Romney supporters shout down Axelrod criticism of former governor's record  —  President Obama and Mitt Romney protesters faced off Thursday at a press conference in Boston featuring senior Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod.  —  Speakers at the outdoor event were framed …

John Edwards acquitted on one count as jury deadlocks on five others and judge declares mistrial  —  GREENSBORO, N.C. — Johnny Reid Edwards, a honey-voiced North Carolina lawyer who parlayed his boyish good looks and inspiring personal history as the son of a mill-worker into a meteoric political rise …

BREAKING: Two Republican Judges Declare DOMA Unconstitutional  —  A three judge panel of The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit just handed down a decision declaring the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.  Notably, the panel included Judges Juan Torruella and Michael Boudin …

It's official: Bill Clinton heading to Wisconsin to campaign against Scott Walker  —  Former President Bill Clinton has decided to go to Wisconsin to campaign against Scott Walker in the final days of the battle over whether to recall the Wisconsin Governor, a move that could give a boost …

To GOP, blatant bias in vetting  —  On the front page of its Sunday edition, the New York Times gave a big spread to Ann Romney spending lots of time and tons of money on an exotic genre of horse-riding.  The clear implication: The Romneys are silly rich, move in rarefied and exotic circles, and are perhaps a tad shady.

Bloomberg Plans a Ban on Large Sugared Drinks  —  New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity.

Warren says she told schools of heritage  —  Acknowledges identifying as Native American after hirings  —  Governor Deval Patrick (right) endorsed Elizabeth Warren's Senate candidacy at a campaign event on Wednesday.  (Yoon S. Byun / Globe Staff)  —  Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth …

Presidential Polling in June: Flip a Coin Instead?  —  “I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.”  — Socrates  —  With all of the polls, models and history at their disposal, political analysts should be able to figure out who is going to win a November presidential election by June, right?

House rejects bill penalizing doctors for sex-selective abortions  —  The House on Thursday rejected a Republican bill that would impose fines and prison terms on doctors who perform abortions for the sole purpose of controlling the gender of the child, a practice known as sex-selective abortion.

Suppressive Voting Laws Take Hit, Federal Judge Blocks Florida Law  —  4:00 PM EST Media Call to Discuss Decision  —  Contact: Erik Opsal, 646-292-8356, erik.opsal@nyu.edu  —  New York, NY - A federal judge blocked enforcement of key provisions of a restrictive voting law in Florida today …

Producer of Obama Video on Fox News Loses CNN Job Offer  —  The Fox News producer behind a provocative four-minute anti-Obama video that aired Wednesday and caused the network considerable embarrassment has suddenly found his career on ice.  —  The producer, Chris White, had been offered a job by CNN before the video was broadcast.

Honeywell CEO Says The Corporate Tax Rate Should Be Zero  —  During an interview today, Honeywell CEO David Cote — who President Obama named to the Bowles-Simpson deficit commission — told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin that he believes the U.S. corporate tax rate should be zero.

Mega-donors: Quit picking on us  —  All they wanted was to get involved.  —  But to hear some of the biggest donors of 2012 tell it, their six- and seven-figure contributions have instead bought them nothing but grief.  —  Their personal lives are fodder for news stories.

Drugmakers Vowed To Campaign For Health Law, Memos Show  —  Drugmakers led by Pfizer (PFE) Inc. agreed to run a “very significant public campaign” bankrolling political support for the 2010 health-care law, including TV ads, while the Obama administration promised to block provisions opposed by drugmakers …

With Plan X, Pentagon seeks to spread U.S. military might to cyberspace  —  The Pentagon is turning to the private sector, universities and even computer-game companies as part of an ambitious effort to develop technologies to improve its cyberwarfare capabilities, launch effective attacks and withstand the likely retaliation.

NBC-Marist polls: Obama, Romney deadlocked in three key states  —  President Obama phones Mitt Romney to congratulate him for locking up the GOP nomination.  NBC's Steve Handelsman reports.  —  President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney are deadlocked …