For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in March suggests that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace.  Labor market conditions have shown some improvement in recent months, on balance, but the unemployment rate remains elevated.

Penny Pritzker to be nominated for Commerce secretary … Making official what many Democrats have expected for weeks, President Obama plans to nominate Chicago business executive Penny Pritzker, a longtime political supporter and heavyweight fundraiser, as his new Commerce secretary this morning.

3 pals of Boston Marathon bombing suspect charged with coverup  —  Azamat Tazhayakov (left), Dias Kadyrbayev, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (right) in a photo taken in Times Square.  The picture, which appeared on Tsarnaev's page on VKontakt, the Russian equivalent of Facebook, is believed to be from November 2012.

More Bad News for Obamacare: Study Finds Medicaid Has No Effect on Measured Health Outcomes  —  This is huge, and stunning, even for critics of Medicaid: A randomized-controlled study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by a group of nation's top health policy scholars has found …

Police say liberal student activist threatened herself with rape in Facebook hoax, framed conservatives  —  A well-known female liberal blogger and radio host at the University of Wyoming (UW) is being accused by police of fabricating a rape threat against herself to appear as if it came from a conservative.

Possible Human Trafficking Investigated at Saudi Diplomatic Compound in Virginia  —  McLean home owned by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, real estate records say  —  Federal and local authorities responded to a report of human trafficking at this McLean compound overnight.

I'm still here: back online after a year without the internet  —  I was wrong.  —  One year ago I left the internet.  I thought it was making me unproductive.  I thought it lacked meaning.  I thought it was “corrupting my soul.”  —  It's a been a year now since I “surfed the web” or …

Mountain Dew Releases Arguably the Most Racist Commercial in History Tweet  —  If you've never heard of Felicia the Goat, you'll know about her soon.  Felicia the Goat is the main character in a recent Mountain Dew commercial, created in part by Tyler the Creator.

Reid: More funding needed to prevent ObamaCare from becoming ‘train wreck’  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he shares colleagues' concerns that the Affordable Care Act could become a “train wreck” if it's not implemented properly.  —  Reid warned that people will not be able …

The GOP Sets Its Sights on the Senate in 2014  —  Republicans could win a majority if they avoid candidates likely to self-destruct in the election.  —  Last week Sen. Max Baucus (D. Mont.) announced that he would not seek a seventh term.  His retirement makes it even more likely the GOP will make gains in the U.S. Senate next year.

2016 Poll: If Clinton doesn't run, then who?  —  (CNN) - A second straight national poll this week indicates the obvious: Hillary Clinton, if she decides to run for the White House again, would be the overwhelming front-runner among Democrats for their party's 2016 presidential nomination.

Skeleton of teenage girl confirms cannibalism at Jamestown colony  —  The first chops, to the forehead, did not go through the bone and are perhaps evidence of hesitancy about the task.  The next set, after the body was rolled over, were more effective.  One cut split the skull all the way to the base.

U.S. to Defend Age Limits on Morning-After Pill Sales  —  The Justice Department said on Wednesday that it would appeal a federal judge's order to make the most common morning-after contraceptive available without a prescription for girls and women of all ages.

Governors, GOP Allies Clash Over Tax Cuts  —  Republican lawmakers in several states are blunting plans by GOP governors to reduce or eliminate income taxes, putting the legislators at odds with figures many in the party see as leading voices on reshaping government.

Paul Krugman's Proud War on Fools, Knaves and Lunatics  —  Could I say a word about Paul Krugman?  A recent blog post by the eminent economist and New York Times columnist struck me as out of the ordinary, even for him.  Krugman was responding to critics who accuse him of seeing everybody …

N.D. oil is more plentiful than previously thought  —  The government has sharply increased its estimate, and some think it is still too conservative.  —  The sea of oil and natural gas underneath North Dakota is far larger than first thought.  —  There are 7.4 billion barrels of recoverable oil …

Obama prods liberals to give-and-take on Senate immigration bill  —  President Obama is warning liberal supporters that their push to make changes in a comprehensive immigration bill could jeopardize the strategy of Senate leaders, who are aiming to win up to 70 votes for the measure.

Charts, maps and infographics  —  Daily chart  —  A new study reveals what Islam means in different countries  —  THE Pew Research Centre has released a chunky report on Muslims and their attitudes to sharia law, among other things.  If you want to know how Islam in Indonesia …

New York Times/CBS News Poll: Unity on Issues Falls to Politics  —  While the public overwhelmingly supports background checks for gun buyers and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, Americans largely retreat into their partisan camps when asked whether President Obama …

The Time Terry McAuliffe Left The Delivery Room For A Washington Post Party  —  Another time: “We got to the dinner and by then Dorothy was in tears, and I left her with Justin and went inside.”  But he raised a million bucks.  —  Source: youtube.com  —  Former Democratic National Committee …

17 arrested as Seattle May Day protests turn violent  —  (CNN) — A May Day protest in downtown Seattle turned violent Wednesday night, with police saying they resorted to pepper spray to disperse demonstrators who pelted them with whatever was at hand.  —  Seattle Police said the crowd tossed rocks …

EXCLUSIVE: New Hampshire Lawmaker Warns Of Revolution Over Immigration Reform  —  WARREN, NH — At Sen. Kelly Ayotte's (R-NH) Warren Town Hall Tuesday, a Republican state legislator questioned the senator about whether she shared his concern that America was headed for an armed internal revolution due …