An air of inevitability grows around Romney after decisive primary win  —  Mitt Romney is now within touching distance of the Republican Party's presidential nomination, after being ensnared for months in a tough battle.  —  Romney has taken a bound forward within the past 48 hours.

Carney: Backers of Ryan budget ‘deliberately ignorant’ on clean energy  —  House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and the Republicans who support his budget plan are “aggressively and deliberately ignorant” when it comes to the need to invest in clean energy, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday.

Jason Mattera Still Hasn't Found What He's Looking For  —  As part of the promotional rollout for his new book, Hollywood Hypocrites, Jason Mattera yesterday unveiled an ambush interview he conducted with U2 lead singer Bono.  Or at least, that's who Mattera thought he had ambushed.

The National Organization for Marriage Announces International “Dump Starbucks” Protest Campaign  —  Contact: Anath Hartmann or Elizabeth Ray (703-683-5004)  —  “Corporations should not take sides in a culture war that pits a company against the majority of the American people …

Romney Praises 2008 Bank Bailout  —  Credits Bush, not Obama for saving the country from a Great Depression.  A big policy statement on a tough day.  —  US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at his Illinois primary night party March 20, 2012 in Schaumburg, Illinois.  —  (Getty Images / DON EMMERT)

Occupy Protester Dumped Tub of Feces: Police  —  Police said Occupy Wall Street protesters were captured on surveillance video dragging a large receptacle of human urine and feces into a public space in Lower Manhattan  —  This is raw surveillance video of Occupy Wall Street protesters …

AP Fact Check: In 36 Years Of Data, Not A Shred Of Evidence That Drilling Reduces Gas Prices  —  Experts deny that drilling brings down gas prices, despite how often Republicans claim to have the “silver bullet.”  Now, the Associated Press reports that an analysis of 36 years …

More See “Too Much” Religious Talk by Politicians  —  Santorum Voters Disagree  —  A new survey finds signs of public uneasiness with the mixing of religion and politics.  The number of people who say there has been too much religious talk by political leaders stands at an all-time high since …

Chinese coup watching  —  Last week, controversial politician Bo Xilai, whose relatively open campaigning for a seat on China's top ruling council shocked China watchers (and possibly his elite peers, as well), was removed from his post as Chongqing's party secretary.  He hasn't been seen since.

Gillibrand: Hillary Clinton Should Run In 2016  —  In an exclusive interview with BuzzFeed Shift , New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says she will be “one of the first to ask Hillary to run in 2016.”  Gillibrand is a close Clinton supporter, and her words add weight to speculation about Clinton's plans.

Opponents Of Florida's 2005 ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law Predicted ‘Racially Motivated Killings’  —  SANFORD, FL — Nearly one month after shooting and killing Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman remains a free man.  The Sanford Police maintain that Zimmerman's conduct was legally justified under …

French Slaying Suspect Dead After Police Raid Hideout  —  TOULOUSE, France —A 23-year-old Frenchman who claimed responsibility for the killings of four men and three children died on Thursday after jumping from a balcony as security forces stormed the apartment where had been holed up for more than 30 hours …

Justices' Ruling Expands Rights of Accused in Plea Bargains  —  WASHINGTON — Criminal defendants have a constitutional right to effective lawyers during plea negotiations, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in a pair of 5-to-4 decisions that vastly expanded judges' supervision of the criminal justice system.

The other story of Mitt Romney's dog: Character Sketch  —  With his double-digit victory in Tuesday's Illinois primary, Mitt Romney moved closer to a goal he has been doggedly pursuing since 2007—making Seamus famous.  —  Already, Seamus (the Romney family's Irish setter during the 1980s) …