The View from One Prudential Plaza: Why the Obama Campaign Is So Confident About Beating Romney  —  President Obama pauses while speaking at a campaign event in Columbus, Ohio, on May 5, 2012  —  Barack Obama's decision to base his re-election campaign outside of Washington seems to be working pretty darn well.

US: CIA thwarts new al-Qaida underwear bomb plot  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The CIA thwarted an ambitious plot by al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen to destroy a U.S.-bound airliner using a bomb with a sophisticated new design around the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, The Associated Press has learned.

WTF?  Democratic Party of Wisconsin Cancels post-primary Unity Rally  —  Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 8th, Wisconsin voters will vote in a special recall election primary.  On the Democratic ballot for governor are four legitimate contenders.  The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Governor Scott Walker on June 5th.

Clinton hopes to see female US president  —  KOLKATA, India (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday she has no desire to make another run for the White House but hopes to see an American woman president in her lifetime.  —  Politely turning aside questions …

A Note to Readers  —  When we published Naomi Schaefer Riley's blog posting on Brainstorm last week ("The Most Persuasive Case for Eliminating Black Studies?  Just Read the Dissertations"), several thousand of you spoke out in outrage and disappointment that The Chronicle had published …

The Washington Post Is In Even Worse Shape Than You Think  —  The Washington Post Co. reported its first-quarter earnings on Friday, and the news coming out of the newspaper division was mostly grim.  The unit lost $22.6 million in the quarter, with revenue down 8% and revenue from print advertising specifically falling 17%.

Delta Pulls “Daily Show” Ads After Catholic Complaints  —  Catholic League chief Bill Donohue is still on his campaign against Jon Stewart for a weeks-old “vagina manger” bit.  The next target: Kellogg's.  —  Catholic League president Bill Donohue declared an early victory in his campaign …

Paul Ryan Challenged By Town Hall Constituents Over Previous Praise Of Ayn Rand  —  JANESVILLE, Wisconsin — Last month, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) disavowed his one-time political muse, Ayn Rand, because of her “atheist philosophy.”  Some of his constituents, however, aren't buying it.

Rick Berg, GOP Senate Candidate In North Dakota, Stumped On Minimum Wage (VIDEO) … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Video, North Dakota, North Dakota Democratic Party, Heidi Heitkamp, Minimum Wage, Rick-Berg, Rick-Berg-Campaign-Ad, Politics News  —  WASHINGTON — Rep. Rick Berg (R-N.D.) …

Look Who's Pushing Homeowners Off the Foreclosure Cliff  —  One of the more confounding aspects of the U.S. housing crisis has been the reluctance of lenders to do more to assist troubled borrowers.  After all, when homes go into foreclosure, banks lose money.

Santorum endorses Romney: ‘All hands on deck’  —  A reader forwards this email Rick Santorum is sending to his list of supporters in which he announces he's endorsing Mitt Romney.  —  Santorum makes clear that he felt Romney had answered questions about his commitment to principles …

Crowd, host steal attention at Romney event in Ohio  —  Mitt Romney's campaign stop outside of Cleveland, Ohio threatened to veer off message on a number occasions Monday, with supporters accusing President Obama of treason and criticizing the president for taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Why Can't Obama Bring Wall Street to Justice?  —  Despite his populist posturing, the president has failed to pin a single top finance exec on criminal charges since the economic collapse.  Are the banks too big to jail—or is Washington's revolving door at to blame?  Peter J. Boyer and Peter Schweizer investigate:

Admin drafted memo to shield Obama if OBL raid failed  —  The Obama Administration drafted a “highly lawyered” memo to shield the president from blame if the mission to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden failed, former Attorney General Michael Mukasey told Sean Hannity of Fox News Friday.

This 93-Year-Old Grandmother Is Suing Pennsylvania Over Voter ID Laws  —  The first time Viviette Applewhite went to the polls, she cast her vote for John F. Kennedy.  But this year, a strict new voter identification law will likely prevent the now-93-year old woman and many others in Pennsylvania …

Comparing Gary Johnson to Past Libertarian Party Nominees  —  He has the most executive experience and the potential to win votes from conservatives and liberals.  —  Over the weekend the Libertarian Party decided that Gary Johnson would be its presidential nominee.  He's likely to appear on the ballot in all 50 states.

INFOGRAPHIC: House GOP's Deficit Reduction Efforts Dwarfed By Cost Of Tax Cuts For The Rich  —  House Republicans will today finalize their deficit reduction plans as required under the Budget Control Act, the deal reached last August to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

Obama administration advises new French president: For sake of world economy, don't raise taxes and increase spending  —  “Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes...”  —  President Obama was quick to invite France's Socialist president-elect to Washington for a visit, but the White House …

Paul Ryan Says He Wouldn't Close Corporate Tax Loopholes To Prevent Student Loan Interest Hike  —  GREENDALE, Wisconsin — Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) told students at a town hall Friday that he would not support preventing a hike in their student loan interest rates if it was paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.

New Yorkers open their wallets for Brown  —  US Senator Scott Brown collected more itemized campaign donations from New York City than from any other city in America, including Boston and others in Massachusetts, during the first three months of this year, a Globe analysis of federal campaign records shows.

Rob Portman: No More Mr. Nice Guy  —  He's polite, smart and a little nerdy.  But as Rob Portman has climbed to the top of the list of potential running mates for Mitt Romney, the political world is now seeing a different side of him: the attack dog.  —  Just over the past week …