ROMNEY NARROWS VP CHOICES; CONDI EMERGES AS FRONTRUNNER  —  Late Thursday evening, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign launched a new fundraising drive, ‘Meet The VP’ — just as Romney himself has narrowed the field of candidates to a handful, sources reveal.

Mitt Romney's Own 2002 Testimony Undermines Bain Departure Claim … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Video, Mitt Romney Bain, Mitt Romney Bain Capital, Bain, Bain Capital, Mitt Romney 2012, Mitt Romney Bain Departure, Romney Bain Capital, Politics News

Obama reflects on his biggest mistake as president  —  (CBS News) President Obama's biggest mistake during his first term, he told CBS News in an exclusive interview, has been putting policy over storytelling.  —  Mr. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sat down Thursday with “CBS This Morning” …

D.C. officer investigated after comments about Michelle Obama alleged  —  A D.C. police officer who worked as a motorcycle escort for White House officials and other dignitaries was moved to administrative duty Wednesday after he allegedly was overheard making threatening comments toward Michelle Obama …

LePage: IRS not far from Gestapo  —  Gov. Paul LePage Thursday attempted to clarify his recent comment comparing the Internal Revenue Service to the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, during a fundraiser in Vermont.  However, the governor may have reignited a controversy that's made national headlines.

How safe is the GOP House majority?  —  With four months to go until Election Day, the White House and the Senate are up for grabs but Democrats don't appear to be within striking distance of taking back the House.  —  That's the consensus of three of the top House handicappers …

Zimmerman FBI reports released  —  (CNN) — Florida's state attorney released FBI reports Thursday that may shed light on whether race played a role the night George Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed teen.  —  The investigative reports are amid evidence in the second-degree murder case released …

Left-right climate group quietly weighing proposals for carbon tax  —  A broad coalition of advocates has been meeting quietly to discuss a path forward on climate and fiscal policy, including proposals for a carbon tax.  —  The ad-hoc, left-right group has held several closed-door meetings since 2011 …

U.S. Concerned as Syria Moves Chemical Stockpile  —  WASHINGTON—Syria has begun moving parts of its vast arsenal of chemical weapons out of storage facilities, U.S. officials said, in a development that has alarmed many in Washington.  —  The country's undeclared stockpiles of sarin nerve agent …

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Information Memorandum  —  Administration for Children and Families  —  Office of Family Assistance Washington, D.C. 20447  —  Transmittal No. TANF-ACF-IM-2012-03  —  TO:  —  States administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program and other interested parties

How Congressional Republicans and Democrats Pay Women  —  What does $10,000 mean to you?  Well, if you made something around the median in the U.S. last year, it could mean more than a fifth of your household income.  —  But what's $10,000 to you if you're a female Republican congressional staffer?

MI6 chief Sir John Sawers: ‘We foiled Iranian nuclear weapons bid’  —  MI6 agents have foiled Iran's attempts to obtain nuclear weapons but the Middle Eastern state will succeed in arming itself within the next two years, the head of the Secret Intelligence Service has warned.

The world desperately wants to loan us money  —  The Financial Times reports that there was record demand for 10-year Treasurys this week.  “The $21 [billion] sale of 10-year paper sold at a yield of 1.459 per cent, the lowest ever in an auction.”  William O'Donnell, a strategist at RBS Securities …

Rep. Jesse Jackson's political future in question  —  YURI GRIPAS/REUTERS - Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) walks up the steps of the U.S. Capitol in this photo from Dec. 2, 2011.  Jackson has not been seen in public since June 8.  —  Hours before Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination …

The Freeh Report: The Cost of an Accountability-Free Climate Comes Home to Roost  —  Louis Freeh documents the atrocities of Penn State's culture of non-accountability [pdf, pp.  14-15]: … Sounds a lot like what I wrote last November has been borne out by Freeh's investigators: