Mitt Romney Meets With Conservative Media Off The Record … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Video, Ann Romney, Daily Caller, National Review, Washington Examiner, Conservative Media, Media News, Mitt Romney 2012, Powerline, Reince Priebus, Right Wing News …

Activist Chen Guangcheng: Let Me Leave China on Hillary Clinton's Plane  —  In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast's Melinda Liu, blind dissident Chen Guangcheng says he's been abandoned by American officials at a Chinese hospital and begs to leave the country on Hillary Clinton's plane.

Video: The freaky quadruple deaky “tanning mom” clip  —  It's come to this.  —  Via Mediaite, I've been looking around all day for a palate cleanser.  And now, at last, I've found it.  Trust me: Whatever you have on your news palate right now, this'll clean it right out.  Doesn't matter how important it is.

Barry's Imaginary Girlfriend  —  There has been a lot of hilarity today over the revelation that the “New York girlfriend” who plays a significant role in Barack Obama's autobiography Dreams From My Father did not, strictly speaking, exist.  Rather, she was a composite or “compression” …

Behind Richard Grenell's Departure, a Right-Wing Storm  —  It was the biggest moment yet for Mitt Romney's foreign policy team: a conference call last Thursday, dialed into by dozens of news outlets from around the globe, to dissect and denounce President's Obama record on national security.

Gilbert mass killing: Border militia leader identified as shooter  —  A border militia leader on Wednesday shot and killed four people at a Gilbert home, including a toddler, before committing suicide, sources said.  —  Sources identified the shooter as Jason “J.T.” Ready …

FRIENDLY FIRE: OCCUPIER HITS OCCUPIER WITH BRICK TO FACE  —  Yesterday afternoon, San Francisco protesters returned to 888 Turk Street, a vacant building they briefly occupied last month.  After re-occupying the vacant building Tuesday, some members of the group climbed onto the roof …

MAY DAY PROTESTORS CANNOT EXPLAIN THEIR SIGNS OR THEIR CAUSE  —  Yesterday at Chicago's Union Park for the May Day march, I found group of protesters from the Asociación de Vendedores Ambulantes (Street Vendors Association) holding signs from the Chicago Community and Workers' Rights.

Senators urge Village Voice to pull online sex ads  —  A group of senators has introduced a resolution urging Village Voice Media to take down the “adult entertainment” section of its classified-ads site, Backpage.com.  —  In a statement released Wednesday, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) …

The state both parties want  —  The verdict is in: Barack Obama's 2008 victory in Virginia was not a fluke.  For the once reliably Republican state, competitive presidential elections are the new normal.  —  Just look at the candidates' schedules.  President Obama will make Richmond …

OWS bums are a big joke  —  MELEE: A cop, facing a threat from behind him, wields his club at OWS protesters in Greenwich Village yesterday amid rallies that were far from crippling.  —  Occupy Wall Street's call for May Day mayhem largely fizzled yesterday — but at least provided a good laugh …

GOP seeks to portray President Obama as nation's divider-in-chief  —  Republicans are seeking to portray President Obama as the divider-in-chief, arguing the presidential candidate who trumpeted hope and change four years ago is now running an increasingly negative campaign.

Readers React: Sloganeering on the Road to the White House  —  U.Va. Center for Politics  —  In 2008, Barack Obama used the phrase “Yes We Can” as part of his effort to energize millions of voters to support his presidential bid.  On Monday, the Obama campaign revealed its 2012 slogan …

Treasury: Tax receipts not changing deadline on $16.4T debt limit  —  Lawmakers will not have to re-fight their epic battle over raising the debt ceiling until after the November elections, according to the Treasury Department.  —  April tax receipts have not moved Treasury's debt-ceiling target date …

RNC looks to bracket Obama re-election kickoff with ‘hype and blame’ messaging  —  After a week where the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden effectively dominated the political news arena, Republicans are looking to shift the message back to a critical examination of President Obama's economic record.

Newt Gingrich drops out: ‘Truly wild ride’ is over  —  ARLINGTON, Va. — Newt Gingrich finally called it quits.  —  For all intents and purposes, his campaign was over months ago.  —  In a crowded hotel ballroom steps from a Washington, D.C.-area subway stop Wednesday afternoon …