U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter could be left off primary  —  Throwing his congressional race into turmoil, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter said Friday evening that he may not have turned in enough valid signatures to qualify for the Aug. 7 Republican primary in his suburban Detroit district.

Bill Maher: What Exactly Has Obama Done That Has Made Conservatives So Angry?  —  Bill Maher finally got around to Ted Nugent in his final New Rule of the night, but used the rocker's recent tirade against President Obama to ask the larger question about conservative outrage over the president.

Billionaire Finds New Role in Anti-Obama Campaign  —  When news broke last week that the billionaire investor Joe Ricketts had considered financing a $10 million advertising effort linking President Obama with the fiery race-based rhetoric of his former spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. …

Stakes high in Wisconsin's other recalls  —  With both sides pouring millions of dollars into the Scott Walker recall campaign and the national focus firmly affixed on the Wisconsin GOP governor's fate, it's easy to overlook the consolation prize on June 5: the state Senate.

Crime Scene: With Confession in the Patz Case, the Difficult Work Begins  —  The man breaks down and cries and says yes, I did it.  I killed that 6-year-old boy 33 years ago.  I did it.  —  It should be a detective's dream come true.  The police have their man, their investigation sewn up with a tidy bow of his own damning words.

California City Saves Itself by Ditching Blue Model  —  Cash-strapped cities across the country from Harrisburg to Birmingham are turning to bankruptcy as a last resort.  As more and more cities consider taking the plunge, we wonder whether bankruptcy will allow new ideas to put the cities back on their feet.

Number of the Week: Half of U.S. Lives in Household Getting Benefits  —  49.1%: Percent of the population that lives in a household where at least one member received some type of government benefit in the first quarter of 2011.  —  Cutting government spending is no easy task …

Johnson: Every member of Wisc. legislature received death threats [VIDEO]  —  Sen. Ron Johnson said Thursday that every member of the state legislature in Wisconsin received an email that said “we're going to put a bullet in your head.  We know where you and your family live.”

Obama Twice Mistakenly Mentions ‘My Sons,’ While Defending Contraception Mandate  —  In two campaign speeches over the last two days, President Barack Obama has twice mistakenly mentioned “my sons” when defending his administration's regulation requiring virtually all health-care plans …

As Memorial Day Nears, a Single Image That Continues to Haunt  —  Memorial Day.  The unofficial kickoff to summer.  Barbecues sizzling.  Lawn sprinklers hissing.  Local marching bands tooting out Sousa.  Red, white, and blue bunting hanging from the porch railings, and on T.V. …

Question: What's the sound of David Axelrod's weekend getting ruined?  —  Alex Pappas reports: … Why did Obama put his dog on the roof of the car?  So it wouldn't get stoned.  —  Speaking only for myself, I'm fine with having a president who used to get blazed out of his mind.

Egyptian results a ‘nightmare scenario’  —  Fears of weeks of tension as results point to a run-off between the Muslim Brotherhood candidate and a former general  —  Egypt looks set for weeks of tension and uncertainty after the first round of its landmark presidential election produced …