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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Perry says he will consider White House run  —  Gov. Rick Perry today gave his strongest indication yet that he may run for president.  —  “I'm going to think about it” after the legislative session ends Monday, Perry said.  —  For years, Perry has said that he would not run for president and that he had no interest.

Tim Pawlenty's Doing It Wrong  —  Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty continues to be the paper candidate who just can't catch fire.  This is often attributed to him being “boring” but Allen McDuffie's reporting on the reaction to his big speech at the libertarian Cato Institute makes …

Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann size each other up  —  Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann are nominally allies, two maverick conservative women who are among the GOP's brightest stars.  —  Telegenic pols with devoted followings, both appeal to the tea party faithful and would make strong runs …

Herman Cain: Federal Reserve Chairman, Tea Party Champion  —  The businessman's tenure with the Kansas City Fed should make for interesting debates with anti-Fed stalwart Ron Paul  —  There's no question that Herman Cain is the big winner in the the latest national Gallup poll …

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.

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 …

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.) …

A Supreme conflict of interest  —  Judicial Watch, a public-interest watch dog group, just unearthed a cache of e- mails showing that Elena Kagan participated in preparing the government's defense of ObamaCare during her time as President Obama's solicitor general.

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 …

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 …