Democrat Wins G.O.P. Seat; Rebuke Seen to Medicare Plan  —  Democrats scored an upset in one of New York's most conservative Congressional districts on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the national Republican Party in a race that largely turned on the party's plan to overhaul Medicare.

CNBC Anchor Mark Haines Dies Unexpectedly at Age 65  —  Veteran journalist Mark Haines, a fixture on CNBC for 22 years, died unexpectedly Tuesday evening.  He was 65 years old.  —  Haines, founding anchor of CNBC's morning show “Squawk Box,” was co-anchor of the network's “Squawk on the Street” …

John Edwards: U.S. Green-Lights Prosecution for Alleged Campaign Law Violations Tied to Affair Cover-Up  —  Former Sen. John Edwards speaks at a campaign rally Jan. 26, 2008, in Columbia, S.C. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)  —  The United States Department of Justice has green-lighted the prosecution …

Palin's Secret Weapon: New Film to Premiere in June  —  Shortly after Republicans swept last November to a historic victory in which Sarah Palin was credited with playing a central role, the former Alaska governor pulled aside her close aide, Rebecca Mansour, to discuss a hush-hush assignment …

Decorum Breaks Down at House Hearing  —  WASHINGTON — A House committee hearing into the structure of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau disintegrated into heated accusations of lying to Congress on Tuesday, with the panel's chairman accusing Elizabeth Warren of giving misleading testimony …

Florida Voters Turn Thumbs Down On Gov. Scott 2-1, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say Property Insurance Is Getting Worse  —  Florida voters disapprove 57 - 29 percent of the job Gov. Rick Scott is doing, the worst score of any governor in the states surveyed by Quinnipiac University …

About Jeffrey Goldberg  —  Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for the Atlantic, is the author of “Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror.”  He was formerly a Washington correspondent and a Middle East correspondent for the New Yorker.  —  Why Palestinians Have Time on Their Side

FreedomWorks' Goal: Stop Mitt Romney In 2012 … WASHINGTON - A top goal of the nation's most influential national Tea Party group is to stop Mitt Romney from winning the Republican nomination for president.  —  Interviews with top officials at FreedomWorks, a Washington-based organizing hub …

Obama miscues on toast  —  Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and U.S. President Barack Obama during a state banquet in Buckingham Palace, London, on Tuesday May 24, 2011.  —  AP Photo  —  LONDON - It was all going so well.  —  But when the time came for President Obama to deliver his toast …

Obama skirts rule of law to reward pals, punish foes  —  Senior Political Analyst Follow Him @MichaelBarone  —  Question: What do the following have in common?  Eckert Cold Storage Co., Kerly Homes of Yuma, Classic Party Rentals, West Coast Turf Inc., Ellenbecker Investment Group Inc. …

Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images  —  Two new finds are at Saqqara, an older but lesser known pyramid site than Giza  —  Seventeen lost pyramids are among the buildings identified in a new satellite survey of Egypt.  —  More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements …

Support iCasualties  —  05/25/11 wscountytimes: Life on the frontline in Afghanistan … 05/25/11 WaPo: US soldier expected to plead guilty to murder charge in death of detainee in Afghanistan … 05/25/11 guardian: Taliban kill head of Afghan girls' school … 05/25/11 NATO: ISAF Casualty

Walker's numbers continue to get worse  —  Scott Walker's popularity has continued to decline over the last three months and Wisconsin voters now say they would vote to recall him if there was an election today.  They also say they would pick either Russ Feingold or Tom Barrett over Walker in a head to head match up.

‘Heckuva Job’ Brownie Criticizes Obama For ‘Toasting The Queen’ During Tornadoes  —  After violent storms slammed three mid-western states and claimed 14 lives yesterday, President Obama announced he would be returning from his long-planned European trip to visit Missouri on Sunday.

Morning Jay: A Formidable Republican Field  —  With Mitch Daniels having taken himself out of the GOP nomination battle, the field has come into sharp focus, and the view is not good for President Obama and the Democrats.  —  If one were only to read commentary and analysis from the mainstream media …

(UPDATED: Uh oh — Lee's wife, Nita Chaudary, behind the “Betray Us” Ad?)  Googling Jesse Lee  —  UPDATE: Lee is married to Nita Chaudary.  Here is a CSPAN transcript from Sep. 10, 2007, wherein Chaudary represents — and ardently defends — MoveOn.org for publishing the Petraeus smear ad prior …