Obama Meeting Fails to End Stalemate Over Federal Budget  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama and Congressional leaders said Wednesday that a late-night White House bargaining session produced no budget breakthrough that would avert a government shutdown this weekend but agreed the two sides …

WSJ/NBC Poll: A Donald Trump Surprise  —  By Jonathan Weisman and Scott Greenberg  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appears to be the early front-runner in the largely unformed race for the Republican nomination for president, but real estate magnate Donald Trump may be a surprise contender …

Kloppenburg declares victory  —  By Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel  —  Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg declared victory Wednesday, based on results reported by the Associated Press.  —  The Associated Press shows Kloppenburg received 740,090 votes and incumbent David Prosser received 739,886 votes.

OBAMA: Get Used To High Gas Prices.  “Obama needled one questioner who asked about gas prices, now averaging close to $3.70 a gallon nationwide, and suggested that the gentleman consider getting rid of his gas-guzzling vehicle.”  —  High gas prices aren't a bug, they're a feature.

NBC's Brokaw: Saudis ‘So Unhappy’ With Obama They Sent Emissaries to China, Russia Seeking Enhanced Ties  —  (CNSNews.com) - Reporting from Baghdad, Iraq yesterday, NBC's Tom Brokaw said the Saudi Arabian monarchy is “so unhappy with the Obama administration for the way it pushed out President Mubarak …

Obama's support among blacks slips unexpectedly, Hispanics too  —  Barack Obama rode to a comfortable presidential election win in 2008 on the electoral wings of a coalition based on liberal whites, independents and blacks, especially blacks.  —  Obama lost much of his independent support during …

President Obama's close friend arrested during prostitution sting  —  HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - One of President Obama's closest friends is scheduled to appear at Honolulu District Court next month, after he allegedly solicited sex from an undercover officer.

EVEN THE THREAT OF A SHUTDOWN IS EXPENSIVE.... If congressional Republicans go through with their threat and shut down the government tomorrow night, the costs will be considerable.  It's ironic that those hoping to cut the budget will force a shutdown that's needlessly expensive.

Judge gives ‘Juror No. 799’ indefinite jury duty after she makes racist remarks on questionnaire  —  An incensed federal judge sentenced a racist Brooklyn woman to indefinite jury duty on Tuesday after she trashed the NYPD and minorities.  —  “This is an outrage, and so are you!”

Rush to Use Crops as Fuel Raises Food Prices and Hunger Fears  —  The starchy cassava root has long been an important ingredient in everything from tapioca pudding and ice cream to paper and animal feed.  —  But last year, 98 percent of cassava chips exported from Thailand …

GOP lawyer drafts Obama impeachment  —  A prominent libertarian constitutional lawyer and civil libertarian has drafted an article of impeachment against President Obama over his attack on Libya, throwing down a legal gauntlet that could be picked up by some Congressional Republicans