Seized Phone Offers Clues to Bin Laden's Pakistani Links  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The cellphone of Osama bin Laden's trusted courier, which was recovered in the raid that killed both men in Pakistan last month, contained contacts to a militant group that is a longtime asset …

Obama Addresses New York Marriage Equality Bill At LGBT Fundraiser: Issue Best Left To States  —  President Obama spoke at an LGBT fundraiser this evening in New York City, just as the New York Senate prepares to take up marriage equality legislation.  Obama addressed the measure directly …

Airline to Jewish rumor: ‘Delta does not discriminate.’  —  Earlier today some Jewish and Christian readers in the blogosphere were fired up about stories that Delta Airlines, in its new alliance with Saudi Arabian Airlines, might wind up enforcing a Saudi policy of not admitting Iraelis …

New Jersey Lawmakers Approve Benefits Rollback for Work Force  —  TRENTON — New Jersey lawmakers on Thursday approved a broad rollback of benefits for 750,000 government workers and retirees, the deepest cut in state and local costs in memory, in a major victory for Gov. Chris Christie …

Politicians Who Fear the Public Light  —  As we wrote this editorial on Thursday evening, we were still waiting for the New York State Senate to do what it should have done long ago — end a basic inequality under the law by allowing same-sex couples the full right to marry.

Commander In Chief Misspeaks About Soldier Killed in Afghanistan  —  During his remarks to troops at Fort Drum today, the President was reminiscing about the times he has spent with the US Army's 10th Mountain Division, when he got something wrong. … The problem is, Jared Monti was killed in action in Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006.

McConnell: GOP Would Not Voice Opposition To Libya Campaign If Obama Was A Republican  —  The NATO-led air campaign in Libya is causing a significant rift within the GOP.  House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), and House Republicans have said the U.S. involvement violates …

Thaddeus McCotter Creates Chaos At Straw Poll Auction  —  At today's Iowa Straw Poll land auction, participating campaigns were surprised by a mystery participant who would not state which campaign she was representing.  —  Kellie Paschke, a lobbyist whose clients include Iowans for Tax Relief …

Fighting Words: DeMint Warns Republicans They May Be ‘Gone’ if They Support Debt Ceiling Increase  —  Jonathan Karl interviews Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. (ABC News)  —  Conservative firebrand Sen. Jim DeMint has a message to fellow Republicans in Congress: If you support increasing …

Explaining ‘Penny Wise, Pound Foolish’ to Rand Paul  —  A Senate subcommittee held a hearing this week on funding the existing Older Americans Act, including a $2 billion investment to prevent senior hunger.  The panel, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), explored how the government can actually save money through these investments.

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  Remember the flap over foreign ships and the Deepwater Horizon cleanup?  —  Soon after the Deepwater Horizon disaster began, with raw crude pumping out of the seabed into the Gulf of Mexico in the worst oil spill in American history, foreign nations began offering help with the clean up.

Obama, as suspected, disregarded the Afghan troop drawdown recommendation of Gen. Petraeus  —  Testifying before a Senate committee today, the commander of allied forces in Afghanistan confirmed under oath what many had suspected:  —  In his speech Wednesday evening, President Obama disregarded …

Reps. Barney Frank, Ron Paul want to end federal ban on marijuana, cede enforcement to states  —  WASHINGTON — Two House members introduced a bill Thursday that would remove marijuana from the list of federal controlled substances and cede to the states enforcement of laws governing pot.

Geithner: Taxes on ‘Small Business’ Must Rise So Government Doesn't ‘Shrink’  —  (CNSNews.com) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told the House Small Business Committee on Wednesday that the Obama administration believes taxes on small business must increase so the administration does not have to …

Perry gets tepid response at Latino convention  —  Gov. Rick Perry received a tepid response when he addressed the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials on Thursday, joking about the pronunciation of a Hispanic appointee's last name and frequently staring blankly …

Obama to announce $500M manufacturing investment initiative  —  President Obama on Friday will announce the launch of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), an initiative that would provide more than $500 million to encourage investments in promising technologies.

President Obama struggles with economic message  —  President Barack Obama isn't just grasping for ways to jolt the flailing economy.  —  He's struggling simply to find the right words to talk about it.  —  A growing number of Democratic strategists — including Obama senior campaign adviser David Axelrod …