Data Show Bin Laden Plots; C.I.A. Hid Near Raided House  —  WASHINGTON — After reviewing computer files and documents seized at the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed, American intelligence analysts have concluded that the chief of Al Qaeda played a direct role for years …

Why is Pawlenty On Stage With These Crazy People?  —  Closing Thoughts:  —  Credit goes to the Fox News anchors who moderated the debate.  They did their research and managed to ask tough questions that trapped some of the candidates.  They managed to get Rick Santorum to come very close …

Correcting the Picture on Jobs  —  11:29 a.m. |  Updated This is one of those months when it's impossible to tell a consistent story about the jobs report.  —  Job growth was unexpectedly strong last month.  The unemployment rate rose to 9 percent, from 8.8 percent, its biggest one-month increase in more than a year-and-a-half.

Pawlenty Hopes 'I'm Sorry' Is Enough  —  It's a question every candidate faces: how to deal with political liabilities.  Do you face them head-on and try to get them out of the way, or try to work around them in the hope that voters will lose interest?  —  Last night, at the first Republican …

A Motivational Poster for George W. Bush's Library  —  A motivational poster, sent in from a reader:  —  In case the font is too small, the words at the bottom are: “VINDICATION: When the loudest critic of your policies achieves his greatest success because of them.”

Jim DeMint on Romneycare (The Health Care Plan Signed by the Guy He Endorsed in 2008)  —  GREENVILLE, SC — Sen. Jim DeMint endorsed Mitt Romney in the last GOP primary, back when he was just a freshman senator and his endorsement didn't mean so much.  Now he's recognized as one of the political icons …

Fears and Failure  —  From G.D.P. to private-sector payrolls, from business surveys to new claims for unemployment insurance, key economic indicators suggest that the recovery may be sputtering.  —  And it wasn't much of a recovery to start with.  Employment has risen from its low point …

Judge Files Complaint against Merkel over Bin Laden Comments  —  A Hamburg judge has filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Angela Merkel for “endorsing a crime” after she stated she was “glad” that Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces.  Meanwhile a new poll reveals that a majority …

WTF at WTC?  Obama Has American Flag Removed From Ground Zero Site Moments Before Photo Shoot!  [Updated: or Perhaps Tapper Just Confused All of Us]  —  ABC's Jake Tapper was on the scene.  He disbelievingly tweeted:  —  Here's his photo of the take-down.

G.O.P. Medicare Plan Shakes Up Race for House Seat  —  Only weeks ago, top Democrats appeared to have all but written off a special election for a Congressional seat in the suburbs of Buffalo.  After all, Republican voters vastly outnumber Democrats in the district, and the Republican candidate …

Bills banning bestiality, baggy pants pass in Fla.  —  Legislation awaits Gov. Rick Scott's signature  —  Below:  —  NBCMIAMI.com  —  Floridians are going to have to start pulling up their pants and stop having sex with animals soon.  —  It's up to Gov. Rick Scott to sign off …

Ramesh Ponnuru Tries To Lead The Right Out Of The Dark Age, Neil Ferguson Tries To Drag Us Deeper In  —  Alongside complaints about the dark age of economic understanding into which monetary policy cranks like Paul Ryan have led the right, it's worth hailing the efforts of those like Ramesh Ponnuru …

Greece Considers Exit from Euro Zone  —  A protest against austerity measures in Athens.  Greece is considering leaving the euro zone, according to sources in the German government.  —  The debt crisis in Greece has taken on a dramatic new twist.  Sources with information …

Morning Jay: If Our ‘Food Stamp Recovery’ Persists, Obama Will Lose Big  —  I have noticed something unsettling in my own life lately: I know a lot of people who are on food stamps or some kind of extraordinary government assistance.  The count right now stands around 10 people, which is a lot for a small town denizen such as myself.

Obama's ‘Gangster Politics’  —  The president is about to order companies that do business with the federal government to disclose their political donations.  —  President Obama has officially kicked off his 2012 re-election campaign, and don't Republicans know it.

Cats of War  —  The Pentagon's top-secret feline special-operations program, revealed.  —  RECOMMEND...  The American commando team that killed Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, reportedly included a dog, sparking furious speculation about the dog's identity and discussion of the role of canines in war.