Obama holds key leads on Romney, as economy malaise looms over reelection bid  —  With the general-election campaign beginning to take shape, President Obama holds clear advantages over Mitt Romney on personal attributes and a number of key issues, but remains vulnerable to discontent …

George W. Bush: I Wish They Weren't Called The Bush Tax Cuts  —  Former U.S. President George W. Bush called for pro-growth tax policies to create a more robust private sector Tuesday morning in a rare public appearance.  —  Growing the public sector is easy, Bush said, “just raise taxes.”

Health-care law will add $340 billion to deficit, new study finds  —  President Obama's landmark health-care initiative, long touted as a means to control costs, will actually add more than $340 billion to the nation's budget woes over the next decade, according to a new study by a member of the board that oversees Medicare financing.

BREAKING: George Zimmerman Launches Website, Features Vandalized Black Cultural Center  —  According to NBC News correspondent Mara Schiavocampo, George Zimmerman has launched a new website: … On the website — therealgeorgezimmerman.com — Zimmerman solicits donations to support his “living expenses and legal defense.”

Buffett rule not solution to debt, W.H. says  —  The Obama administration is emphasizing “fairness” over deficit reduction in its renewed pitch for the “Buffett rule” ahead of next week's scheduled Senate vote.  —  Introducing a minimum 30 percent income tax on millionaires …

Report Disputes Christie's Basis for Halting Tunnel  —  Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey exaggerated when he declared that unforeseen costs to the state were forcing him to cancel the new train tunnel planned to relieve congested routes across the Hudson River, according to a long-awaited report …

Food Stamp Program Crucial to Alleviating Poverty  —  Lessons: Unemployed men in soup kitchen, c. 1936 (National Archives)  —  Now that we've exposed the flaws from cutting welfare so it cannot provide adequate benefits during an historically bad recession, we can gather a new appreciation …

Corruption Responsible for 80% of Your Cell Phone Bill  —  Last year, a new company called Lightsquared promised an innovative business model that would dramatically lower cell phone costs and improve the quality of service, threatening the incumbent phone operators like AT&T and Verizon.

Paul Ryan Claims Secret Democratic Support  —  They'd come out for his budget but fear they'd “get killed.  Ryan on Romney: An “earnest ... throwback to the '50s.  Ryan with Romney on April 3.  —  (Getty Images / Scott Olson)  —  House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan told reporters in New York today …

Ashley Judd Slaps Media in the Face for Speculation Over Her ‘Puffy’ Appearance  —  Ashley Judd's ‘puffy’ appearance sparked a viral media frenzy.  But, the actress writes, the conversation is really a misogynistic assault on all women.  —  The Conversation about women's bodies exists largely outside …

Obama faces pressure over same-sex marriage  —  As the Democratic Party considers adding support for the issue to its official platform, the president is urged to give his blessing.  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama, who has fended off questions about his position on same-sex marriage …

How Romney can solve his woman problem  —  Mitt Romney's electoral trouble with women — more precisely with college-educated women — is real enough.  Recent polling has Romney trailing President Obama by 18 points among this group in Ohio, with similar gaps in other battleground states.

Study suggests students grow less interested in promoting racial understanding  —  By  —  One stereotype about college is that the experience encourages students to be more interested in diversity and promoting racial understanding.  To some this is a great virtue of higher education …

Gates Foundation Will Withdraw Support for ALEC Nonprofit  —  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation today became the latest backer to withdraw financial support for the American Legislative Exchange Council.  —  A foundation spokesman told Roll Call that it does not plan to make future grants …

The Two Economies  —  The creative dynamism of American business is astounding and a little terrifying.  Over the past five years, amid turmoil and uncertainty, American businesses have shed employees, becoming more efficient and more productive.  According to The Wall Street Journal on Monday …

IPT Exclusive: State Department Barred Inspection of Muslim Brotherhood Delegation  —  The State Department broke with normal procedures last week when it ordered the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) not to conduct a secondary inspection on members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom …

America's Debt Is Greater than Entire Eurozone's (and U.K.'s) Combined Debt  —  The Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee will release this chart later today, clearly showing that America's debt is greater than the combined debt of the entire Eurozone and the U.K.:

The end of my white guilt  —  My white guilt died on Good Friday, April 6, 2012.  That was the day my bike got stolen.  —  I was at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for the Stations of the Cross — the pre-Easter Catholic ritual of recounting the events …

Pryor will not actively campaign for Obama  —  U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said he will not actively campaign in Arkansas for President Barack Obama during the 2012 general election cycle.  —  Pryor noted his unwillingness to support the Obama, the titular head of the Democratic Party …