President Obama's Long Form Birth Certificate  —  Ed. Note: Read the transcript of the President's remarks following this release or watch the video below:  —  var params = { allowscriptaccess: “always”, allowfullscreen: “true” }; swfobject.embedSWF("http://www.youtube- nocookie.com/v …

Reid: The Senate Will Vote On Paul Ryan's Budget … WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced on Wednesday that he would host a vote on Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget as a means of forcing moderate GOP senators to weigh in on the legislation's controversial proposals.

Gas prices and industry earnings: A few things to think about the next time you fill up  —  Here's a simple fact of economics that's getting everyone in Washington pretty excited this week: When prices increase for a commodity like oil, companies that produce and sell that commodity earn more money.

Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin: First Photo … Check out the first photo of Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in the upcoming HBO film, Game Change.  —  The actress nails Palin's look with a bright suit, patriotic flag pin and similar glasses.  She also ditched her trademark red hair for Palin's brown style …

‘Atlas Shrugged’ producer: ‘Critics, you won.’ He's going ‘on strike.’  —  EXCLUSIVE: Twelve days after opening “Atlas Shrugged: Part 1,” the producer of the Ayn Rand adaptation said Tuesday that he is reconsidering his plans to make Parts 2 and 3 because of scathing reviews and flagging box office returns for the film.

Huckabee releasing S.C. team  —  We've been told that former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee, a rumored candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, is giving his former S.C. supporters the nod to seek work on other presidential campaigns.  The word is that he's told South Carolina staffers …

The Birther Disgrace  —  Even for the small band that sustained the phony controversy until now, the birth certificate so-called issue ends today.  —  Any last lingering doubts that maybe, perhaps, a pregnant Stanley Anne Dunham in the summer of 1961 boarded a propeller plane from Honolulu to Los Angeles …

Fanatics' fury at Muslim Playgirl  —  A MUSLIM actress has caused a storm by posing naked for Playboy.  —  Sila Sahin has been branded a “whore” and a “western slut” after appearing topless on the cover of the German edition of the men's magazine.  —  And Islamic fanatics have posted threatening internet messages.

Why Obama Will Get Second Term in White House: Ralph Nader  —  The stars are aligned for Barack Obama's re-election in November 2012.  He won't join Jimmy Carter to be the second Democrat in 120 years to lose a second term.  —  Five things are playing in Obama's favor.

Fatah and Hamas agree to historic Palestinian reconciliation deal  —  Rival groups will form interim government and then move toward setting a date for a general election, four years after their government collapsed when Hamas overran the Gaza Strip.  —  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's …

First Pictures of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Since Shooting, Walking on Her Own  —  A fragile but determined Rep. Gabrielle Giffords walked one careful step at a time today up the steps of a plane that will take her Florida to watch her husband blast off on the final mission of the space shuttle Endeavor..

House votes to restrict unions  —  Measure would curb bargaining on health care  —  Robert J. Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said the union would fight the legislation “to the bitter end.”  (M. McDonald for The Boston Globe)  —  House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly …

Advocates: Consumers ‘betrayed’ by high court ruling on class-action suits  —  Fine print in everyday consumer contracts can include provisions that require Americans to surrender their rights to file class-action lawsuits, the U.S Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, overturning a lower court ruling.

Tornado Slams Heart of City in Alabama, Leaving Ruins  —  A powerful tornado stretching a mile wide tore through downtown Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Wednesday evening, destroying homes and buildings, killing at least one person, and bringing further damage to a region already battered by storms.

Bernanke Wimps Out  —  So Bernanke did get asked why, given low inflation and high unemployment, the Fed isn't doing more.  And his answer was disheartening.  —  As far as I can tell, his analytical framework isn't too different from mine.  The inflation rate to worry about is some underlying …