Obama Meeting Fails to End Stalemate Over Federal Budget  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama and Congressional leaders said Wednesday that a late-night White House bargaining session produced no budget breakthrough that would avert a government shutdown this weekend but agreed the two sides …

Donald Trump.  Seriously?  —  Donald Trump finished second in the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll testing the 2012 Republican presidential field.  AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel DunandIn the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, businessman and reality television star Donald Trump finished second behind …

Kloppenburg declares victory  —  By Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel  —  Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg declared victory Wednesday, based on results reported by the Associated Press.  —  The Associated Press shows Kloppenburg received 740,090 votes and incumbent David Prosser received 739,886 votes.

NBC's Brokaw: Saudis ‘So Unhappy’ With Obama They Sent Emissaries to China, Russia Seeking Enhanced Ties  —  (CNSNews.com) - Reporting from Baghdad, Iraq yesterday, NBC's Tom Brokaw said the Saudi Arabian monarchy is “so unhappy with the Obama administration for the way it pushed out President Mubarak …

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  Obama pays tribute to Al Sharpton  —  Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork  —  During his trip to New York Wednesday, President Obama stopped by the Sheraton Hotel for the 20th anniversary celebration of the National Action Network …

Obama's support among blacks slips unexpectedly, Hispanics too  —  Barack Obama rode to a comfortable presidential election win in 2008 on the electoral wings of a coalition based on liberal whites, independents and blacks, especially blacks.  —  Obama lost much of his independent support during …

President Obama's close friend arrested during prostitution sting  —  HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - One of President Obama's closest friends is scheduled to appear at Honolulu District Court next month, after he allegedly solicited sex from an undercover officer.

Senate rejects block to EPA climate regs  —  The Senate rejected a GOP-backed amendment Wednesday that would have permanently blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.  —  The amendment did not reach the 60 votes necessary for passage.  The final vote count was 50-50.

EVEN THE THREAT OF A SHUTDOWN IS EXPENSIVE.... If congressional Republicans go through with their threat and shut down the government tomorrow night, the costs will be considerable.  It's ironic that those hoping to cut the budget will force a shutdown that's needlessly expensive.

Judge gives ‘Juror No. 799’ indefinite jury duty after she makes racist remarks on questionnaire  —  An incensed federal judge sentenced a racist Brooklyn woman to indefinite jury duty on Tuesday after she trashed the NYPD and minorities.  —  “This is an outrage, and so are you!”

OBAMA: Get Used To High Gas Prices.  “Obama needled one questioner who asked about gas prices, now averaging close to $3.70 a gallon nationwide, and suggested that the gentleman consider getting rid of his gas-guzzling vehicle.”  —  High gas prices aren't a bug, they're a feature.

Maryland man glued to Wal-Mart toilet seat  —  (CNN) — Police in Maryland are on the hunt for the perpetrator of what appears to be an April Fools' prank that left a man glued to a toilet at a Wal-Mart store.  —  If caught, the jokester who doused the seat with glue at the Elkton Wal-Mart …

U.S. Fiscal Meltdown in Spitting Distance: Laurence Kotlikoff  —  The two parties are having a heated debate over the Republican plan to slice $61 billion off Uncle Sam's projected $3.6 trillion budget.  If the Republicans get their way, the deficit will fall from 9.5 percent of gross domestic product to 9.1 percent.