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).

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 …

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.

Michele Bachmann- Obama “Waving a Tar Baby in the Air”  —  During our sit-down interview with Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Bachmann skewered President Obama's energy policy and his farcical view of energy “independence.”  —  Bachmann said that Obama doesn't know “zilch about the economy …

Allen West backs Ted Nugent  —  Ted Nugent doesn't bear “any ill will” toward President Barack Obama, Rep. Allen West said Thursday despite the rocker's appointment with the Secret Service over his controversial comments.  —  “I think he was just expressing maybe his opinion about something …

Marco Rubio Says He Would Turn Down VP Slot If Asked  —  Sen. Marco Rubio said today he would decline any offer from Mitt Romney to be a part of the GOP ticket this fall.  —  “I don't want to be the vice president,” the Florida Republican said during an interview with Major Garrett of the National Journal.

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” …

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.

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.

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 …

Sarkozy Re-election Bid in Trouble  —  PARIS — The candidate — energetic, bold, indefatigable — is confident, sure he will win, pulling energy from his big crowds.  —  “Take your destiny in your hands!”  Nicolas Sarkozy shouted to the 100,000 or so who came to the Place de la Concorde for him last Sunday.

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.

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 …

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.