EXCLUSIVE: Robert Zimmerman interview  —  LAKE MARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - For the first time since that fateful night on February 26, the father of a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager sat down for a television interview.  —  Robert Zimmerman …

Judicial activists in the Supreme Court  —  Three days of Supreme Court arguments over the health-care law demonstrated for all to see that conservative justices are prepared to act as an alternative legislature, diving deeply into policy details as if they were members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Obama budget defeated 414-0  —  President Obama's budget was defeated 414-0 in the House late Wednesday, in a vote Republicans arranged to try to embarrass him and shelve his plan for the rest of the year.  —  The vote came as the House worked its way through its own fiscal year 2013 budget proposal …

Sheldon Adelson on Newt: 'He's at the end of his line'  —  Sheldon Adelson, who with wife Miri, has given more than $15 million to the Newt Gingrich Super PAC Winning Our Future, said Monday he believes Gingrich is “at the end of his line” regarding the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Wonkbook: House reaches bipartisan deal to reject Simpson-Bowles  —  Of late, there have been a number of efforts to reconstruct the debt deal that President Obama and Speaker Boehner almost agreed on in August.  At the Post, Peter Wallsten, Lori Montgomery and Scott Wilson published one two weeks ago.

The Early Outlook for the 2012 Congressional Elections: A Forecasting Perspective  —  In today's Crystal Ball, Alan Abramowitz — whose election models are among the best in the business — provides an early look at what they tell us about the race for the House and the Senate.

Obama outspends Republican campaigns by millions  —  CHICAGO (AP) — With Republicans locked in a contentious and expensive primary, President Barack Obama has spent a small fortune in recent months to build and maintain a campaign operation that is larger, more diverse and more focused …

Limbaugh sees heat over comments turn down to a simmer  —  View Photo Gallery — Rush Limbaugh is no stranger to controversial statements: A month after conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a “slut,” the heat on him is fading.

Senate defeats Dem measure to nix ‘Big Oil’ tax breaks, 51-47  —  The Senate on Thursday thwarted Democratic plans to strip billions of dollars in tax breaks from the largest oil companies, just an hour or so after President Obama urged the chamber to kill off the deductions.

Israel's Secret Staging Ground  —  U.S. officials believe that the Israelis have gained access to airbases in Azerbaijan.  Does this bring them one step closer to a war with Iran?  —  In 2009, the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. embassy in Baku, Donald Lu, sent a cable …

Rick Santorum Tells Boy Not to Use Pink Bowling Ball  —  Washington - At a campaign event at a bowling alley in Wisconsin today, GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told a boy who reached for a pink bowling ball: “You're not gonna use the pink ball.  We're not gonna let you do that.  Not on camera.”