The Presidential Divider  —  Obama's toxic speech and even worse plan for deficits and debt.  —  Did someone move the 2012 election to June 1?  We ask because President Obama's extraordinary response to Paul Ryan's budget yesterday—with its blistering partisanship and multiple distortions …

Trump: ‘Always Had a Great Relationship With The Blacks’  —  You are missing some Flash content that should appear here!  Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.  —  Donald Trump speaking with Fred Dicker.  —  Donald Trump shot down a report claiming …

Nancy Pelosi snaps at White House adviser Gene Sperling  —  In a tense moment that may well have encapsulated the frustrations of three-plus months in the minority, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi snapped at a top presidential economic adviser, Gene Sperling, during a closed-door meeting …

Share of population working  —  Roll over each state to see the share of the population working in 2010:  —  Sources: USA TODAY, Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics  —  The share of the population that is working fell to its lowest level last year since women started entering the workforce …

Strike One  —  We initially supported the deal House Speaker John Boehner cut with the White House to cut $38.5 billion from the rest of the fiscal year 2011 budget.  It was only a pittance in the context of all of Washington's red ink, but it seemed an acceptable start, even if we assumed it would be imperfect in its details.

DeMint: If vote to raise debt ceiling is GOP's Waterloo, ‘let it be’  —  A top conservative senator on Thursday indicated he is willing to go to extreme lengths to prevent a vote on raising the debt ceiling, even if it hurts the Republican Party politically.

Fireworks expected as Gov. Walker heads to Hill to talk unions  —  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) could be in for a rowdy welcome from unions and liberal groups when he comes to Capitol Hill on Thursday to testify about his work on reducing the state's budget deficit.

PROFESSOR: Sarah Palin Probably Staged A Gigantic Hoax About Being Trig's Mother  —  An interesting footnote has emerged to a theory that raged around the Internet during Sarah Palin's candidacy for Vice President:  —  The theory is that Sarah Palin is actually the grandmother of her purported son Trig …

In Financial Crisis, No Prosecutions of Top Figures  —  It is a question asked repeatedly across America: why, in the aftermath of a financial mess that generated hundreds of billions in losses, have no high-profile participants in the disaster been prosecuted?

Budget Confusion  —  Some conservatives were taken aback by the AP's report yesterday that the continuing resolution (CR) that cuts $38 billion will only reduce this fiscal year's deficit—i.e. reduce total outlays through September 30—by $352 million.  —  Is the CR a sham?  Nope, not really.

False pretense for war in Libya?  —  EVIDENCE IS now in that President Barack Obama grossly exaggerated the humanitarian threat to justify military action in Libya.  The president claimed that intervention was necessary to prevent a “bloodbath” in Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city and last rebel stronghold.

Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Rise; Inflation Pressure Grows  —  New claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, bouncing back above the key 400,000 level, while core producer prices clumbed faster than expected in March, government reports showed on Thursday.

About That Lawsuit...  The lawsuit filed Tuesday by Jonathan Tasini is so utterly without merit, and has been so thoroughly eviscerated in the media — including being ridiculed as the “dumbest lawsuit ever” — I am hesitant to take any time away from aggregating adorable kitten videos to respond.

The False Promise of Class Size Reduction  —  The idea of reducing class sizes is very popular with the public, and there's no organized interest group opposition to it.  Consequently, one of the main things we've done in US education policy over the years is make class sizes smaller.

Remembering the Real Ayn Rand  —  The author of “Atlas Shrugged” was an individualist, not a conservative, and she knew big business was as much a threat to capitalism as government bureaucrats.  —  Tomorrow's release of the movie version of “Atlas Shrugged” is focusing attention …

Marijuana causes global warming, uses 1% of U.S. electricity  —  People growing marijuana indoors use 1 percent of the U.S. electricity supply, and they create 17 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year (not counting the smoke exhaled) according to a report by Evan Mills …

The Economic Effects of the Ryan Plan: Assuming the Answer?  —  Last week the House Budget Committee, chaired by Congressman Paul Ryan (R, WI) issued a Budget Resolution for fiscal year 2012 along with a Republican blueprint for addressing the nation's long-term fiscal imbalance.

16 Tons  — Contents © 1999-2010 by David Burge / Iowahawk.  —  For reprint inquiries, please contact Lynn Chu.  —  IOWAHAWK'S OTHER HAUNTS  —  BLURBS  — Het Vrije Volk (Netherlands)  —  “Laat de rijken de crisis betalen, zegt de SP.  Let's eat de rich, zegt Michael Moore.

The Fred Thompson Effect  —  Why a dark-horse candidate can't save the GOP.  —  By now, it should be obvious that anyone hoping party insiders will draft a Jeb Bush or Chris Christie or Rick Perry to rescue the lackluster Republican 2012 field from itself is living in a hopeless fantasyland.

Arizona Senate approves ‘birther’ bill  —  PHOENIX - The Arizona Senate has approved a revised bill requiring presidential candidates to prove they are U.S. citizens eligible to run for the office.  —  The bill approved Wednesday gives candidates additional ways to prove they meet the constitutional requirements to be president.

‘Patriotic Millionaires’ Ask to Be Taxed More  —  If President Obama's deficit-reduction speech today includes a call to end the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, there will surely be pushback; Republicans have already begun a preemptive attack on raising taxes.