APNewsBreak: Gingrich campaign finance team quits  —  ATLANTA — The top fundraisers for Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign have abandoned his struggling bid amid anemic fundraising and heavy spending.  —  Campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond is confirming to The Associated Press …

W.H. flags Drudge-mocked transcript  —  When laughter turns to applause: Welcome to the White House  —  The Drudge Report Tuesday morning cheekily linked to an official White House transcript of President Obama's remarks from a fundraiser the night before, which noted the audience laughing at his jobs claims.

Huntsman's Paltry Crowds  —  A few weeks ago, I was up in New Hampshire for Jon Huntsman's maiden swing through the state as a possible — it's now official — presidential candidate.  The rest of the national press corps seemed to be there, too.  At many of the events, we reporters outnumbered actual voters, sometimes vastly.

Straight Talk From Top Enlisted Marine on 'Don't Ask' Repeal  —  The Command Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the service's top non-commissioned officer, is supposed to be tough, hard-charging — and more than a little intimidating. … In that respect, Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett …

John McCain, John Kerry introduce Libya resolution  —  Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced a resolution Tuesday that would give President Barack Obama the green light to continue limited military operations in Libya.  —  The language of the proposal has more teeth …

Senate unanimously approves Panetta as new Defense chief  —  The Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved Leon Panetta's nomination to become the next Defense secretary.  —  Panetta, the current CIA chief, is expected to be sworn in by July 1.  He immediately will inherit a military fighting …

Cigarette Health Warnings  —  Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States.  These warnings mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are a significant advancement …

AP NewsBreak: A twist in Obama's health care law  —  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's health care law would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed.

Five Points in Perry's Favor  —  Five reasons you might like to see Rick Perry get into the GOP primary race?  Easy.  How about 1.  Mitt Romney; 2.  Tim Pawlenty; 3.  Michele Bachmann; 4.  Herman Cain; 5.  Ron Paul?  Here's five more: Boeing, eBay, DynaPump, SunPower, Fluor.

Huntsman Campaign Launch Begins Day with Misspelling of His Own Name  —  ABC News' Sarah Kunin (@Sarah_Kunin) reports:  —  Every detail of Jon Huntsman's long-awaited campaign launch was meticulously planned, except of course for one minor detail: the misspelling of the candidate's name.

Bristol Palin Reveals True Feelings About the McCains, ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ Levi Johnston and More  —  From Levi Johnston to Meghan McCain, Bristol Palin has been put off by a lot of people.  —  In her upcoming memoir, “Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far,” the 20-year-old daughter …

Stunning result, twice  —  The result stunned poll director Mark DiCamillo, who said he initially dismissed as an aberration a similar outcome in a March poll that had one of the state's most-popular politicians falling so far from favor.  The nonpartisan Field Poll is considered one of the most reliable surveys in the state.

PIMCO Founder To Deficit-Obsessed Congress: Get Back To Reality  —  One of the most influential investors in the world of finance has a message for lawmakers — particularly conservative lawmakers — on Capitol Hill: rejoin the real world.  —  In a prospectus for clients, Bill Gross …

Indiana Law Forces Planned Parenthood Clinics To Close And Stop Treating Thousands Of Medicaid Patients  —  In it's comprehensive campaign against women's reproductive rights, Republican lawmakers have turned Planned Parenthood into the touchstone for anti-choice efforts.

Libertarians Aren't All Selfish Jerks  —  They're said to only care about themselves.  So why do they toil for other people's freedom?  —  With the U.S. waging multiple wars, the federal government bigger in size and scope than ever before, and civil liberties under unprecedented attack …

Upper West Side Bagel Legend to Close … At 80th Street and Broadway, the sign is already gone but the aroma of freshly baked bagels still lingers.  —  Inhale it fast, Upper West Siders, because this is it: H & H Bagels, a Sunday stalwart for generations, will close Wednesday.

Blue State Schools: The Shame of a Nation  —  When it come to excellence in education, red states rule — at least according to a panel of experts assembled by Tina Brown's Newsweek.  Using a set of indicators ranging from graduation rate to college admissions and SAT scores …

Olbermann beats CNN in the demo  —  Ratings for splashy debuts should be taken with a grain of salt - especially ones as heavily promoted as Keith Olbermann's debut on Current TV last night - but even with that grain, Current's big bet on Olbermann is looking sound.

McCain scoffs at idea of a second presidential run  —  WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain is brushing aside any questions about whether he might ultimately decide to run for president again in 2012.  —  McCain was asked in an NBC “Today” show interview whether he'd get into the sweepstakes …

Pawlenty buys ads in Iowa  —  Tim Pawlenty will become the first Republican candidate to launch a major media buy in Iowa.  —  Pawlenty is going up with ads in the first-in-the-nation caucus state starting tomorrow on Fox News with a buy just under $50,000 in the Cedar Rapids, Des Moines …

Santorum on Holder: 'Maybe he's eating mushrooms'  —  Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Attorney General Eric Holder has to be high to want to try terrorists in civilian courts.  —  “He must be under some influence because he certainly isn't thinking clearly,” Santorum said Tuesday.

The GOP Myth of ‘Job-Killing’ Spending  —  Drastic expenditure cuts would imperil a shaky economy that still isn't generating enough jobs.  —  It was the British economist John Maynard Keynes who famously wrote that ideas, “both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood.

Tim Pawlenty to bring back ‘Obamneycare’  —  Republican primary voters haven't heard the last of “Obamneycare.”  —  Tim Pawlenty said Tuesday he plans to keep using the term, which he first used to whack Mitt Romney over his health care record on the eve of last week's GOP presidential primary debate.

Assembly passes concealed carry bill; sends it to Walker  —  By Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - Wisconsin stands on the verge of becoming the 49th state in the country to allow citizens to carry concealed guns, after the state Assembly voted to legalize that practice Tuesday.

Report: Weiner's seat to be filled on Sept. 13  —  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will call a special election on Sept. 13 to fill former Rep. Anthony Weiner's seat, WNBC-TV reporter Andrew Siff reported.  —  Siff tweeted that the date to replace the Democratic lawmaker who resigned …

Trendspotting: Will Law School Start Decreasing The Supply of Unemployable New Lawyers?  —  What is this, a law school for ants?  —  If the American Bar Association was serious about protecting its members, it'd be trying to do something to stop the influx of market-depressing new attorneys.