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.) …

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 …

Medicare and Mediscares  —  Yes, Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, is a sore loser.  Why do you ask?  —  To be sure, Mr. Ryan had reason to be upset after Tuesday's special election in New York's 26th Congressional District.  It's a very conservative district …

Tyler Cowen, America's Hottest Economist  —  The George Mason University professor has written a bestseller, The Great Stagnation, keeps an influential blog, and reads way too many books  —  Tyler Cowen sits with a cranberry juice and a pile of books he no longer intends to read.

Romney to formally announce run for President in NH on June 2  —  MANCHESTER _ Emphasizing the importance of the first-in-the-nation primary state to his campaign, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will formally announce his candidacy for President in New Hampshire next Thursday, June 2.

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.) …

Manufactured Panic over Patriot Act  —  To judge by the hysterical statements issuing from elected officials—not to mention the breathless press coverage—you'd think the three little-used Patriot Act provisions set to expire unless reauthorized today are like the doomsday timer from the TV show Lost …

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.

What Obama did to Israel  —  Every Arab-Israeli negotiation contains a fundamental asymmetry: Israel gives up land, which is tangible; the Arabs make promises, which are ephemeral.  The long-standing American solution has been to nonetheless urge Israel to take risks for peace …

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.

Barney admits helping his partner get a job at Fannie Mae in 1990s  —  Back in the George W. Bush era, Barney Frank, either in his role as a senior member or Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, was one of the Congress's biggest cheerleaders for Fannie Mae, the Government Sponsored Enterprise …

In 2012 campaigns, spoilers from the Tea Party worry GOP  —  The Democrats' upset victory in New York's special election Tuesday shows that Tea Party candidates could prevent Republicans from winning the White House and Senate, GOP senators say.  —  Political analysts interpret Kathy Hochul's …

$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 …

The Economy Is Wavering.  Does Washington Notice?  —  The latest economic numbers have not been good.  Jobless claims rose last week, the Labor Department said on Thursday.  Another report showed that economic growth at the start of the year was no faster than the Commerce Department initially reported …

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.

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 …

Obama's fast brain vs. slow mouth  —  It's not that the president can't speak clearly; he employs the intellectual stammer.  —  President Obama speaks on U.S. policy in the Middle East and North Africa at the State Department Thursday.  (Jason Reed, Reuters)

Sarah Palin to tour East Coast, New Hampshire  —  Sarah Palin is launching a nationwide bus tour starting Sunday in Washington, a Palin source has confirmed to POLITICO.  —  The first stop will be at the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally.  Palin will then travel up the East Coast …