Booker's big mouth ruins relationship with Obama, Cabinet hopes  —  It's bye-bye, Beltway for Cory Booker.  —  Newark's mayor, who was gunning for a spot in President Obama's Cabinet, lost the chance after he shot his mouth off during a blunderingly honest TV appearance last month, sources told The Post.

In New Poll, 44 Percent of Americans Approve of Supreme Court  —  WASHINGTON — Just 44 percent of Americans approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing and three-quarters say the justices' decisions are sometimes influenced by their personal or political views, according to a new poll conducted by The New York Times and CBS News.

Going dark to urge congressional action: Who will protect the freedom to blog?  —  My syndicated column today covers the crucial battle between truth-telling bloggers versus convicted bomber Brett Kimberlin and his band of malicious online thugs.  In honor of the National Day of Blogger Silence called …

Democrats paralyzed on tax cuts  —  Senate Democratic leaders are politically paralyzed on how to proceed on the Bush-era tax rates.  —  With five months to go before the election, President Obama and key congressional Democrats remain at odds on whether the threshold for extending …

Reagan Was a Keynesian  —  There's no question that America's recovery from the financial crisis has been disappointing.  In fact, I've been arguing that the era since 2007 is best viewed as a “depression,” an extended period of economic weakness and high unemployment that …

Morning Jay: The Media Doesn't Understand Races in the States  —  This write-up from the Hill on a recent Pennsylvania poll is pretty similar to many others these days: … And polls like these are producing frames like these, from Charles Babington of the AP:

Campaigns Blitz 9 Swing States in a War of Ads  —  HENDERSON, Nev. — The presidential campaigns and their allies are zeroing in mainly on nine swing states, bombarding them with commercials in the earliest concentration of advertising in modern politics.  —  With so many resources focused …

No, Dems were not outspent 7 to 1 in Wisconsin  —  Politico's Glenn Thrush is the poster boy for hackery rationalizing Gov. Scott Walker's victory in the WI recall election: … You'll find less shouty, but still misleading, versions of this all over the media, e.g., Reuters, NPR …

(Video) AFSCME boss gives race-baiting speech at Occupy Milwaukee rally  —  On Wednesday, the day after Governor Scott Walker's recall election victory, Occupy Milwaukee held a rally in Pere Marquette Park, A march followed, which was at times was violent.  But the ugliest occurrence yesterday …

House defies veto threat, votes to repeal medical device tax  —  The House passed legislation Thursday that would repeal the healthcare reform law's tax on medical device manufacturers.  —  The measure won the support of 37 Democrats despite a veto threat from the Obama administration.

Labor Dept. counts oil lobbyists, garbage men, bus drivers as ‘green jobs’ [VIDEO]  —  Under questioning by House oversight committee chairman Darrell Issa, senior U.S. Labor Department officials revealed that the Obama administration counts oil lobbyists, bus drivers, garbage men …

State Department Purges Section on Religious Freedom from Its Human Rights Reports  —  (CNSNews.com) - The U.S. State Department removed the sections covering religious freedom from the Country Reports on Human Rights that it released on May 24, three months past the statutory deadline Congress set for the release of these reports.

Data show US experiencing hottest year on record thus far  —  Federal data released Thursday show the United States has had its warmest spring, it's warmest year to date, and warmest 12-month stretch on record.  —  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released figures showing …

Obama And The New Party  —  He claimed he didn't seek the endorsement of the forgotten left-wing group, but minutes suggest otherwise.  Rogers says they didn't have members.  —  New Party founder Joel Rogers.  —  Source: upload.wikimedia.org  —  The National Review's Stanley Kurtz …

Rand Paul endorses Mitt Romney  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has endorsed Mitt Romney's presidential bid, throwing his weight behind the presumptive GOP nominee even as his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), has yet to fully terminate his White House bid.  —  Rand Paul made the move in an appearance on Fox News Channel's “Hannity.”

Mormons Widely Favor Romney; Jewish Voters Back Obama  —  Mormons prefer Romney by 84% to 13%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Mormon registered voters overwhelmingly support the candidacy of the first major-party presidential candidate of the Mormon faith, with 84% saying they would vote for Mitt Romney …

PAC Behind GOP Candidate For Gabby Giffords Seat Shows Gun In Email Appeal  —  A PAC supporting Jesse Kelly, a former Marine running to replace Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a special election on Tuesday, is using an image Kelly's campaign has avoided thus far — the candidate holding a gun.

Philly mayor backs soda ban in D.C. after opening Shake Shack  —  A day before deriding big drinks and fattening foods at a conference in Washington, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter was at a ribbon cutting for a new Shake Shack in Philadelphia.  Photo from @shakeshak