EXCLUSIVE: First photos of Colombia escort in explosive Secret Service hooker scandal  —  24-year-old single mom is known as Dania, she says agent offered $30 for $800 service  —  CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA - The Daily News can reveal the first photo of the 24-year-old Colombian call girl whose encounter …

Big Lead With Women Gives Obama An Edge On Romney, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Christie, Rubio, Ryan Top GOP Running Mate List  —  President Barack Obama holds a thin 46 - 42 percent lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

Cantor Suggests Anti-Semitism Is A Problem Within The House GOP Caucus  —  A few weeks ago, the House GOP was up in arms over House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-VA) $25,000 donation to anti-incumbent candidate Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who ultimately defeated his opponent, incumbent Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL).

Romney's Cookie Comment Bites Back  —  In a campaign stop Tuesday outside Pittsburgh, Mitt Romney made what many locals considered a tasteless remark about cookies from a local landmark bakery. … Mr. Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, met with four couples …

New Account: Zimmerman Told Cops Trayvon's Last Words Were ‘Okay, You Got It’  —  In exclusive reporting from Sanford, Fla., Aram Roston offers a new inside account of what Zimmerman told police after the shooting.  —  Last December, George Zimmerman hosted a small gathering at a clubhouse in Lake Mary, Florida.

How Much “Violence Against Women” Do Republicans Support?  —  If you've been following the debate in the Senate over the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, you know that Republicans are complaining that they don't want the act to expire, but object to “poison pills” …

Bachmann's “Tar Baby”  —  Ah, Michelle Bachmann, we've missed you!  The fiery wingnut from Minnesota has not been much in the public spotlight since her presidential campaign crashed and burned, and she has given way to multiple members of the Class of 2010 as a symbol of extremism in the U.S. House.

Levon Helm, Drummer in the Band, Dies at 71  —  Levon Helm, who helped forge a deep-rooted American music as the drummer and singer for the Band, died on Thursday in Manhattan.  He was 71 and lived in Woodstock, N.Y.  —  His death was announced by a spokeswoman for Vanguard Records, for which he had recorded several albums.

François Hollande builds lead as Nicolas Sarkozy allies admit writing is on the wall  —  Poll saying socialist could win by 14 per cent leaves right wing in despair  —  NOTE: WE DO NOT STORE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS(ES) BUT YOUR IP ADDRESS WILL BE LOGGED TO PREVENT ABUSE OF THIS FEATURE.

What Newt Gingrich Lost by Running for President  —  His almost certainly failed campaign for the Republican nomination leaves his stature diminished — and his empire in shambles.  —  LANCASTER, Penn.  — Newt Gingrich has gotten noticeably fatter over the course of his campaign.

Obama warns GOP not to move spending bills that break debt deal  —  The Obama administration on Wednesday stated for the first time that the president will not sign any 2013 spending bills until the House abandons the spending levels in Rep. Paul Ryan's budget.

Dogfight over Obama's dog-meat-eating childhood joined by White House  —  Proving that election fights can unleash the worst jokes, the White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday that conservatives gleefully noting that President Barack Obama was fed dog meat as a child in Indonesia were just …

Leon Panetta: U.S. ‘within an inch of war’  —  Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Wednesday that the United States was “within an inch of war almost every day” in the region around North Korea.  —  “We're within an inch of war almost every day in that part of the world …

Pollster's Phone Call Saves NYC Woman's Life  —  Bobby Berlin was going into diabetic shock when she answered the call from Marist pollsters  —  When pollsters call, people usually don't want to answer — but for one Upper West Side woman, the call from Marist College pollsters helped save her life.

The coming conservative landslide  —  Wishful liberals and Chicken Little conservatives who watch the weekly fluctuations in the presidential polls have concluded that President Obama is a shoo-in for re-election.  They point out that Mitt Romney, the likely Republican nominee …

Lorain officials question use of gypsum plant as Romney backdrop  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - Nearly four years after National Gypsum shuttered its drywall plant in Lorain, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will reuse the facility on Henderson Drive as a backdrop for his message …

Raese: Smoking regs like Hitler's Jewish star  —  Lots of Senate candidates rail against onerous government regulations.  But West Virginia Republican John Raese , who's looking to knock off Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, took it to another level recently at the Putnam County Lincoln Day dinner.

Gov. Mitt Romney to deliver 2012 Commencement address  —  Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. announced today that Gov. Mitt Romney will address Liberty University graduates at the 2012 Commencement ceremony to be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 12, at Arthur L. Williams Stadium.