Coburn Wants Tornado Disaster Aid to Be Offset  —  The tornado damage near Oklahoma City is still being assessed and the death toll is expected to rise, but already Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., says he will insist that any federal disaster aid be paid for with cuts elsewhere.

Obama's rating steady in face of controversies, likely buoyed by rising economic hopes  —  Majorities of Americans believe that the Internal Revenue Service deliberately harassed conservative groups by targeting them for special scrutiny and say that the Obama administration is trying to cover …

Benghazi witness points finger at Clinton on lapses in consulate security  —  The star witness in the Benghazi investigation said former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton personally ordered Ambassador Chris Stevens to set up a permanent post in the restive city and should have known about deteriorating security.

The White House's shifting IRS account  —  The White House on Monday once again added to the list of people who knew about the IRS investigation into its targeting of conservative groups — saying White House chief of staff Denis McDonough had been informed about a month ago.

Secret Service Looking Into Radio Host's Graphic Violent Comments About Obama, Hillary Clinton  —  The Secret Service is following up on recent comments by right wing radio host Pete Santilli, who claimed to want to shoot former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the vagina and see President Obama tried and shot for treason.

Democratic Senator uses Okla. tornado for anti-GOP rant over global warming  —  While many Americans were tuned into news coverage of the massive damage from tornadoes ravaging the state of Oklahoma, Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse took to the Senate floor to rail …

The White House claim of ‘doctored e-mails... to smear the president’  —  (CHRIS USHER/AP) “That's a very serious offense that happened where Republicans on the Hill, we voluntarily provided these e-mails to, took one of them, doctored it and gave it to ABC News in an attempt to smear the president.”

Apple's Web of Tax Shelters Saved It Billions, Panel Finds  —  WASHINGTON— Even as Apple became the nation's most profitable technology company, it avoided billions in taxes in the United States and around the world through a web of subsidiaries so complex it spanned continents and surprised experts …

Advocates: votes are there for marriage bill  —  With the end of the Illinois' spring legislation session just days away, LGBT leaders say that equal marriage legislation has the support needed to pass by month's end.  —  Sponsors have until May 31 to pass the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act …

A dose of reality about IG audits  —  The May 14 audit report of the Treasury Inspector General (IG) for Tax Administration has created quite a stir.  Within days of the initial news of the report's findings, the Acting Commissioner of the IRS resigned, the Justice Department launched …