Obama Won't Personally Sign Patriot Act Extension  —  ABC News' Matthew Jaffe (@jaffematt) and Devin Dwyer (@devindwyer) report: Congress officially passed an extension of the Patriot Act tonight, just hours before key provisions of the national security law were due to lapse at midnight.

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 …

Palin creates buzz but rivals bet she won't run  —  Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork  —  “The bottom line is Sarah Palin is not going to run for president,” says a Republican adviser close to front-runner Mitt Romney.  “She's making money, she's moved on, she's kind of an entertainer rather than a politician.

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.) …

Pawlenty spins low poll numbers  —  (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty said he sees his low national poll numbers as an opportunity for his candidacy.  —  “I like the fact that these folks who are established, well known and yet and there's no real favorite in the face …

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 …

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 Survival Guide  —  Sometime this summer, the Democrats and the Republicans will go toe-to-toe over whether to raise the debt ceiling.  At the height of the confrontation, President Obama may well address the country and say that even though he has offered the Republicans …

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.

No Ideas  —  Ezra Klein points us to the House GOP's rather pitiful jobs manifesto.  Ezra describes it as “now more than ever”: the GOP's response to the employment crisis is to demand exactly the same things it demands when the economy is doing well.  —  Actually, the same is true of the Ryan plan …

Neighborly Advice to the Palins: In Arizona, the Sun Burns  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Alaska may have a midnight sun, but Arizona's burns a little hotter.  So the first advice that Sarah Palin's new neighbors have for her is: wear sunscreen.  —  And while she's at it, the former governor …

Federal judge strikes down ban on corporate giving to candidates  —  A ruling by a federal judge in Virginia makes it legal for corporations to contribute directly to candidates for federal office in a case likely to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.  —  U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris' ruling …

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 …

Marshfield man charged with coming to Madison to kill abortion provider  —  IMAGE (2)  —  The Marshfield man who drove to Madison to kill an abortion doctor will appear in federal court Friday around 10:30 a.m.  —  Ralph Lang, 63, faces federal charges after he was arrested Wednesday night …

Clyburn protests McClatchy article on Obama and race  —  WASHINGTON — House Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn objected Thursday to coverage of his views on the impact of President Barack Obama's race on assessments of his performance in the White House.

Koepp decamps Newsweek, returns to Time Inc.  —  Turns out, you can go home again.  —  Time Inc. raided Tina Brown and Newsweek to bring Steve Koepp back inside the tent as editorial director of its fledgling book unit, Time Home Entertainment, Inc.  —  The news created a buzz among …

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 …

Badminton's New Dress Code Is Being Criticized as Sexist  —  In an attempt to revive flagging interest in women's badminton as the 2012 London Olympics approach, officials governing the sport have decided that its female athletes need to appear more, how to put it, womanly.

Dayton vetoes voter ID  —  While rejecting the photo ID bill, he ordered up a panel to look for ways to improve elections.  —  Saying that election reform measures should reflect a broad bipartisan consensus, Gov. Mark Dayton Thursday slapped down a GOP bill that would have required voters to present a photo ID at the polls.