Palin's “Exploratory” Campaign: A Nationwide Bus Tour  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — In a move designed to propel her closer to a presidential run, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will set out on a bus tour of the country on Sunday, making stops at symbolic sites along the way.

DNC chairwoman doesn't drive American  —  The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) appears to drive a foreign car, despite criticizing Republican presidential candidates for supposedly favoring foreign auto manufacturers.  —  Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) …

Sen. Rand Paul Delays Renewal of Patriot Act Provisions  —  Sen. Rand Paul has single-handedly stopped the extension of three key provisions of the Patriot Act until after they expire at midnight Thursday.  Unless he folds. … The Senate voted to end debate on the measure, but Sen. Paul …

The Dreamer Goes Down For The Count  —  I had never thought there were many similarities between the pleasure-loving Charles II of England and the more upright Barack Obama until this week.  Listening to his speeches on the Middle East at the State Department, US-Israel relations …

Mark Zuckerberg's new challenge: Eating only what he kills (and yes, we do mean literally...)  —  Last year Mark Zuckerberg set out to learn Chinese.  Now he's determined to get in touch with his food.  If the goats, lobsters and chickens of Silicon Valley aren't trembling, they should be.

Mitt Romney Sends Leftover Pizza to Obama Chicago HQ  —  ABC's Emily Friedman (@abcemily) reports: After spending the day in Chicago fundraising, Mitt Romney sat down with small business owners at Gino's East, a pizza joint famous for their deep-dish pizza.  —  Not wanting any of the leftover slices …

GOP forces Senate pro-forma session, blocking Warren recess appointment  —  GOP opposition is preventing the Senate from completely adjourning for the Memorial Day recess.  —  GOP opposition is preventing the Senate from completely adjourning for the Memorial Day recess.

Dane County judge strikes down collective bargaining law  —  By Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - A Dane County judge has struck down Gov. Scott Walker's legislation repealing most collective bargaining for public employees.

Electoral Consequences of the Rapture  —  Voters nationally are evenly divided on Barack Obama's job performance at 48% approving and 48% disapproving.  Despite the mixed feelings toward him he leads Mitt Romney by 7 at 49-42, Newt Gingrich by 14 at 51-37, and Sarah Palin by 17 at 54-37 in hypothetical match ups.

Pawlenty Says If He Were President He Would Sign Paul Ryan's Budget  —  ABC News' Matthew Jaffe (@JaffeMatt) reports:  —  After facing criticism in recent days for sidestepping the issue, Tim Pawlenty today in New Hampshire said if he were president and Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal came to his desk, he would sign it.

The Growth And Success Of Post-Jewish Zionism  —  Tanya Somanader has a post about a curious op-ed from Joe Walsh (R-IL) in which he castigates “most American Jews” for our insufficiently hawkish views on Israel.  And over the weekend Dan Webster (R-FL) offered a plausible rebuttal …

BREAKING: Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin Makes History By Signing Into Law Single Payer Health Care  —  Last month, the Vermont Senate passed legislation, approved earlier by the House, that would establish a single payer health care system in the state.  The legislation would make Vermont …

House defeats effort to scale down Afghan war in close 204-215 vote  —  The House on Thursday narrowly shot down an amendment to scale back military operations in Afghanistan.  —  In a close 204-215 vote, the House rejected a bipartisan amendment from Reps. James McGovern (D-Mass.) …

In Britain Obama repeats his error on Israel  —  President Obama is in Europe, supposedly trying to dissuade the Europeans from participating in the Palestinians' attempt to gain statehood without offering peace to Israel.  At his press conference he, no surprise to his critics …

The Greatest Achievement of the Settlers  —  The settlers of the West Bank have accomplished a great many things: They have built entire towns on previously-barren hilltops; they have created a network of schools, religious institutions and cultural centers that rival their counterparts in Israel proper.

John Edwards Meets Privately with Bunny Mellon, Potential Witness in Cover Up Case  —  ABC's James Hill reports: John Edwards, while facing looming criminal indictment, spent the afternoon in Upperville, Virginia, visiting one of the key players in the alleged scheme to cover-up his affair.

Clinton walks back debt remarks  —  Though many in his party have been furiously warning about the dire consequences of failing to raise the debt ceiling, former President Bill Clinton isn't so sure.  —  “If we defaulted on the debt once for a few days, it might not be calamitous,” …

$500 Million Obama Administration Program Will Help Kids ‘Sit Still’ in Kindergarten  —  (CNSNews.com) - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told CNSNews.com on Wednesday that the administration's new $500 million early learning initiative is designed to deal with children …

‘Business death penalty’ for hiring illegal workers is upheld by Supreme Court  —  The 5-3 decision gives states more authority to act against illegal immigrants.  Justices rule that states can take away the business licenses of companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Gross Domestic Product, First Quarter 2011 (second estimate); Corporate Profits, First Quarter 2011 (preliminary estimate)  —  Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States — increased at an annual rate of 1.8 percent …

Two New York City Police Officers Acquitted of Rape  —  Two New York City police officers were acquitted on Thursday of the most serious charges in the rape of a drunken woman who had been helped into her apartment by the officers while on patrol.  —  The verdict provides some measure …

NYSE Tries to Body Slam TPM!  —  If you're a news editor you'll want to hear this.  —  The New York Stock Exchange now claims that you have to get their permission (express or implicit) before you use images connected to the New York Stock Exchange.  So if you find a wire photo …

Strauss-Kahn's Lawyers Suggest Credibility Issues on Accuser  —  The lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn have suggested that they possess information that would undermine the credibility of the hotel housekeeper who has accused their client of sexual assault.