A Certificate of Embarrassment  —  With sardonic resignation, President Obama, an eminently rational man, stared directly into political irrationality on Wednesday and released his birth certificate to history.  More than halfway through his term, the president felt obliged to prove that he was a legitimate occupant of the Oval Office.

Rand Paul has ‘birther’ demand for Trump: Prove you're a Republican  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Thursday took a swipe at billionaire businessman Donald Trump, demanding to see his “Republican registration.”  —  While speaking at a breakfast with New Hampshire Republicans one day after …

Dozens of tornadoes kill 194 in 5 Southern states  —  PLEASANT GROVE, Ala. (AP) — Dozens of tornadoes spawned by a powerful storm system wiped out entire towns across a wide swath of the South, killing at least 194 people, and officials said Thursday they expect the death toll to rise.

Solar Panels Rise Pole by Pole, Followed by Gasps of ‘Eyesore’  —  ORADELL, N.J. — Nancy and Eric Olsen could not pinpoint exactly when it happened or how.  All they knew was one moment they had a pastoral view of a soccer field and the woods from their 1920s colonial-style house; the next all they could see were three solar panels.

Superman Renounces [SPOILER] in ‘Action Comics’ #900  —  After recently undertaking a journey to walk — not fly — across the United States in the “Grounded” storyline and reconnect with the country and everyday Americans, Superman appears to be taking another step that could have major implications …

Several Tossed From Congressman's Town Hall Meeting  —  Heated Debate Stems From West's Position On Medicaid  —  BOCA RATON, Fla. — Police escorted a number of people out of a town hall meeting Wednesday night — the second night in a row that U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., held what became a heated event.

Eric Bolling And The Case Of The Time Traveling Doctor  —  Last night on Fox Business, Eric Bolling hosted Pamela Geller to discuss in all seriousness whether Obama's long-form birth certificate was “photoshopped.”  Geller has been making a fool of herself over Obama's birth certificate for three years now …

Oklahoma GOP Lawmaker Sally Kern: ‘Blacks’ Don't Work As Hard As White People  —  The Republican-controlled Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a proposed constitutional amendment yesterday that would eliminate Affirmative Action in state government.  The offical GOP reasoning for the change …

Calling animals ‘pets’ is insulting, academics claim  —  Animal lovers should stop calling their furry or feathered friends “pets” because the term is insulting, leading academics claim.  —  The researchers say ‘pet’ is demeaning  —  Domestic dogs, cats, hamsters or budgerigars should be rebranded as …

U.S. Economic Growth Slows to 1.8% Rate in Quarter  —  The American economy slowed to a crawl in the first quarter, but economists are hopeful that the setback will be temporary.  —  Total output grew at an annual pace of 1.8 percent last quarter, the Commerce Department said Thursday …

CBS Reporter Talks About Her Assault in Egypt  —  Lara Logan thought she was going to die in Tahrir Square when she was sexually assaulted by a mob on the night that Hosni Mubarak's government fell in Cairo.  —  Ms. Logan, a CBS News correspondent, was in the square preparing a report for …

4/28: Obama's Handling of the Economy at All-Time Low  —  Registered voters nationally are not satisfied with how President Barack Obama is handling the nation's economy.  According to this McClatchy-Marist Poll, four in ten voters — 40% — approve of how the president is dealing …

National GOP Primary Poll: Trump 19% Romney 17% Huckabee 15%  —  Republican primary voters at this early stage of the game now give billionaire developer Donald Trump the edge over presumptive favorites Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee in the race to be the GOP's presidential nominee in 2012.

Shiloh Baptist Church receives threats after comments from Sean Hannity  —  Shiloh Baptist Church in the District said it has received threatening phone calls and e-mails after an Easter visit from President Obama and a conservative television commentator's subsequent playing of a videotape …

Citigroup Drops Ben Stein Speech After Complaint Jokes Disparaged Women  —  Citigroup Inc. (C) canceled a planned keynote speech by writer, actor and TV personality Ben Stein after getting a complaint that he told jokes disparaging women at a private-equity conference in Dallas earlier this year.

Wal-Mart: Our shoppers are ‘running out of money’  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Wal-Mart's core shoppers are running out of money much faster than a year ago due to rising gasoline prices, and the retail giant is worried, CEO Mike Duke said Wednesday.  —  “We're seeing core consumers under a lot of pressure …

Poll: Mass. Republicans want ‘RomneyCare’ repealed  —  A majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents in Massachusetts would like to see the 2006 health care law enacted by then-Gov. Mitt Romney and the state legislature repealed and replaced with something else …

Honoring Those Who Said No  —  IN January 2004, Spec.  Joseph M. Darby, a 24-year-old Army reservist in Iraq, discovered a set of photographs showing other members of his company torturing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison.  The discovery anguished him, and he struggled over how to respond.

EXCLUSIVE: Joey Lawrence Says Obama Didn't Bring Change, Endorses Donald Trump Run  —  Chances are longtime television actor Joey Lawrence won't be voting for President Obama in 2012, and he isn't afraid to say so.  —  “Obama was something fresh, and new, and people wanted to put their faith …

Daniels faces difficult decision on Planned Parenthood funding  —  Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who irked many conservatives last year with his call for a “truce” on social issues, has been thrust into the debate over federal funding for Planned Parenthood.  —  The state's Republican-led legislature …

FBI Director Bob Mueller glanced at the black chronograph he wears Marine-style, the face inside his wrist.  It was 7:38 a.m. Not quite time.  He reviewed his inbox.  Drummed a four-fingered staccato on the desk.  Consulted his wrist again: 7:39.  —  Mueller had already slashed through …