Donald Trump: How did Barack Obama get into Ivies?  —  ‘How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard?’  Trump asked.  AP Photo  —  Donald Trump is upping the ante against President Barack Obama's legitimacy, raising questions on Monday night about how the president was admitted to two Ivy League schools.

Why Haley Barbour pulled the plug  —  Haley Barbour had his presidential announcement plan lined up: A May 2 launch, followed by a fly-around to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Florida, before winding up in in Jackson on Saturday the 7th for a big home-state fundraising bash.

Law Firm Won't Defend Marriage Act  —  WASHINGTON — The law firm hired by Republicans in the House of Representatives to defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act withdrew Monday amid pressure from gay-rights groups.  The decision prompted the resignation of a prominent partner …

Financiers Switch to GOP  —  Hedge-Fund Titans Who Backed Democrats Open Their Wallets for Republicans  —  Hedge-fund managers made a big bet on Barack Obama and other Democrats in 2008.  Now, with the 2012 contest gearing up, some prominent fund managers have turned their backs on the party and are actively supporting Republicans.

High gas prices cut into driving habits — and Obama's approval rating  —  Soaring gasoline prices are biting into household incomes and nibbling at Americans' fuel consumption — and support for President Obama, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Obama revealed: A moderate Republican  —  America is mired in three wars.  The past decade was the hottest on record.  Unemployment remains stuck near 9 percent, and there's a small, albeit real, possibility that the U.S. government will default on its debt.  So what's dominating the news?

Public Pensions, Once Off Limits, Face Budget Cuts  —  When an arbitrator ruled this month that Detroit could reduce the pensions being earned by its police sergeants and lieutenants, it put the struggling city at the forefront of a growing national debate over whether the pensions of current public workers can or should be reduced.

Allen West: Liberal Women Are ‘Neutering American Men’  —  Last week, Tea Party favorite Rep. Allen West (R-FL) addressed his base at a Women Impacting Nation (WIN) meeting in Boca Raton, FL.  WIN's mission is to “educate and equip women with knowledge of God's truth” and …

Ron Paul Launches Presidential Campaign  —  Rep. Ron Paul's long-held advocacy of smaller government and less taxes has made him a tea party hero.  —  Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, whose outspoken libertarian views and folksy style made him a cult hero during two previous presidential campaigns …

Boehner: No promises on debt vote  —  GREENVILLE, Ohio —Speaker John Boehner won't guarantee a vote on raising the debt limit, the latest threat in an increasingly high stakes game of chicken with the White House over whether Congress will inch closer to letting the nation default on its credit.

The end of the line: Last typewriter factory left in the world closes its doors  —  It's an invention that revolutionised the way we work, becoming an essential piece of office equipment for the best part of a century.  —  But after years of sterling service, that bane for secretaries has reached the end of the line.

Where Did All the Anti-War Protestors Go?  —  The anti-war movement was all over the news before President Obama was elected.  But apparently they weren't really anti-war ... they were just anti-President Bush.  Two college professors just released a study of national protests between 2007 and 2009.

Judge ends lockout; owners file appeal  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Seven weeks into the NFL lockout, players have an early triumph over the owners in court.  —  U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered an immediate end to the lockout Monday, siding with the players in their bitter fight …

Finish the Job  —  PRESIDENT OBAMA insists that protecting civilians is the only military objective in Libya and air power is the only means we will use to achieve it.  But the Libyan government's attacks on civilians continue, and air power alone will not stop them.

Arizona governor: ‘Birther’ sentiment ‘leading our country down a path of destruction’  —  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R), who vetoed a bill last week that would have required presidential candidates to prove they were born in the U.S. to get on the state's ballot, implored members of her party Monday to move on.

What's Left of the Left  —  Paul Krugman's lonely crusade.  —  If you are looking not only for clues into Barack Obama's character but for a definition of what his presidency will mean to the country, then the speech on fiscal policy that he delivered at George Washington University …

Sen. Manchin breaks with leaders, backs strict spending caps  —  Freshman Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Tuesday announced his support for strict spending caps that put him at odds with his party's leadership and President Obama.  —  Manchin told an audience in South Charleston …

Messina: Obama 2012 will be run as ‘an insurgent campaign’ — Barbour feared race about race that GOP couldn't win - Boehner to Obama: ‘Grow up’ — Marc Short joins Team Koch - Rob Collins free agent  —  Good Tuesday morning.  Mississippi Gov. HALEY BARBOUR's decision not to seek …

White House to Franklin Graham: You're “Preposterous”  —  After the evangelist (and son of legendary Billy Graham) played the birther card on ABC, Jay Carney curtly notes that he abused Easter Sunday.  —  Post Comment  —  The day after Easter, the Obama White House took a shot …

Angle considers independent run for Heller's seat  —  Republican Sharron Angle is considering running as an independent or third-party candidate for Congress if there's a special election and the GOP doesn't put her on the ballot.  —  That was the word circulating Monday as maneuvering intensified …

U.S. Effort to Remove Drug CEO Jolts Firms  —  A government attempt to oust a longtime drug-company chief executive over his company's marketing violations is raising alarms in that industry and beyond about a potential expansion of federal involvement in the business world.