Obama holds key leads on Romney, as economy malaise looms over reelection bid  —  With the general-election campaign beginning to take shape, President Obama holds clear advantages over Mitt Romney on personal attributes and a number of key issues, but remains vulnerable to discontent …

George W. Bush: Wish tax cuts not in my name  —  George W. Bush said Tuesday that he wishes the tax cuts originally approved under his watch didn't carry the burden of his family name.  —  “I wish they weren't called the Bush tax cuts,” the former president said as he kicked off …

BREAKING: George Zimmerman Launches Website, Features Vandalized Black Cultural Center  —  According to NBC News correspondent Mara Schiavocampo, George Zimmerman has launched a new website: … On the website — therealgeorgezimmerman.com — Zimmerman solicits donations to support his “living expenses and legal defense.”

Health-care law will add $340 billion to deficit, new study finds  —  President Obama's landmark health-care initiative, long touted as a means to control costs, will actually add more than $340 billion to the nation's budget woes over the next decade, according to a new study by a member of the board that oversees Medicare financing.

Report Disputes Christie's Basis for Halting Tunnel  —  Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey exaggerated when he declared that unforeseen costs to the state were forcing him to cancel the new train tunnel planned to relieve congested routes across the Hudson River, according to a long-awaited report …

Ashley Judd Slaps Media in the Face for Speculation Over Her ‘Puffy’ Appearance  —  Ashley Judd's ‘puffy’ appearance sparked a viral media frenzy.  But, the actress writes, the conversation is really a misogynistic assault on all women.  —  The Conversation about women's bodies exists largely outside …

Buffett rule not solution to debt, W.H. says  —  The Obama administration is emphasizing “fairness” over deficit reduction in its renewed pitch for the “Buffett rule” ahead of next week's scheduled Senate vote.  —  Introducing a minimum 30 percent income tax on millionaires …

Corruption Responsible for 80% of Your Cell Phone Bill  —  Last year, a new company called Lightsquared promised an innovative business model that would dramatically lower cell phone costs and improve the quality of service, threatening the incumbent phone operators like AT&T and Verizon.

Obama faces pressure over same-sex marriage  —  As the Democratic Party considers adding support for the issue to its official platform, the president is urged to give his blessing.  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama, who has fended off questions about his position on same-sex marriage …

Gates Foundation Will Withdraw Support for ALEC Nonprofit  —  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation today became the latest backer to withdraw financial support for the American Legislative Exchange Council.  —  A foundation spokesman told Roll Call that it does not plan to make future grants …

America's Debt Is Greater than Entire Eurozone's (and U.K.'s) Combined Debt  —  The Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee will release this chart later today, clearly showing that America's debt is greater than the combined debt of the entire Eurozone and the U.K.:

The end of my white guilt  —  My white guilt died on Good Friday, April 6, 2012.  That was the day my bike got stolen.  —  I was at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for the Stations of the Cross — the pre-Easter Catholic ritual of recounting the events …

Study suggests students grow less interested in promoting racial understanding  —  By  —  One stereotype about college is that the experience encourages students to be more interested in diversity and promoting racial understanding.  To some this is a great virtue of higher education …

IPT Exclusive: State Department Barred Inspection of Muslim Brotherhood Delegation  —  The State Department broke with normal procedures last week when it ordered the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) not to conduct a secondary inspection on members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom …

Pryor will not actively campaign for Obama  —  U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said he will not actively campaign in Arkansas for President Barack Obama during the 2012 general election cycle.  —  Pryor noted his unwillingness to support the Obama, the titular head of the Democratic Party …

The Two Economies  —  The creative dynamism of American business is astounding and a little terrifying.  Over the past five years, amid turmoil and uncertainty, American businesses have shed employees, becoming more efficient and more productive.  According to The Wall Street Journal on Monday …

TPMMuckraker  —  Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Legal Bulldog Faces Disbarment  —  If things went differently, Andrew Thomas might have had a bright career in Arizona politics.  —  In six years as the top prosecutor in Maricopa County, he stood side-by-side with Sheriff Joe Arpaio and earned …

Guy T. Saperstein  —  Guy T. Saperstein graduated law school (UC Berkeley) in 1969, received a poverty law fellowship and represented migrant farmworkers in Colorado; in 1972, he founded a law firm in Oakland which became the largest plaintiffs civil rights law firm in America …

The Miami Marlins announced Tuesday morning that the team has suspended manager Ozzie Guillen for five games effective immediately after his comments about Fidel Castro.  —  In a news conference on Tuesday during which he began by speaking Spanish, Guillen said he felt like he had betrayed …

False Nikki Haley Twitter Report Spreads Fast  —  It took only two minutes.  An unfounded report on a little-known blog claiming that Gov. Nikki R. Haley was about to be indicted rocketed from South Carolina political circles into national circulation, along the way becoming the latest lesson …

BREAKING: Lambda Legal Files Federal Lawsuit Seeking Marriage Equality in Nevada  —  Today, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund took what one of its lawyers calls “a strategic step” in the national effort to advance marriage equality by filing a federal lawsuit in Nevada seeking equal marriage rights …