Obama tries to box in House GOP  —  President Obama stopped by the White House briefing room, offering an update on the status of the debt-ceiling process.  I've seen some reports suggesting the president endorsed the Gang of Six's compromise, but that's not quite what he said, and it seems to miss the point of Obama's comments.

Allen West tirade: Wasserman Schultz ‘vile...despicable...not a Lady’  —  Florida GOP Congressman Allen West this afternoon dispatched a scathing personal email to Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, calling her “vile, unprofessional ,and despicable,” “a coward …

Franken Destoys Focus On The Family Witness, Exposes Misuse Of HHS Study  —  During this morning's Senate DOMA hearings, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) destroyed Focus on the Family's Tom Minnery's argument that children are better off with opposite-sex parents by demonstrating how Minnery misrepresented an HHS study.

Democratic senator Hansen retains seat in recall attempt  —  Tea party activist, attorney are winners in Republican primaries  —  By Tom Tolan, Lee Bergquist and Georgia Pabst of the Journal Sentinel  —  Democratic state Sen. Dave Hansen of Green Bay was the first of nine state senators …

Report: Obama top recipient of News Corp. donations  —  Political donations by News Corp., its employees and their families were evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, with President Obama the all-time leading recipient, according to a report from the Sunlight Foundation.

Cost-Cutters, Except When the Spending Is Back Home  —  WASHINGTON — Freshman House Republicans who rode a wave of voter discontent into office last year vowed to stop out-of-control spending, but that has not stopped several of them from quietly trying to funnel millions of federal dollars into projects back home.

State Dept. contract officer steers $52 million to secret husband, daughter  —  A special investigation by The Daily Caller has discovered that a State Department contract specialist participated in awarding more than $52 million in taxpayer-funded contracts to a company owned and operated by her husband and daughter.

At this Point, Anyone with an Obama 2012 Bumper Sticker is a Threat to the Gene Pool  —  Greetings to our constituents, fellow Floridians, and all Americans, here we are for another weekly update.  There is only one word that describes the past week: appalling.

GOP Rep. Walsh Yells At Chris Matthews: 'Obama Doesn't Send A Thrill Up My Leg'  —  Add today's debate between Chris Matthews and Republican Congressman Joe Walsh to the Hardball hall of fame for the most exciting and in-your-face political discussions ever recorded.

Romney as Job Creator Clashes with Bain Record of Job Cuts  —  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign misses few opportunities to promote his record creating jobs, including his role in taking Staples Inc. (SPLS) from a start-up to the world's largest office-supply retailer.

U.S. to Close 800 Computer Data Centers  —  The federal government plans to shut 40 percent of its computer centers over the next four years to reduce its hefty technology budget and modernize the way it uses computers to manage data and provide services to citizens.

A Dodd-Frank Retreat Deserves a Veto  —  Only six congressional Republicans crossed the aisle to support reform one year ago.  The GOP is still working to thwart change.  —  Two and a half years ago, with our country on the edge of a second Great Depression, we met with the president …

Finally, Minnesota open for business  —  Minnesota's legislature approved a budget deal in the early hours of Wednesday morning that will end the state's 20-day government shutdown - the longest ever in a state - once Gov. Mark Dayton signs it later in the day.

Man's call for Obama assassination is free speech, not crime, court rules  —  A La Mesa man who posted racial epithets and a call to “shoot” Barack Obama on an Internet chat site was engaging in constitutionally protected free speech, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday in overturning his criminal conviction.

Post-ABC poll: GOP too dug in on debt talks; public fears default consequences  —  Majorities of Americans see both President Obama and congressional Republicans as not willing enough to compromise in their budget negotiations, but the public views the GOP leaders as particularly intransigent …