Rand Paul may not be a racist, but he is an extremist  —  Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy  —  It's safe to say Rand Paul's first few days as the Republican nominee for the open Senate seat in Kentucky are not going well.

Senate clears way to vote on financial reform  —  The Senate voted Thursday afternoon to end its three-week debate on a bill to rewrite the nation's financial regulations, paving the way for a final vote on the landmark legislation.  —  The 60-to-40 vote — the minimum required to end debate …

Exclusive: President Obama To Replace Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair*  —  ABC News has learned that President Obama will replace the Director of National Intelligence, Admiral Dennis Blair (ret.) His resignation will come as soon as tomorrow, sources tell ABC News.

And The Winner of The Everybody Draw Mohammad Contest is...  To remind readers of the stakes: In recent months, a Swedish cartoonist that sketched Mohammed as a “roundabout dog” as part of a planned street installation was assaulted during a lecture and, the following week, two extremists attempted to burn his house down.

71% in Arizona Now Support State's New Immigration Law  —  Arizona voters now support the state's new immigration law more than ever and are still more inclined to think the law will be good for the state's economy rather than bad.  A lot of voters in the state are thinking it's payback time …

Little Girl Who Challenged First Lady Is Right: Obama Is Deporting More Immigrants Than Ever  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  A little girl became the face of the nation's immigration debate on Wednesday, when she told First Lady Michelle Obama about her mother's fear.

The New Term for the War on Terror  —  If you blinked, you might have missed it.  The Obama administration has unofficially rebranded “war on terror” phrase that dominated public discourse throughout the Bush administration.  The replacement phrase, carefully chosen, is “CVE” — Countering Violent Extremism.

THE SITUATION ROOM  —  Interview with Mexican President Felipe Calderon; Analysis of Special Election Results  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Thanks very much, guys.  —  Happening now, the presidents …

Op-Ed Contributor: The Rush Limbaugh Victory  —  THERE are many theories for why very conservative Republicans seem to be doing so well lately, taking their party's Senate nominations in Florida, Kentucky and Utah, and beating Democrats head-to-head in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia.

Scientists make ‘artificial life’  —  The synthetic cell looks identical to the “wild type”  —  Scientists in the US have succeeded in developing the first synthetic living cell.  —  The researchers constructed a bacterium's “genetic software” and transplanted it into a host cell.

America Moves the Goalposts  —  NEW YORK — John Limbert, once a U.S. hostage in Tehran, now charged with Iranian affairs at the State Department, has given a good description of the caricatures that bedevil American-Iranian non-relations.  —  Americans see Iranians as “devious, mendacious, fanatical, violent and incomprehensible.”

House Panel Rejects a Plan to Shift Detainees to Illinois  —  WASHINGTON — The House Armed Services Committee has dealt a blow to President Obama's hopes to shutter the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, by unanimously approving legislation that would prohibit creating a detention center inside the United States.