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 …

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 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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Congressional Candidate Posts Machine Gun Video Vowing To ‘Take Linda Sanchez OUT!’  —  A still from Jorge Robles' campaign video.  (Photo: YouTube)  —  Jorge Robles is running against Democratic California Congresswoman Linda Sanchez in today's primary and he thinks she should be removed from office.

NASA Gets Two New Hubble Telescopes — Absolutely Free  —  It hardly bears mentioning that the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most extraordinarily successful scientific instruments of all time.  Since 1993, when the telescope's flawed mirror was set right by a set …