Obama and Boehner Close to Major Deal, Officials Say  —  WASHINGTON —The Obama administration has informed Democratic Congressional leaders that President Obama and Speaker John A. Boehner were starting to close in on a major budget deal that would enact substantial spending cuts …

Pentagon to Certify It is Ready to End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'  —  Top defense officials plan to certify Friday that the Pentagon is ready to end the ban on gays serving openly in the military, officials said, a landmark moment after almost two decades of controversy.

Workers: Heat Lamps Shined On Hyatt Hotel Picket Line  —  CHICAGO (CBS) — Union workers say someone turned on the heat lamps in blazing hot broad daylight Thursday, as they walked a picket line in front of the Park Hyatt Hotel.  —  As WBBM Newsradio 780's Mike Krauser reports …

1937!  1937!  1937!  —  The Telegraph has a leaked draft of the eurozone rescue plan for Greece.  The financial engineering is Rube Goldbergish and unconvincing.  But here's what leaped out at me: … OK, so we're going to demand harsh austerity in the debt-crisis countries; and meanwhile …

Allen West Refuses To Apologize, Blames Military Background For His Insulting Remarks  —  Facing a barrage of criticism, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) remains defiant and says he won't apologize to DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) for a disparaging email in which he called her “vile …

Widower to Conservative Org: I Won't Be Needing Your Services  —  Ron Wallen, who testified at Wednesday's Senate DOMA hearing  —  During Wednesday's historic Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Defense of Marriage Act, Ron Wallen, a 77-year-old veteran and resident of Indio, Calif. …

Gay ‘Barbarians’ Demand Ex-Gay ‘Discipline’ From Bachmann Clinic  —  Today a group of gay “barbarians” descended upon Marcus Bachmann's Christian counseling center to protest the harmful ex-gay therapy offered there.  During a radio interview in 2010, Bachmann compared gay people to “barbarians” who need to be “disciplined.”

Huntsman campaign manager Susie Wiles resigns  —  Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman's (R) presidential campaign manager, Susie Wiles, is resigning and will be replaced by communications director Matt David, according to the campaign.  —  Huntsman is announcing the changes to his staff at a meeting this afternoon.

Out from under the anti-tax pledge  —  WITH A HANDFUL of exceptions, every Republican member of Congress has signed a pledge against increasing taxes.  Would allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire as scheduled in 2012 violate this vow?  We posed this question to Grover Norquist …

U.S. loses $1.3 billion in exiting Chrysler  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — U.S. taxpayers likely lost $1.3 billion in the government bailout of Chrysler, the Treasury Department announced Thursday.  —  The government recently sold its remaining 6% stake in the company to Italian automaker Fiat …

Pawlenty Runs into Trouble with Use of ‘Miracle on Ice’ Footage in New TV Ad  —  ABC News' Matthew Jaffe (@matthewbjaffe) reports:  —  Miracle on Ice?  Try Mess-up on Air.  —  In his new TV ad “The American Comeback” Tim Pawlenty hoped to position himself as a tenacious underdog …

G.O.P. Governors Swing Right, Leaving Voters Behind  —  If the states are laboratories of democracy, then the Republican Party's research pipeline has run dry.  Moderate Republican governors, a thriving species before last year's elections, are all but extinct.

Barack Obama is gutting the core principles of the Democratic party  —  The president's attacks on America's social safety net are destroying the soul of the Democratic party's platform  —  In 2005, American liberals achieved one of their most significant political victories of the last decade.

Credit agencies warn GOP of ‘death spiral’  —  House Republicans were warned Thursday in a closed door meeting with credit rating agency officials that a “death spiral” in the bond market was possible in the event of default.  —  One official warned that a default on the nation's credit …

Rick Perry Accuses Obama Of Leaving Astronauts To ‘Hitchhike Into Space’  —  ABC News' Michael Falcone (@michaelpfalcone) reports:  —  As America bids farewell to the space shuttle era on Thursday, likely presidential candidate Rick Perry appears none too pleased with the Obama administration …

Sharpton Appears to Win Anchor Spot on MSNBC  —  After giving a nearly six-month tryout for the Internet talk show host Cenk Uygur, the cable news channel MSNBC is preparing to instead hand its 6 p.m. time slot to the Rev. Al Sharpton.  —  Mr. Sharpton's imminent hiring …

Gallup Pollster: Obama's Ratings Higher Than You'd Expect  —  If Ronald Reagan was the Teflon President, Barack Obama may be the Kevlar President — bad news can bruise him, but none can pierce his armor to cause any severe damage to his approval ratings.  —  That's according to Gallup Editor …

Williams on NPR: Elitist and white  —  No single person has had a greater impact on National Public Radio in the past year than Juan Williams.  —  The political wildfire started by his firing ultimately took down the media organization's CEO, top news executive and top fundraiser …

Mitt Romney's Fundraising Pitch: What He Tells High Rollers Behind Closed Doors  —  ABC News' Shushannah Walshe reports (@shushwalshe) reports:  —  Mitt Romney was back in New York City Tuesday evening trying to reel in more cash for his campaign, holding top dollar events at The Pierre …

It's Hotter Than It Used to Be; It's Not as Hot as It's Going to Be  —  Holy crap it's hot.  People, animals, and crops are dying.  —  But not only is it hot, it's hotter than it used to be.  And it's our fault.  Welcome to the future of climate change.