Wisconsin recall: Democrats prepare for recall recount  —  Brace yourself: Wisconsin Democrats say they are preparing for the event that the hotly contested recall race could drag on for weeks, or even longer.  —  Floating the prospect of a recount is, of course, a message that bolsters …

Fear factors: What worries Romney backers  —  Mitt Romney has done the unthinkable: silenced the legions of conservatives who saw him as too starched, too ideologically wobbly and too Richie Rich to win a few months ago.  —  Now comes the hard part: getting those same conservatives …

The 2012 Long-Term Budget Outlook  —  Over the past few years, the federal government has been recording budget deficits that are the largest as a share of the economy since 1945.  Consequently, the amount of federal debt held by the public has surged.  By the end of this year …

Paycheck Fairness Act is defeated in Senate  —  Democratic legislation meant to fight gender discrimination in the workplace failed in the Democrat-controlled Senate Tuesday on a procedural vote.  —  In a 52 to 47 tally the Senate defeated the Paycheck Fairness Act.

The Real Stakes in the Health-Care Case: A Guide  —  No, I do not know what day the Supreme Court will decide the heath-care case.  (Best guess: June 25th.)  No, I have not “heard anything” about how the Justices will rule on the challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

Breaking with Romney, Murkowski warns against ‘knee-jerk’ reaction to Solyndra  —  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is breaking with Mitt Romney and some Capitol Hill Republicans by expressing support for federal green-energy programs, including the one that provided loan help to the now-bankrupt Solyndra.

Michelle Obama not ‘endorsing or condemning’ NYC Mayor Bloomberg's proposed soda ban  —  First lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday “applauds” local leaders for confronting the growing risk of obesity, but stopped short of endorsing a controversial proposed ban of sugary drinks sold in quantities …

How Romney Pushed State Health Bill  —  Emails Show Governor Defending Insurance Mandate for Massachusetts Residents  —  When Mitt Romney left office as Massachusetts governor, his aides removed all emails from a server computer in the governor's office, and purchased and carted off hard drives …

Bill Clinton is out of control  —  Bill Clinton has to be the smartest guy in the room even when he's not in the room.  —  Clinton is not on Barack Obama's campaign staff, is not a trusted adviser, does not set Obama's strategy.  —  But Bill Clinton is pretty good at sabotaging Obama's strategy.

Morning-After Pills Don't Block Implantation, Science Suggests  —  Labels inside every box of morning-after pills, drugs widely used to prevent pregnancy after sex, say they may work by blocking fertilized eggs from implanting in a woman's uterus.  Respected medical authorities …

Obama up in Florida  —  PPP's newest Florida poll finds little change in the state compared to mid-April.  At that time Barack Obama led Mitt Romney 50-45 there, and now his advantage is 50-46.  Voters in the state narrowly approve of Obama, 49/46, and continue to dislike Romney, giving him a 39/53 favorability rating.

Issa: Officials had information about ‘reckless tactics’ in ‘Fast and Furious’  —  The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday said new documents show that senior Justice Department officials in Washington, despite their previous denials, were given …

Ali Akbar Says, ‘World War Three’  —  Ali Akbar with Tea Party candidate Doug Hoffman, October 2009  —  Monday afternoon I was off the grid when Ali Akbar called to tell me that “Breitbart Unmasked” had published a photo and the address of his mother's home in Texas in a viciously mendacious attack on the National Bloggers Club.

Newsweek hires Atlantic's Megan McArdle  —  Megan McArdle, the Atlantic's libertarian economics blogger, is joining Newsweek & The Daily Beast, POLITICO has learned.  —  McArdle, who is currently on book leave, has blogged about business and economics for the Atlantic since 2007.