The Right Bailing The Left Out On Spending  —  I wrote about this earlier in the specific context of Grover Norquist, but Elise Foley's account of the Obama administration's rapidly unraveling deficit reduction initiative is another illustration of the fact that at the moment the right is big government's best friend:

Obama's Young Mother Abroad  —  The photograph showed the son, but my eye gravitated toward the mother.  That first glimpse was surprising — the stout, pale-skinned woman in sturdy sandals, standing squarely a half-step ahead of the lithe, darker-skinned figure to her left.

Jan Brewer: White House snubbed me on immigration talks  —  Fresh off her veto of her state's “birther” bill, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says that the White House gave her a “snub” by leaving her off the guest list for a meeting about immigration reform.  —  “I wish I would have been invited …

Bachmann's bid: The what-if game  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has gained considerable momentum over the past few weeks.  —  She raised more money than any of her presidential rivals in 2011's first quarter, her presence at political events regularly swells crowds …

Poll shows Americans oppose entitlement cuts to deal with debt problem  —  Despite growing concerns about the country's long-term fiscal problems and an intensifying debate in Washington about how to deal with them, Americans strongly oppose some of the major remedies under consideration …

iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go  —  Privacy fears raised as researchers reveal file on iPhone that stores location coordinates and timestamps of owner's movements  —  Security researchers have discovered that Apple's iPhone keeps track of where you go - and saves every detail …

Sarah Palin: Don't pick on Donald Trump  —  Even though Donald Trump has wholeheartedly embraced the wall-to-wall media coverage that's come with his promotion of the widely discredited “birther” issue, Sarah Palin argued Tuesday that the press is treating him “unfairly” …

Obama administration officials tried to keep S&P rating at ‘stable’  —  The Obama administration privately urged Standard & Poor's in recent weeks not to lower its outlook on the United States — a suggestion the ratings agency ignored Monday, two people familiar with the matter said.

The Death of Roe v. Wade  —  Supporters and opponents of abortion seem to agree: It's no longer the law of the land.  —  Supporters and opponents of abortion agree on nothing.  One side says this is a conversation about fertilized eggs; the other says it's about fetuses.

Bachmann Says Obama's Certificate ‘Settles’ Birther Issue  —  For the first time, Rep. Michele Bachmann - who is actively considering a run for the White House in 2012 — has said that the birth certificate President Obama has released to the public puts an end to the “birther” issue.

Obama Panel to Curb Medicare Finds Foes in Both Parties  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republicans are joining to oppose one of the most important features of President Obama's new deficit reduction plan, a powerful independent board that could make sweeping cuts in the growth of Medicare spending.

Newt Gingrich struggles to raise hard money  —  Newt Gingrich raised a meager $53,000 into his political action committee in the first three months of the year, highlighting potential fundraising difficulties as the former House Speaker girds for a campaign for the GOP presidential nomination.

New Jersey voters label Christie a ‘bully’?  —  (CNN) - He says he's not, but if Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey runs for the White House, he will face some stiff competition from President Barack Obama, according to a new poll of Garden State voters.

Poll: Obama at 46 percent to Romney's 45  —  President Obama would face a statistical tie against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) if the 2012 election were held today, a new poll found Wednesday.  —  A Marist/McClatchy News Poll released this morning suggested that the race between Obama …

‘I wanted to be free’: Muslim model upsets family by posing nude for Playboy cover  —  Sila Sahin, a 25-year-old Turkish German living in Berlin, had until now been regarded as a glowing example of how a modern Muslim girl should behave in a multicultural society.

Trump Most Visible Among Possible GOP Contenders  —  Most View News about Deficit as Unchanging  —  SUMMARY OF FINDINGS  —  Donald Trump has drawn a lot of attention in a slow-starting race for the GOP nomination.  Roughly a quarter of all Americans (26%) name Trump as the possible …

Does Paul Ryan's admiration for Ayn Rand make him pro-terrorist?  Possibly, warns MSNBC guest  —  If a fictional character in a piece of literature from an author you admire commits some acts that would likely result in a felony conviction, does that mean you're a proponent of felonious acts?

A Rational Budget for the Pentagon  —  In their budget-cutting zeal, Republicans are demanding harsh sacrifices from the country's most vulnerable citizens.  At the same, they are determined to leave one of the biggest areas of wasteful government spending untouched: the Pentagon budget.

Mitch Daniels Was Once Caught With 2 Shoeboxes Full of Weed?  —  When it comes to pot, we've come a long way from the days of “I did not inhale.”  Fifteen states (plus the District of Columbia) currently permit the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, and according to a recent Pew survey …

Pawlenty to release budget plan  —  Likely GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty said Tuesday he plans to unveil his own budget proposal — one that would tackle Social Security reform.  —  The former Minnesota governor echoed his previous praise of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) …

Why Was PFC Manning Moved to Fort Leavenworth?  —  Like many others, the defense first learned of PFC Manning's move to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas by reading that a government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, leaked the information to the Associated Press.