Nate Silver, NYT
We are beginning to see more national surveys now, including this week’s New York Times/CBS News poll, that show Mitt Romney with a slight lead over President Obama in the general election matchup. There are also a number of polls that put Mr. Obama slightly ahead. But Mr. Obama’s lead does seem to have narrowed — from about three or four points in an average of national polls a month or two ago to more like a point or so in surveys today. 

The 162-year-old border war between Missouri and Kansas heated up again this week as Show Me State lawmakers voted three times to ban a Kansas logo from their Missouri license plates.

A bipartisan team of Missouri lawmakers proposed amendments to three separate bills to prohibit the University of Kansas' Jayhawk logo from being displayed on Missouri plates, a request made by KU's alumni association. The effort is the latest in a war between the two states which began over slavery issues in 1850 and continues today over college athletics, jobs and almost anything else.

"Like generations of Missourians before us, we face an incursion from the west," Missouri Rep. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) said on the House floor Tuesday. "It will be repulsed. This is the effort to affix the dreaded, disgusting Jayhawks symbol to our Missouri license plates."

Webber has joined Missouri Rep. Caleb Jones (R-California) to push the legislation. Webber told HuffPost that the actual amendment does not single out KU or Kansans, but rather mandates legislative approval before issuing any university-related license plates. Currently, specialty plates can either be approved by the Legislature or by petition to the state revenue department. KU alums filed a petition on the subject prompting the move by Jones and Webber, whose district encompasses the University of Missouri campus.

In order to make the measure a state law, Webber said he and Jones have affixed the measure to various bills on the House floor to ensure it passes the House and Senate, and gets to Gov. Jay Nixon's desk. Three of those have passed through the House.

"We are getting it on everything," Webber told HuffPost, noting the amendments passed each time.

Webber said that he and Jones are trying to joke about the subject, but the Missouri-Kansas rivalry is serious business between the two states. It has turned primarily into a sports rivalry between KU and University of Missouri in both football and basketball. Mizzou's football team has historically ranked higher than KU's, while KU's men's basketball team has been superior to Mizzou's, but the sports war is likely coming to an end as KU has changed conferences and will not play Mizzou.

"It is exceptionally insulting this year," Webber said Tuesday. "This year is the year that those folks to the west after 120 years of competition have decided not to meet our teams on the field of competition. I don't like KU on any circumstances. This year that they can't find the heart and courage to play us, is the year they want to add something to our license plates. Not if this Legislature has anything to do about it."

Webber did say that if KU is willing to play Mizzou again, he would sponsor legislation to allow the plates.

The Missouri measure has managed to unite Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the Republican-dominated Kansas Legislature. Kansas Rep. Brett Hildabrand (R-Merriam) said that as a Kansas State University alum he can understand rivalry with KU, but he is standing behind his home state. He said he is prepared to file similar legislation if Mizzou alums attempt to place their logo on Kansas plates.

Kansas Rep. Mike Slattery (D-Mission) joined his GOP colleague in attacking their neighbors to the east. "That is the most ridiculous display and a waste of time," Slattery said with a laugh. "If that is the most important thing they can do in Missouri, then go for it. We have been taking Missouri jobs for years. If they want to stop the license plates as a form of payback, then so be it."

During last week's debate over allowing local school districts to hold referendums on student activity fees, Kansas lawmakers took several swipes at Missouri, including comments that Missourians are fleeing to the Sunflower State for better schools and jobs.

Webber told HuffPost that he believes the feuding will continue, even if the sports rivalry ends. "We've been fighting since 1850, we just need something to fight about," he said.

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Obama ad claims Romney, Bain left misery in wake of GST Steel takeover

Mitt Romney’s business record is the central narrative of his presidential campaign -- and the main line of attack by his rivals. Is he a savvy businessman who understands the factors that make economies thrive? Or a corporate raider who makes rich profits for himself while often leaving working people as collateral damage? You can guess which storyline President Barack Obama’s campaign is weaving. A new ad from Team Obama tells the story of GST Steel, a company taken over by Bain Capital, the private equity firm Romney led for years before his entrance into ...

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Democratic super PACs are planning a fundraising bonanza -- or as they call it, a "Super-O-Rama" -- at the Democratic National Convention. Just like in the old days of soft money there will be parties galore for corporations and the wealthy to be feted as they cut million dollar checks. Politico reports, "Democrats hope the events will lead to a massive cash infusion for three super PACs that have struggled to pull in the big checks necessary to compete with GOP outside advertising juggernauts like the Karl Rove-conceived Crossroads outfits and the Koch brothers-linked Americans for Prosperity. But the plan isn’t perfect. The Democratic National Convention is just two months before the general election — too late to spend any money raised there on ads, some Democrats worry. Plus, conventions do not typically lend themselves to the type of one-on-one meetings where mega donors usually sign six- and seven-figure checks. The Super-O-Rama plan is just one example of a larger overhaul afoot among Democratic super PACs, which have gotten a cool reception from some of the party’s biggest traditional donors."

That cool reception comes for a variety of reasons. HuffPost reports, "The most common complaint from Obama backers who won't give to the super PAC is one that the president previously voiced: Unlimited money is bad for democracy. 'If we're going to be the party of the people, where do we draw that line?"'asked Don Peebles, a real estate developer worth upwards of $350 million and a bundler for the Obama campaign. 'At the end of the day, Grant [and] Hamilton don't vote.' ...Warren Buffett, the third-richest man on Earth, criticized super PACs at a May shareholders meeting: 'I don't want to see democracy go in that direction. ... You have to take a stand someplace.' ...Billionaires George Soros and Peter Lewis have both avoided giving money to groups that focus on television advertising. ...Other Democratic donors have made policy an issue in their giving. ...And then there are those big-money givers who backed Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primary."

Changes are afoot, however, as Priorities USA Action, the lead pro-Obama super PAC, announced the hiring of Mary Beth Cahill, campaign manager for Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. HuffPost's Sam Stein writes, "Cahill has been the director of the Washington, D.C. office of the United Auto Workers, a prominent labor union, and the executive director of EMILY's List, which works to increase the number pro-choice women in elected office. Priorities USA Action is likely hoping that Cahill will be able to parlay those ties to the union and progressive community into financial support for future ads."

In Congress, Sen. John McCain has made an overture to the Democrats to work on campaign finance reform post-Citizens United. The Hill reports, "Sen. John McCain is talking with Democrats about a joint effort to require outside groups that have spent millions of dollars on this year’s elections to disclose their donors. ...McCain said he wants to ensure the legislation is balanced to cover labor union activity as well as spending by corporations and rich individuals."

Speaking of the kind of disclosure reform Congress would seek, the conservative social welfare non-profit American Action Network reported that it received one $7 million contribution from an anonymous donor in 2010. The group was revealed earlier this year to have received $4.5 million from the main pharmaceutical industry trade group.

The Obama campaign and the DNC announced raising a joint $43.6 million in April.

The Karl Rove-linked Crossroads GPS announced a $25 million ad buy across 10 states attacking Obama. The buy began with an $8 million purchase of air time that matches an ad buy from the Obama campaign.

Will any of these cases be the next Citizens United? Mother Jones asks.

How big of a role did super PACs play in last night's Nebraska Senate primary race? iWatch News says a big role. WaPo points to the sole billionaire who backed the winner, Deb Fischer, with his super PAC.

Rick Hasen tells campaign finance reformers not to get their hopes up for more disclosure even though the Van Hollen v. FEC case has so far succeeded in district court and beaten back two attempts at stays.

This super PAC is winning the Internet by trolling the FEC.

AD WATCH

Help us populate our list of campaign videos. Send any notable TV, radio or web ads that you see to Fundrace. Send your submissions to paulblumenthal@huffingtonpost.com.

Committee: Crossroads GPS
Candidate Opposed: Barack Obama
Spot: "Obama's Promise"
Market: Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Michigan, and Nevada.
Buy: ~$25 million.

Committee: Elizabeth Warren for Senate
Spot: "People"
Market: Massachusetts.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Heather Wilson for Senate
Spot: "Cliff"
Market: New Mexico.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Linda McMahon for Senate
Spot: "Why I'm Running"
Market: Connecticut.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Hector Balderas for Senate
Spot: "Underdogs"
Market: New Mexico.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: VoteVets.org Action Fund
Candidate Supported: Tulsi Gabbard
Spot: "Tulsi"
Market: Hawaii's 2nd District.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Committee To Elect An Effective Valley Congressman
Candidate Supported: Howard Berman
Spot: "Breaking the Gridlock"
Market: California's 30th District.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Scott Walker for Governor
Spot: "Jobs"
Market: Wisconsin.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Tom Barrett for Governor
Candidate Opposed: Scott Walker
Spot: "Turn Off Walker"
Market: Wisconsin.
Buy: Undisclosed.

TRACKING INDEPENDENT SPENDING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE:

These numbers represent spending by independent groups, like super PACs and non-profits, to support or oppose a particular candidate for the presidency in 2012. Fundrace will update this spending daily to help show which candidates are gaining from the proliferation of independent groups in this coming election.

Newt Gingrich (R), $13,017,772 to support, $18,885,161 to oppose.
Rick Santorum (R), $7,548,235 to support, $20,923,379 to oppose.
Mitt Romney (R), $7,327,516 to support, $8,743,763 to oppose.
Rick Perry (R), $4,167,697 to support, $1,404 to oppose.
Ron Paul (R), $3,748,218 to support, $214,158 to oppose.
Jon Huntsman (R), $2,453,204 to support, $0 to oppose.
Barack Obama (D), $455,569 to support, $1,268,512 to oppose. (+$26,965)
Herman Cain (R), $501,717 to support, $954 to oppose.
Gary Johnson (R), $518 to support, $0 to oppose.

RECENT INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES

National Association of Realtors PAC, $396,300 to support Gary Miller for Congress in California's 31st District.
Susan B. Anthony List, $10,080 to support Aleica Webb-Edgington for Congress in Kentucky's 4th District.
FreedomWorks for America, $2,953 to support Ted Cruz for Senate in Texas.
Committee to Elect An Effective Valley Congressman, $96,219 to support Howard Berman for Congress in California's 30th District.
Restoring Our Community, $10,281 to support Pete Aguilar for Congress in California's 31st District.
Americans for Growth, Opportunity & Prosperity Super PAC, $31,171 to support Thomas Massie for Congress in Kentucky's 4th District.
Campaign to Defeat Barack Obama, $26,965 to oppose Barack Obama for President in California.
National Association of Realtors PAC, $109,577 to support Gary Miller for Congress in California's 31st District.
TEST PAC, $3,927 to oppose Lamar Smith for Congress in Texas' 21st District.
Citizens for a Working America, $50,000 to support Thomas Massie for Congress in Kentucky's 4th District.
VoteVets.org Action Fund, $89,364 to support Tulsi Gabbard for Congress in Hawaii's 2nd District.

RECENT POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REGISTRATIONS

Texas America 21st Century PAC, San Antonio, Texas, Treasurer: Judith Zamore. (Super PAC)

Send tips, hints, submissions, rumors to HuffPost Fundrace at paulblumenthal@huffingtonpost.com.

More than half of U.S. adults aren't getting enough exercise, according to a sweeping new report on the state of America's health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Older people, ages 75 and older, were the least likely to meet the recommendations, with 70 percent not getting enough regular aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise. Meanwhile, 39 percent of people ages 18 to 24 didn't get enough exercise.

The report, called "Health, United States, 2011," examined a range of health data collected up until 2010. It also showed the influences of education on health and income on health insurance, as well as trends for medical testing in the U.S.

In terms of medical testing, the researchers found that the rate of mammograms among women ages 40 and older has remained about the same (between 67 percent and 70 percent) between 2000 and 2010.

In addition, the data showed that more people are getting colorectal tests, with the percentage of 50- to 75-year-olds getting the test rising from 34 percent in 2000 to 59 percent in 2010.

Meanwhile, for education, researchers found that the education level of the head of the household is correlated with obesity of the children in the household. For example, 24 percent of boys and 22 percent of girls were obese in homes where the head of household had a high school education only. Meanwhile, 11 percent of boys and 7 percent of girls were obese in homes where the head of household had at least a bachelor's degree.

In addition, rates of smoking in U.S. adults between ages 25 and 64 who had a high school education or less was 31 percent in 2010, compared with 24 percent of adults who had completed at least some college and 9 percent of adults who completed at least a bachelor's degree, according to the study.

Life expectancy is also higher for people with at least a bachelor's degree, compared with people who don't have a high school diploma, the report showed. In 2006, having at least a bachelor's degree at age 25 correlated with an extra 9.3 years of life; for women, it was an extra 8.6 years of life.

"Highly educated people tend to have healthier behaviors, avoid unhealthy ones and have more access to medical care when they need it," report lead author Amy Bernstein, a health services researcher for the National Center for Health Statistics, told USA Today. "All of these factors are associated with better health."

The report also highlighted changes in health insurance coverage in low-income families. In families whose incomes were 200 percent below the poverty level, the number of children who were not covered by health insurance actually decreased between 2000 and 2010, from 22 percent to somewhere between 11 and 13 percent.

The report also highlighted that states in the South and Rocky Mountain regions have the worst doctor-to-patient ratios, while Hawaii, Minnesota and northeastern states had the best ratios, CNN pointed out.

CNN also reported that 2 percent fewer adults smoked in 2010 compared with 2009 -- from 21 percent to 19 percent.

For a look at the full CDC report, click here.

The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Mitt Romney said there are "49 different federal job training programs that report to eight agencies"

During a campaign stop in St. Petersburg on May 16, 2012, Mitt Romney said he intended to make government work better and save money in the process. As an example, he cited the federal government’s efforts to provide job training. "Do you know how many federal job training programs there are? 49 different federal job training programs that report to eight agencies," he said. Romney said he would look to consolidate programs and send them to the states. "I want to take those dollars, put them together ...

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Valerie Jarrett, Huff Post
The passage of the Violence Against Women Act nearly two decades ago was an historic moment for America's women and girls. The law gave women new legal protections that help ensure their safety.Last month, Democratic and Republican Senators came together to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. The bill they approved would address the high rates of domestic violence committed against Native American women, ensure that LGBT victims have access to services, and make college campuses safer places to live and study.

Steve Kornacki, Salon
At the very least, the Republican Party base's revolt against its own establishment cost the GOP a 50-50 Senate tie in 2010, with primary voters forcing unelectable nominees on the party in three races that it had otherwise been on course to win. A decent case can be made that the uprising actually cost Republicans outright Senate control.And now the same thing may be happening all over again, with Nebraska joining a growing list of unexpected 2012 Senate battlegrounds "“ at least for the moment. 

Amid the celebration of Mother's Day and a child's college graduation this past weekend, there emerged a kernel of wisdom that can break the gridlock, preserve our nation's strength, and allow America to continue to lead the world to peace and prosperity.

Dramatic? Admittedly. True? Absolutely.

This powerful insight is simply that incentives work.

Sunday's University of Dallas graduation ceremony was a powerful witness to a wonderful mother on Mother's Day. My wife and I watched our youngest graduate from college, enjoyed the company of all four of our children together, witnessed all four complete college in four years, and paid our last tuition payment! Oh, happy days!

Without taking anything away from my wife's nurturing guidance and the talent and drive of our children, my role also played a vital part: I exercised graduate economics! I have great children. America is full of wonderful people. Yet well-defined and well-intentioned incentives can powerfully and positively impact behavior for even the best people.

I negotiated with my children before they were born (it's easier that way) that if there was no dating before they were 16, Dad would help with the first four years of any college where they were accepted. The fifth year was on them. Amazingly, they all met the criteria and completed their degrees in four years at great schools -- Notre Dame, Michigan, and the University of Dallas.

This approach of clearly defined incentives, if applied to many government services, would go a long way in solving our deficit.

How could incentives break the stalemate in Congress and save the union? The simple answer is in their application to health care. In making the case for health care reform, President Obama said, "Put simply, our health care program is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close." As a former CFO, I absolutely agree. California Gov. Jerry Brown recently outlined his budget prescription by warning citizens that he had no choice but to cut spending and raise taxes. I absolutely disagree. Regrettably, like so many politicians, Gov. Brown has ignored the power of incentive in his own state. As a result, many will suffer.

California's Safeway grocery stores estimate that applying incentives to health care could result in a 40 percent reduction of direct health care spending in the United States. This could balance the budget without benefit cuts or tax increases.

How can this be? The problem of rising health care costs could be solved by allowing businesses to apply their well-honed expertise in offering customers the opportunity to have more for less -- in this case, better health at a lower cost. Individuals also must have incentives to make healthy lifestyle choices.

From where do these gigantic savings come? First, benefits would spring from improved transparency. Safeway's study revealed wide differences in the cost of medical care. An easy comparison of providers' cost and quality, combined with an incentive to seek out the best deal, could yield dramatic results for consumers.

Safeway found that substantive savings also would come from better lifestyle choices. By its estimates,

1. 70 percent of health care costs are driven by behavior
2. four chronic conditions are responsible for 74 percent of health care costs, and
3. obesity is a driving factor in all four chronic conditions.

Taken together, this means that the biggest driver of health care costs is obesity, which is largely behavioral and reversible. Kudos to Michelle Obama for shining a light on this priority!

Safeway used these findings to implement a health care plan that rewarded people with incentives and lowered premiums based on progress in four measures:

• Weight
• Tobacco use
• Control of cholesterol levels
• Control of blood pressure levels

Safeway achieved lower health care costs at a time when others were experiencing significant increases. And Safeway employees became healthier over that same period.

Unleashing the power of choices in health care for private companies and government programs could dramatically reduce health care costs while improving the health of the overall population and the competitiveness of the national economy.

Providing incentives to my children helped me to balance my checkbook. By doing the same, America could remain solvent with a lot less pain to beneficiaries and taxpayers. Perhaps Gov. Brown and other politicians need a remedial course in incentive economics.

Mark R. Kennedy leads George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management and is Chairman of the Economic Club of Minnesota. He previously served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and was Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Federated Department Stores (now Macy's).

One of the Earth Day events that I was invited to participate in was an Interfaith Conference on Care of Creation in Roanoke, Va. In the brochure that was prepared for the event, the organizers articulated their vision in the following way: "Conscious of the opportunities afforded by our region being located among the headwaters of three rivers, we are working proactively to engage our communities in preserving, restoring and enhancing both our physical environment and our human understanding of how to live safely, healthily, prosperously and peacefully within and as a part of it."

After escaping the usual tangled Friday afternoon congestion of Washington, we were treated to the glow of the slow late afternoon and evening sun as it turned the western slope of the Shenandoah Mountains to different blue-green shades. Inside and around the beltway, one can very easily forget the beauty that the landscape holds and the fertility that is in evidence across the numerous farms and fields that are clearly visible driving south along interstate highway 81. The constant flow of large trucks on this north-south thruway can very easily cause one to miss the marvelous sights and hints of springtime that are spread across these rolling hills.

The conference workshops gave a clear indication of how the organizers planned to wrestle their vision to the ground and make the necessary connections to the ordinary activities and issues that demand daily attention. "Averting Sickness and Disease by Creative Engagement with Environment & Culture" was the description for a session that reminded all about the numerous ways that individuals and communities are and must be the primary actors when it comes to promoting wellness and safeguarding wellbeing. Too often we assume that hospitals, doctors, nurses and pharmaceutical companies are responsible for these priorities and have the ability to protect us and our communities when threatened by sickness and disease.

Ministry to the whole person, intellect, body and spirit was a call to a vision of ministry in the faith communities that takes seriously the relationship between the different dimensions of our personalities with the customs, traditions of our culture and the local environments and bio regions where we live. A session on nourishing health finally sought to explore how healthy cooking and appropriate eating supports and promotes both health and healing.

My contribution to the event was to share the good news about how faith communities have been collaborating for 40 years to engage private corporations about their responsibilities to the local communities and numerous stakeholders across the world that the success of their business model relies on every day. While their attention to the injustices like that apartheid, child labor and cooperation with oppressive regimes and governments is well known, similar persistence and strategies have been focused on the environment, infant formula and health. The histories of these engagements are available on the website of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.

Closer to home the responsibilities of corporations, large and small, are now being more closely examined from a number of perspectives. The focus of the conference in Roanoke was an invitation for all of us to identify the numerous actors, institutions and organizations that influence and impact the quality of life, especially wellness and health, in our communities. The activities of corporations from the point of view of the goods and services they provide as well as the impact of their business model on the local communities especially the environment deserve much more scrutiny and evaluation.

We have long been aware of the impact that toxics pollutants, processes and chemicals have on the quality of the air, water and land. We have slowly taken steps enact laws and regulations to eliminate the most egregious of these behaviors. We continue to struggle with the implementation of many of these rules. Local communities are often confronted with proposals that suggest we sacrifice these priorities for the sake of jobs, development or progress. We can have both.

The Interfaith Conference on Care of Creation provides a model whereby faith communities anywhere can collaborate in convening conversations about how to promote health and wellbeing in their local communities. They are also well positioned through collaboration with their regional and national networks and affiliations, that likely contain shareholders in corporations, to bring corporations to the table for this important conversation.

The long term perspective that is often lacking in the short term profit-driven model that continues to dominate Wall Street is a central priority for faith communities that resonate with the vision of the organizers of the Roanoke conference. These and similar local and regional initiatives can also provide corporations with the opportunity demonstrate the depth of their commitments to responsible corporate citizenship.

Alan Simpson, the former Republican senator from Wyoming who co-chaired President Barack Obama's debt commission in 2010, took a swipe at one of his most fervent critics on Tuesday, saying that economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman's work often "borders on hysteria."

During an interview with Bloomberg TV, Simpson was asked what he thought of Krugman's argument that more U.S. government spending would help lift the economy.

"Paul Krugman is a great economist, but he ain't the best in the world," Simpson said. "I love to read his stuff because it borders on hysteria. He talks about the lost souls of the past, and he is in there, too."

Krugman, a Nobel Prize winner, accused Simpson of "blood lust" in 2010 for his affinity for spending cuts.

Simpson also commented on debt commission reforms he proposed with co-chairman Erskine Bowles, a Democrat. The initial Simpson-Bowles plan, which proposed for bringing the top tax rate down by repealing a number of tax cuts and credits, was ignored by lawmakers. A bipartisan budget modeled after their report was also rejected by the House this year. Simpson said he remains optimistic about his recommendations.

"It's like a stink bomb in a garden party, it ain't going away," Simpson, who is known for his colorful turns of phrase, said. "Buckle up your guts."

Simpson also relayed some advice to lawmakers on how to sell his plan to the American public. According to Simpson, it is essential to push the idea of a "shared sacrifice" to get the country out of debt.

"Everybody will get hit," he said. "If you tell people that and be honest with them, and let them bitch and roar and snort, you can make it through there."

Look through more of Simpson's history of colorful statements below:

Victor Davis Hanson, National Review
Over the last four years, almost all of the news about the shaky European Union has been financial, with some attention paid to southern Mediterranean tabloid attacks on Germany and the German media counter-stereotyping of irresponsible siesta-loving sunny Mediterraneans.But as Greece falls apart, and as panic spreads to other debtors, we are starting to see a stage II political crisis, with socialists and extremists, both left and right, revolting over “austerity” — or rather over the mere taste of austerity that has never been really swallowed in whole. But all...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Defense teams in the Sept. 11 case at Guantanamo are asking a military judge to order senior U.S. government officials to testify at the U.S. base in Cuba as part of a motion to dismiss charges, a lawyer for one of the defendants said Tuesday.

The motion to dismiss includes a request to compel testimony from eight "top officials" from the administrations of President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush, said Navy Cmdr. Walter Ruiz, who represents Saudi defendant Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi.

Ruiz declined to identify the officials, and the motion has not been released pending a security review. A Pentagon spokesman also declined to release the list until it has been cleared for release.

Lawyers for three of the five Guantanamo prisoners charged with aiding and planning the Sept. 11 attacks have joined the motion, which seeks a dismissal of the charges under what is known in the military legal system as "unlawful influence," or an improper attempt to sway the case.

Ruiz said American officials have made statements that have "tainted the entire process" of prosecuting the five Guantanamo prisoners, who include the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

"In the military, a commander of an installation or of a ship can't make public statements about what they believe to be the person's guilt or innocence and what kind of punishment they ought to get," Ruiz said in a telephone interview. "The only difference in this case is you have basically higher ranked officers and administration officials who are making much more public statements about the process and the expectations of the process."

Mohammed and his four co-defendants were arraigned May 5 on charges that include terrorism and murder and could get the death penalty if convicted.

Lawyers for Mohammed and Walid bin Attash have not joined the motion to dismiss but might do so later, Ruiz said.

It was not clear when the judge might rule on the request. The next hearing in the case had been scheduled for June 12 but several of the defense teams have requested a postponement.

For five years, America’s most expensive fighter jets have been poisoning their pilots and crew. On Tuesday, the Defense Secretary finally stepped in — restricting the flights of the F-22 Raptor, and ordering the Air Force to begin an “expedited installation” of an automatic backup oxygen system for the entire fleet of Raptors, Pentagon spokesman George Little tells reporters. But Panetta is allowing the stealthy dogfighter to keep flying — for now.

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Female farmworkers across the United States are commonly sexually harassed and assaulted, in part because their immigration status makes them fearful of calling police, according to a report being released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch.

The survey by the international rights group mirrors two previous reports on the risks facing women and girls that had focused on California, where most of the nation's farmworkers reside.

"Our research confirms what farmworker advocates across the country believe: Sexual violence and sexual harassment experienced by farmworkers is common enough that some farmworker women see these abuses as an unavoidable condition of agricultural work," said the report.

An estimated 630,000 of the 3 million people who perform migrant and seasonal farm work are women. The federal government estimates that 60 percent of them are undocumented.

"It's easiest for abusers to get away with sexual harassment where there's an imbalance of power, and the imbalance of power is particularly stark on farms," the report's author, Grace Meng, told The Associated Press.

The report calls on Congress to pass laws protecting immigrant farmworker women, and for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to repeal rules that encourage local police to report federal immigration violations.

The report describes incidences of rape, stalking, fondling and vulgar language used against women, who say they often don't report it because they are afraid of being fired or, worse, deported.

Meng interviewed 52 farmworkers and 110 attorneys, social service providers, law enforcement officials and members of the agriculture industry in New York, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and the state of Washington, but focused primarily on California because of its large farmworker population.

Women who work for labor contractors are more vulnerable than those who work directly for a farmer, the report said.

"The goal of our report was to show that this was a national problem. And to show the governmental barriers that exist to reporting these crimes and abuses. And to demonstrate it's a human rights problem," Meng said.

While previous studies have said that up to 80 percent of women who work in the fields have been harassed or assaulted, a counselor in the heart of California's agriculture region says her experience puts it at closer to half. She said the problem exists in all businesses where immigrant women may lack English language skills and trust in law enforcement, but that farms are the biggest employers so the abuses occur more frequently there.

Incidences are rarely reported to authorities, said Amparo Yebra of the nonprofit Westside Family Preservation Services Network in Huron, Calif.

"We have had a lot of complaints," said Yebra. "Most of the people are farmworkers, but if they get the opportunity to get out of the fields to work in a store, some of the owners take advantage of those people also."

Sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal in California, and Bryan Little of the California Farm Bureau Federation says the legislature identified it as a universal problem. The Farm Bureau's affiliate group, Farm Employers Labor Service, provides sexual harassment prevention and training, which employers are required to provide every other year to anyone who works in a supervisory capacity.

"Agriculture is a big industry in California, but it seems unlikely that they passed this law just for ag," Little said. "They must have responded to something bigger going on in the workplace."

Josh Kraushaar, National Journal
For those who think Sen. Richard Lugar's defeat was primarily attributable to running a weak campaign or for living outside of Indiana for decades, I've got one number in dissent: 38 percent. That's the shockingly low percentage of the vote the six-term senator won this month, with a margin of defeat larger than any other senator in a primary over the past three decades. That's a 2006 Rick Santorum-like loss, for a politician who had been accustomed to coasting to landslide victories. It suggests that even if Lugar had run a top-notch campaign, he would have been...

Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Andrew Ng is an associate professor of computer science at Stanford, and he has a rather charming way of explaining how the new interactive online education company that he cofounded, Coursera, hopes to revolutionize higher education by allowing students from all over the world to not only hear his lectures, but to do homework assignments, be graded, receive a certificate for completing the course and use that to get a better job or gain admission to a better school.

Aaron Blake, Washington Post
President Obama said in an interview airing Tuesday that he will win reelection this year.“I’m going to win,” he said in an interview with ABC’s “The View,” which was taped Monday.Obama acknowledged continued difficulties with the economy present a challenge for his campaign, but also said that the election should be a choice between candidates. He said he hopes American voters will make a decision between his and Mitt Romney’s visions for the country.

DENVER -- Supporters of traditional marriage rallied at the Colorado Capitol as tensions remained high one day after state Republicans rejected civil unions legislation.

Dozens of people on Tuesday cheered Republican lawmakers and thanked state House Speaker Frank McNulty, who assigned the civil unions bill Monday to a Republican-led House committee sure to defeat the legislation.

A man with a horn heckled McNulty as he urged the crowd to carry the "message throughout the state of Colorado that we will protect families."

At the same time, Democrats blasted McNulty for the demise of the bill and another proposal that would ask voters to repeal three laws that have been ruled unconstitutional. They related to campaign finance and to a 1992 voter-approved ban on cities passing anti-discrimination laws to protect gays.

Ezra Klein, Washington Post
According to Best Lawyers — “the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession” — Emmet Bondurant “is the go-to lawyer when a business person just can’t afford to lose a lawsuit.” He was its 2010 Lawyer of the Year for Antitrust and Bet-the-Company Litigation. But now, he’s bitten off something even bigger: bet-the-country litigation.Bondurant thinks the filibuster is unconstitutional. And, alongside Common Cause, where he serves on the board of directors, he’s suing to have...

Jon Meacham, Time
For me, perhaps the most striking tactical story of the 2008 presidential campaign was the surprising reaction to Barack Obama in the American South. As a native of the region, I was long skeptical about the Illinois Senator’s viability in the Old Confederacy and thus about his national viability.

The Truth-o-Meter says: Full Flop | Mitt Romney evolved significantly in his position on abortion

Mitt Romney has faced years of accusations that he’s flip-flopped on various issues. One issue where Romney has clearly changed his position is abortion.     We should note that the Flip-O-Meter rates politicians' consistency on particular topics from No Flip to Full Flop. The meter is not intended to pass judgment on their decisions to change their minds. It’s simply gauging whether they did. First, we’ll look at some of the things Romney said earlier in his career about abortion, when he was waging a losing bid for a U.S. Senate seat in ...

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