reaches the Mediterranean Sea.

Ohio's Governor Moves Against Unions  —  The reform goes further than Wisconsin's.  —  For weeks, the nation's attention has been drawn to the storm in Madison over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to limit the power of government unions.  Yet 500 miles to the southeast, in Columbus …

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.

CNN Poll: Most Americans ‘okay’ with a mosque in their community  —  Editor's Note: CNN's Soledad O'Brien chronicles the dramatic fight over the construction of a mosque in the heart of the Bible belt.  Soledad O'Brien Reports “Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door”, Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CNN.

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 …

Maine GOP governor seeks removal of pro-labor mural  —  (CNN) — A plan by Maine GOP Governor Paul LePage to remove a mural depicting the history of the workers movement from the state's labor department lobby and to rename conference rooms dedicated to union icons was met with outrage Wednesday …

New Problems at Japanese Plant Subdue Optimism  —  The Japanese electricians who bravely strung wires this week to all six reactor buildings at a stricken nuclear power plant succeeded despite waves of heat and blasts of radioactive steam.  —  The restoration of electricity at the plant …