National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product, 1st quarter 2012 (advance estimate)  —  Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States — increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012 …

House Defies Veto Threat on Hacking Bill  —  WASHINGTON — Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House on Thursday passed a bill that encourages intelligence agencies and businesses to share information about threats to computer systems, including attacks on American Web sites by hackers in China and other countries.

Why Jeb Bush doesn't want veep  —  He's the GOP vice presidential pick that Democrats fear most — a brassy choice who would likely deliver his crucial home state, boost the ticket with Hispanics and Catholics and appeal to both conservatives and independents.  —  The problem: Jeb Bush apparently doesn't want the job.

'80s Band Contemplating Legal Action Against Rove Group  —  An Obama-bashing commercial by Karl Rove's Super PAC appears to sample from an '80s electronica hit — but Yello did not approve this message.  —  Swiss band Yello  —  Source: s3-ak.buzzfed.com  —  Swiss electronica band …

Death of a Fairy Tale  —  This was the month the confidence fairy died.  —  For the past two years most policy makers in Europe and many politicians and pundits in America have been in thrall to a destructive economic doctrine.  According to this doctrine, governments should respond …

Obama Web ad says Romney wouldn't have ordered bin Laden raid  —  President Obama's campaign is using Bill Clinton to argue Mitt Romney would not have launched the raid to capture Osama bin Laden last year.  —  The argument is being made to coincide with the one-year anniversary of bin Laden's death.

Obama administration scraps child labor restrictions for farms  —  The Labor Department withdrew a proposed rule Thursday that would have limited the work that children can perform on farms.  —  The proposal drew heavy criticism from rural-state lawmakers and agricultural leaders …

Anheuser-Busch Warns UFC About Fighters' Sexist, Homophobic Comments  —  Major Sponsor Threatens Action ‘If Incidents Continue’  —  Anheuser-Busch, a major sponsor of Ultimate Fighting Championship, has reprimanded the mixed-martial arts organization for remarks made by some fighters.

Morning Jay: Obama's Standing With Swing Voters Is Weak  —  On Wednesday I argued that only a tiny swath of the actual electorate - maybe 10 percent - will be up for grabs in November.  Today, I want to answer the obvious follow-up question: what are these voters thinking?

Nebraska battle complicates GOP effort to retake Senate  —  The Senate Republican primary in Nebraska has turned into a proxy war between conservatives and establishment Republicans that could complicate efforts to wrest control of the Senate from Democrats.

EPA Official Has History of Unfair Attacks on Oil and Gas  —  Last night, Region 6 EPA Administrator Al Armendariz released an apology for comparing his agency regulating oil and gas companies to Roman centurions crucifying villagers:  —  I apologize to those I have offended and regret my poor choice of words.

Spanish economy in “huge crisis” after credit downgrade  —  (Reuters) - Spain's sickly economy faces a “crisis of huge proportions”, a minister said on Friday, as unemployment hit its highest level in two decades and Standard and Poor's weighed in with a two-notch downgrade of the government's debt.

Insanity: CISPA Just Got Way Worse, And Then Passed On Rushed Vote  —  Up until this afternoon, the final vote on CISPA was supposed to be tomorrow.  Then, abruptly, it was moved up today—and the House voted in favor of its passage with a vote of 248-168.  But that's not even the worst part.

Clinton Backers Wait for Obama's to Cut Checks for Super-PAC  —  Bill and Hillary Clinton's network of political donors has a message for President Barack Obama's longtime backers when it comes to multi-million dollar contributions — you first.  —  Through March, only 12 of Obama's 532 top fundraisers …

Scott Brown releases tax returns; Dems cry foul on his ‘everyman’ image  —  Six years of tax returns released Friday by Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) showed that his income has grown significantly since becoming a senator in 2010, prompting Democrats to cry foul on the “everyman” image Brown has promoted.

ALEC Has Special Exemption In South Carolina's Lobbying Law … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Video, ALEC Stand Your Ground, Alec, Alec Common Cause, Alec Lobbying, Alec Lobbyists, Alec South Carolina, Alec Voter Id, American Legislative Exchange Council, Common Cause, Politics News