How Prosecutors Fought to Keep Rosen's Warrant Secret  —  The Obama Administration fought to keep a search warrant for James Rosen's private e-mail account secret, arguing to a federal judge that the government might need to monitor the account for a lengthy period of time.

Gabriel Gomez calls Ed Markey ‘pond scum’  —  Massachusetts GOP Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez called his opponent, longtime Rep. Ed Markey, “pond scum” during an interview with an NPR reporter on Thursday.  —  “I don't think there's anything more offensive,” Gomez said …

California Will Be Spared the Obamacare Apocalypse  —  No sticker shock here—just affordable insurance premiums  —  Predictions of an Obamacare apocalypse seem a little less credible today, thanks to California.  —  On Thursday, officials in that state offered the first detailed glimpse …

Nearly a Quarter of People in Greece and the U.S. Can't Afford Food  —  Hunger has grown dramatically in Europe since 2007  —  No matter where you're from, not having enough to eat is the ultimate signifier of economic distress.  Food is the base of Maslow's hierarchy.  It's the first concern in disaster zones.

Medea Benjamin Surprised Obama Drones Speech Protest Worked  —  WASHINGTON — Even Medea Benjamin was surprised she managed to get into President Barack Obama's major national security address at National Defense University on Thursday.  The long-time Code Pink protestor (and HuffPost blogger) …

Laying Down My Pen  —  When an opportunity comes to do something good, one must grab it.  —  At 2 p.m. central time Thursday afternoon in Mobile, word spread that U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, a six-term Republican from a dark red district, would announce that he is resigning mid-term (Aug. 15) …

Strassel: Conservatives Became Targets in 2008  —  The Obama campaign played a big role in a liberal onslaught that far pre-dated Citizens United.  —  The White House insists President Obama is “outraged” by the “inappropriate” targeting and harassment of conservative groups.

Congressman: Women Should Be Forced To Give Birth To Fetuses With No Brain Function  —  At a congressional committee hearing to discuss a proposed measure to criminalize abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, a Texas lawmaker told a woman who made the difficult choice to terminate …

Fewer Americans Identify as Economic Conservatives in 2013  —  Thirty percent say they are liberal on social issues, a new high  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Forty-one percent of Americans now characterize their economic views as “conservative,” or “very conservative,” the lowest since President …

Obama met privately with Friedman, Ignatius, etc.  —  President Obama held a private meeting with top national security journalists on Thursday afternoon following his national security policy address at the National Defense University in Washington, POLITICO has learned.

Michelle Nunn actively preparing for Senate campaign in Georgia  —  Businesswoman Michele Nunn is actively preparing for a Senate campaign in Georgia and Democrats there expect an announcement early this summer, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans.

Noonan: A Battering Ram Becomes a Stonewall  —  The IRS's leaders refuse to account for the agency's corruption and abuse.  —  “I don't know.”  “I don't remember.”  “I'm not familiar with that detail.”  “It's not my precise area.”  “I'm not familiar with that letter.”

Scores of TGI Fridays in New Jersey ‘busted for selling caramel-colored rubbing alcohol as top-shelf scotch’ in statewide crackdown dubbed Operation Swill  —  At one bar, a mixture that included rubbing alcohol and caramel coloring was sold as scotch.  In another, premium liquor bottles …

Budget Cuts Get Personal; Those Who Are Hurt, Holler  —  The federal budget sequester may be dampening a rise in economic optimism: Nearly four in 10 Americans now say sequestration has hurt them personally, up substantially since it began in March - and they're far less sanguine than others about the economy's prospects overall.

Actually, Tom Corbett Has One Latino Staff Member  —  Calm down lefty media hyperventilators!  After you all jumped down Tom Corbett's throat for his comment about having no Latino staff members, the Governor's people put out a press release smack-down, pointing out that in fact they've actually got …

No Wonder Republican Criticism of Obama Isn't Working  —  They're attacking the president where he's least vulnerable at a time when they have minimal credibility.  —  Henny Youngman, the late borscht belt comedian, told hundreds of politically incorrect jokes.  One of them was his response when asked, “How's your wife?”

Bloomberg gun group hits a Democrat  —  Washington (CNN) - A large gun advocacy group is hitting its first Democrat in their most recent campaign to increase gun control measures.  —  Mayors Against Illegal Guns, founded by independent New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg …

Yet Another Hulu Bidder!  Yahoo Is In, Too.  —  Add one more name to the Hulu bidding derby: Yahoo, which just announced plans to buy Tumblr for $1.1 billion, has made an offer on the video website as well.  —  The Web giant submitted a bid for the video site this morning, according to a person familiar with process.

The Collapse Of Public Infrastructure Spending In One Chart  —  The big news today is that a bridge in Washington collapsed, throwing cars into the water.  Amazingly, nobody died.  —  This may revive debate about the need to spend more on infrastructure, which would have multiple positive effects.

Huma Abedin Is an Unexpected Driving Force in Weiner's Comeback  —  When Chelsea Clinton wanted to make a low-key visit to the hurricane-stricken Rockaways last fall, she arranged to take a trip with her close friend Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Leonard Downie: Obama's war on leaks undermines investigative journalism  —  Leonard Downie Jr. is a vice president at large of The Washington Post, where he served as executive editor from 1991 to 2008.  He is the Weil family professor of journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism …

White House press secretary Jay Carney discusses favorite band, Guided by Voices  —  On the walls of Jay Carney's office: a photo of the Berlin Wall being dismantled.  Snaps of his kids.  His employer, President Obama, gracing the cover of his former employer, Time magazine.

Man charged with making ‘racist or anti-religious’ Facebook comments about British soldier's death  — Police say people should be careful about what they write on twitter as the ‘consequences could be serious’  —  A 22-year-old man has been charged on suspicion of making malicious comments …

McCain Accuses Tea Party Colleagues Of Pushing Dems Too Far  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A long-simmering feud between establishment Republicans and Tea Partyers broke into full view Thursday, with Sen. John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats …

Banks' Lobbyists Help in Drafting Financial Bills  —  WASHINGTON — Bank lobbyists are not leaving it to lawmakers to draft legislation that softens financial regulations.  Instead, the lobbyists are helping to write it themselves.  —  One bill that sailed through the House Financial Services Committee …