A look at the week ahead in politics.

New unemployment number, Primaries in Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina, Obama delivers Michigan commencement, heads to New Jersey mid-week, Meet the Press has Hillary Clinton and Charlie Crist, unveils new set, Brits go to the polls.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

From NBC's Chuck Todd
President Obama has cut a radio ad in the Arkansas Senate race for Sen. Blanche Lincoln that begins a run on Monday.

It will run in selective markets aimed at Obama surge voters.

Lincoln, a moderate senator, is facing a challenge from the left from Lt. Gov. Bill Halter.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Bill Clinton has cut two radio ads for Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln in her Democratic primary against Bill Halter.

One ad touts how she has brought jobs to Arkansas. The other defends her for her pro-NAFTA vote, as well as her vote for Clinton's 1993 budget plan. 

Here's an excerpt of the second radio ad:

My friend Senator Blanche Lincoln is being criticized from both ends of the political spectrum. There was a TV ad criticizing her vote to ship jobs overseas. It was talking about NAFTA, which passed in my first term. Blanche voted for it because she knew it would open new markets for Arkansas rice and soy beans, and it did.

She's also been attacked for a voting to raise taxes on Social Security. What she voted for was my '93 economic plan that gave our country years of balanced budgets and surpluses and record prosperity, including almost 23 million new jobs and an all-time high in family income.

From NBC's Mark Murray
After being ridiculed in local TV news reports, Web videos, and now a brand-new TV ad for discussing bartering as an option to pay for health care, Sue Lowden (R) has now written an op-ed in Politico saying that bartering isn't her policy proposal.

And she blasts Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) for making it a distraction in Nevada's Senate race.

The comment I made about bartering was not, and was never intended to be, a policy proposal. It was an example of how struggling families are working to pay for medical care in any way they can during these tough times.

The truth is that Reid is so out of touch with these hardworking American families that he needs political theater to distract Nevadans from both his own unpopularity and the costs of his plan.

*** UPDATE *** While Lowden has said that bartering isn't her policy proposal, it certainly is something that she has embraced. As she said on a Nevada news program earlier this month: "I'm telling you that this works. You know, before we all started having health care, in the olden days our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor, they would say I'll paint your house. That's the old days of what people would do to get health care with your doctors. Doctors are very sympathetic people. I'm not backing down from that system."

From NBC's Mark Murray
The AP:

A federal judge in Chicago has refused to issue a subpoena for President Barack Obama to testify at former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's political corruption trial. U.S. District Judge James Zagel ruled Friday that lawyers for Blagojevich had not produced sufficient evidence that Obama would have anything material to say on the witness stand.

Defense attorneys had claimed that the president could shed light on charges that Blagojevich schemed to sell or trade Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.

From NBC's Mark Murray
In Nevada's Senate contest, The Las Vegas Sun's Jon Ralston is reporting that the independent group Patriot Majority, fronted by a former spokesman to Harry Reid, is going to begin running TV ads aimed at GOP front-runner Sue Lowden.

The subject of those ads? Lowden's much-ridiculed comments on bartering for health-care services.

Here's what Lowden said earlier this month on a Nevada news program:

I'm telling you that this works. You know, before we all started having health care, in the olden days our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor, they would say I'll paint your house. That's the old days of what people would do to get health care with your doctors. Doctors are very sympathetic people. I'm not backing down from that system.

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
At the top of his remarks today, President Obama updated reporters on his administration's response to the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, stressing that BP -- the owners of the oil rig where an explosion and the subsequent spill occurred -- are solely responsible for the disaster.

As First Read noted this morning, the White House has been defending its reaction to the spill amid criticism that the federal government hasn't done enough in response.

"BP is ultimately responsible under the law for paying the costs of response and cleanup operations," Obama said. But he also stated that the federal government is continuing to work with state and federal governments.

"There are now five staging areas to protect sensitive shorelines; approximately 1,900 federal response personnel are in the area; and more than 300 response vessels and aircraft on the scene 24/7. We've also laid approximately 217,000 feet of protective boom, and there are more on the way."

Obama added that he's ordered Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to conduct a full review of the breach and report back in 30 days with recommendations on what additional precautions and technologies can be put in place to prevent against another such failure.

Later today, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles will brief reporters on the spill in Robert, LA.

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
President Obama said the 3.2% rise in the Gross Domestic Product over the first three months of 2010 was evidence that his administration's efforts to shore up the economy are working, but he said that much work was left to do with millions of Americans still unemployed.
 
"Our economy is stronger; that economic heartbeat is growing stronger. But I measure that progress by a different pulse," he said, adding that he was focusing on Americans "still trying to recover from the shockwave of lost homes, lost businesses and more than 8 million lost jobs. It's a tragedy that has families across America too often feeling like they're on life support," he said.

Today's GDP increase is the third-consecutive quarterly gain, driven by a 3.6% spike in consumer spending, the biggest since the 2007 recession. The rise in GDP, however, is not as large as last quarter's increase of 5.6%, when businesses began to restock inventories and the government's efforts to stimulate the economy took effect.

The president used the GDP announcement to tout business developments that he called evidence of his administration's efforts to spur job growth.

"Our task is to create the conditions necessary for businesses to open their doors and expand their operations and, ultimately, hire more workers. "That's precisely what we've tried to do by cutting taxes for small businesses, by backing thousands of loans supporting billions of dollars in lending, by making targeted investments in areas of our economy where the potential for job growth is raised, areas like clean energy."

The White House Council of Economic Advisors also said today's report was an indication of that the economy is digging out of the recession, but it also acknowledged that some areas of "notable weakness" still exist.

In a blog post, White House economic adviser Christina Romer pointed to declines in housing and non-residential investment, as well as a 3.8% drop in state and local government spending -- the largest since 1981.

"Given the severity and depth of the recession, it will take a number of quarters of robust growth and strong employment gains to return the economy to full health and full employment," she said in the post.

Crist makes his move, while the press plays up the GOP's ideological civil war… Don't forget that Meek has a Dem primary to deal with first… Axelrod says no more drilling will be authorized until after authorities learn what caused the rig explosion… White House pushes back against criticism that it hasn't responded fast enough to the oil spill… GDP grows by 3.2%... First Read's Top 10 TV ads… Lincoln leads Halter by eight points, according to a new poll… And SEIU hits Lincoln with a $1 million ad buy.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Crist makes his move… : Charlie Crist did it, and his move now sets up what will probably be the most-watched Senate contest this year in a battleground the political world knows very, very well. (Move over Blunt vs. Carnahan in Missouri, and Fisher/Brunner vs. Portman in Ohio.) In his interview on "TODAY" this morning, Crist was certainly a man who not only was appealing to the middle, but also Florida Democrats. "This is an embracing of all the people," he said of his move to depart the GOP primary. "Let all the people to make this decision; it is too important… I just want to give them this opportunity." It also was striking when Crist said yesterday that he was doing the "right thing" for America before he said it was the right thing for Florida. He knows he will be a big national player if he pulls this off.

*** … And it's to his left: Crist's announcement event yesterday also was telling as to his strategy -- it had the feel of a "You can trust me, Democrats" rally. And while he has avoided the question about which party he would caucus with, given the Republican reaction, it's hard to imagine Crist ever being welcomed back into the Republican fold. Contrast the Democratic leadership reaction to Lieberman, for instance, versus the Republican reaction to Crist yesterday. Democrats were trying to send a signal in 2006 that they WOULD welcome Lieberman in the caucus. But that's not the case with the GOP and Crist right now. And if that's the situation, will we see Crist continue a slight shift to the left?

*** Playing up the GOP's ideological civil war: The Crist story -- just like the Specter one year ago -- is an excuse for the media to write about the GOP's ideological civil war, at a time when things couldn't be going better for the Republican Party. Here's the Washington Post's Karen Tumulty: "Crist's decision to flee the party that incubated his political career says as much about the state of the GOP as it does about the governor." And here's the AP: "Charlie Crist's departure from the Republican Party is not just a Florida story; it's an American story -- a tale of two parties driven by their ideologues, squeezing out moderate candidates." Ironically, as Tumulty later notes in her story, there are centrist Republican candidates who are thriving (Scott Brown, Mike Castle, Mark Kirk). But they're not the ones getting attention, thanks in part to stories like Crist vs. Rubio.

*** Don't forget about the Dem primary: By the way, while we're all assuming that Kendrick Meek will win the Dem nomination, don't forget that he primary challengers -- including one from the eccentric (but very wealthy) Jeff Greene, who will force Meek to spend a lot of money to win the primary.

*** Spill, baby, spill? Just weeks after the Obama administration announced its plan to open areas to offshore drilling -- in an effort to get more GOP votes for a comprehensive energy/climate change bill -- the BP spill in the Gulf Coast is changing all of that. And it probably will change the politics of the energy/climate change debate. White House adviser David Axelrod told ABC that no new oil drilling will be authorized until authorities learn what caused the explosion of the rig, the AP says.

*** White House pushes back: The White House also is pushing back against criticism that the federal government hasn't done enough responding to the spill. An administration official emails First Read that 1) Interior Secretary Salazar deployed his deputy to the Gulf the morning after the rig explosion; 2) the administration began immediately holding regular calls with BP officials; 3) President Obama began monitoring the situation and contacting governors whose states will be impacted; and 4) Obama dispatched DHS Secretary Napolitano, Secretary Salazar, and EPA Administrator Jackson to the Gulf to ensure that all is being done to respond to the spill. The administration official also says that 1,178 personnel have been deployed to protect the shoreline and wildlife; that 76 response vessels have been responding on site; and that 174,060 feet of boom/barrier have been deployed to contain the spill. And here's one thing for all of us to remember: The initial focus, post-explosion, was the loss of human life, not the spill.  

*** GDP, yeah you know me: While the White House pushes back against criticism that it hasn't done enough responding to the oil spill, it is welcoming this new: The U.S. economy grew by 3.2% in the first quarter of this year. President Obama will make remarks about that economic growth at 10:35 am ET. The AP writes, "Friday's report provides more evidence that the recovery remains on track. It marked the third straight quarterly gain as the United States heals from the longest and deepest recession since the 1930s. But that's weaker than the fourth quarter of last year, when the economy grew at 5.6%."

*** May Day, May Day: Tomorrow is May Day, and we bet they will be marches/protests on immigration that could catch the political world by surprise. These rallies could be a lot larger than anything we've seen from the Tea Party movement.

*** First Read's Top 10 TV Ads: If it's Friday, it's another First Read Top 10 -- this time a look at what we consider to be the most provocative, eye-catching, talked-about TV ads this midterm cycle.
10. Frankenstein's Coroner: This made our list last month, and it's still a good one. The nastiest ad in a race for corner -- ever. As it turns out, the target of the ad, Dr. Minyard, won the race. 
9. "Strange" Ways Here We Come: Last month, Trey Grayson began hitting Rand Paul for his "strange ideas" on national security. 
8. Rand Paul's 9/11 Response: Paul's response to the ad invoked 9/11 and the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. "Trey Grayson, your shameful TV ad is a lie, and it dishonors you," Paul says to the camera.
7. Hook(er), Line, And Sinker: The Louisiana Democratic Party goes there with this Web video aimed at Sen. David Vitter (R) and his admission of using the D.C. Madam's prostitution services. Vitter has a comfortable lead in the polls.
6. Sh#%storm: This week's Goldman Sachs congressional hearing wasn't the only place where we heard bleeped-out bad words; we also heard in this TV ad by former Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bob Schillerstrom (R). 
5. Specter's Slam: Arlen Specter has earned the reputation as a brass-knuckled campaigner, and this TV ad explains why, as he hits Joe Sestak on his attendance record and even his military record. 
4. Revenge of the Nerd: "Michigan gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder (R) is trailing in the polls, but this ad was quite a splash for the former Gateway exec.
3. Speak English: This TV ad, by Alabama gubernatorial Tim James (R), is certainly provocative coming on the heels of the Arizona's new immigration law. "This is Alabama, we speak English. If you want to live here, learn it."
2. The Hug: The Obama-Crist hug, and this Rubio ad featuring it, is one of the main reasons why Crist dropped out of the GOP primary. 
1. "Demon Sheep": No surprise here, folks. We can't get enough of ... Demon Sheep. (Caveat: It's a Web video rather than an actual TV ad.) 

*** Super Senate Tuesday: In Arkansas, a new DailyKos/Research 2000 poll shows Blanche Lincoln leading Bill Halter by eight points (43%-35%); earlier this month, Lincoln's lead was 12 points (45%-33%)… Also in Arkansas, the SEIU is launching a $1 million TV ad campaign against Lincoln, hitting her on her trade votes.

*** More midterm news: In Colorado, Vice President Biden raises money for Rep. Betsy Markey (D)… In New Hampshire's Senate race, Paul Hodes (D) is trailing Kelly Ayotte (R) by 15 points, according to a new WMUR Granite State poll.

Countdown to IN, NC, and OH primaries: 4 days
Countdown to NE and WV primaries: 11 days
Countdown to AR, KY, OR and PA primaries, and PA-12 special: 18 days
Countdown to HI special election: 22 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 186 days

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"The massive oil well leak in the Gulf of Mexico abruptly turned into a national crisis yesterday, when scientists realized oil is probably gushing from the seafloor at five times the rate they first thought. The expanding slick began washing ashore in the Mississippi River Delta last night," the Boston Globe reports. The leak is about the size of the state of Rhode Island.

The New York Times: "The response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico intensified abruptly on Thursday, with the federal government intervening more aggressively as the rapidly growing slick drifted ever closer to the fragile coastline of Louisiana. Resources from the United States Navy were marshaled to supplement an operation that already consisted of more than 1,000 people and scores of vessels and aircraft." 

The Wall Street Journal: "Federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into whether Goldman Sachs Group Inc. or its employees committed securities fraud in connection with its mortgage trading, people familiar with the probe say."

Obama's day: "Obama will comment on the first quarter gross domestic product report from the Rose Garden," AP writes. "He'll be joined by representatives and workers from two American manufacturers, Itron, a Washington state-based producer of smart energy meters, and A123 Systems, a Massachusetts-based advanced battery manufacturer." He will later tour a Secret Service training facility in Maryland.

"Senate Democrats on Thursday sought to thread the political needle on immigration reform, offering a plan that mixes tough border controls with a pathway to citizenship for 12 million illegal immigrants," Roll Call says. "Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he wouldn't set a deadline for obtaining GOP buy-in for the plan, but the initial Republican reaction was decidedly negative. Reid described the measure as an 'invitation' to Republicans as he called for a new round of bipartisan talks."    
 
The New York Times writes, "Even as the Democratic senators were still speaking, President Obama issued a statement praising the proposal as 'an important step,' and he warned that lack of federal action would 'leave the door open to a patchwork of actions at the state and local level that are inconsistent and, as we have seen recently, often misguided.'… The statement contrasted with comments he made to reporters a day earlier on Air Force One, in which he suggested that Congress might not have the appetite for an immigration overhaul." 

Roll Call: "Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) is urging his House colleagues to wear bracelets proclaiming their opposition to Arizona's strict new immigration law. Baca, a former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, distributed the red and navy bracelets -- which read 'No to Arizona's Immigration Law' -- during a series of House votes Thursday evening."  

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "declined to endorse an economic boycott of the state that Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is spearheading." 

"The House on Thursday approved a bill that could move Puerto Rico to statehood -- exposing a rare and bitter rift between New York members from the island territory," the New York Daily News reports.  
 
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) blasted the Democratic leadership's handling of the Puerto Rico statehood bill, calling it the "political equivalent of a shady Goldman Sachs derivative: It's secretive. It lacks transparency. It's likely to blow up down the road and cause systemic risk to out democracy. And those who put this political derivative together don't really tell you what this is really about and will play dumb when it explodes."  
 
Rep. Ed Markey "wants the CEOs of the country's largest oil companies to testify on Capitol Hill, signaling increased political pressure on the industry following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the Democratic push for climate legislation." 

"President Barack Obama has accelerated his search for his next Supreme Court nominee, meeting in the Oval Office with one of the candidates, federal judge Sidney Thomas of Montana, a person familiar with the conversation says," the AP reports. "Obama's meeting with Thomas on Thursday was his first known formal interview for the upcoming vacancy on the court. He is holding conversations with other candidates, and it is not clear whether he has already had other personal meetings with contenders." Vice President Biden also met with and interviewed Thomas.

ARKANSAS: A new DailyKos/Research 2000 poll shows Blanche Lincoln leading Bill Halter by eight points (43%-35%); earlier this month, Lincoln's lead was 12 points (45%-33%).

FLORIDA: With his announcement, the AP says, Gov. Charlie Crist "has to wage a war on two fronts against Rubio and Democratic front-runner U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek. And he'll have to do it without his fundraising base, with a new staff and with the party that put him in power doing all it can to stop him."   
 
"The Republican infighting over Florida's Senate seat that drove Gov. Charlie Crist to ditch the GOP is giving an underdog Democrat a realistic shot at pulling off an upset in the fall," AP writes. "Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek, who appeared headed to a lopsided loss in November, suddenly looks like a plausible contender to snatch away victory as Crist's decision to run as an independent sets up a three-way race that could split Republicans between the governor and Republican favorite Marco Rubio."  
 
And now Meek has his own primary... "Jeff Greene, a flamboyant real estate executive who made more than half a billion dollars betting against the housing market, will announce tomorrow he is seeking the Democratic nomination for Senate in Florida, scrambling an already crowded, high-profile, and expensive race," Politico reports.   

MASSACHUSETTS: "Gubernatorial hopeful Charles D. Baker has distanced himself from the Republican Governors Association's attack ad on Treasurer Tim Cahill," even though "Baker's campaign set out to raise [$350,000] for the RGA as part of an overall $2 million fund-raising blitz," the Boston Herald reports.   
 
"A day after the federal government approved Cape Wind, state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill stepped up his criticism of the venture, skewering it as a feel-good project that could drive up energy costs," the Boston Globe writes. "'We all think of the Netherlands, and we think of all these windmills,' the independent gubernatorial candidate told a downtown meeting of business executives yesterday. 'It's really quaint. And it seems so much nicer than a big, bad energy plant or nuclear power. At the end of the day, it's an industrial opportunity.'" 

NEVADA: "A Research 2000 poll conducted for Daily Kos has [Sen. Harry Reid] within the margin of error of potential GOP foes," Real Clear Politics writes, as Reid trails his three top challengers, Sue Lowden, Danny Tarkanian and Sharron Angle, by 2 to 4 points.   
 
NEW HAMPSHIRE: "U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes is trailing most Republican candidates in the race for U.S. Senate in the latest [WMUR Granite State] poll," WMUR reports, "losing significantly to one of them and in tight races with the other." Hodes is 47%-32% with Kelly Ayotte and trails Ovide Lamontagne and Bill Binnie by 1 and 2 points respectively.  
 
State GOP chairman John "Sununu raised questions about Hodes's burn rate -- the second-term congressman has spent 43 percent of what he's raised during the cycle, including 66 percent of his haul during the first fundraising quarter of the year," Politico writes.   
 
WASHINGTON: "Democrats in Washington state and Washington, D.C. have been targeting [former GOP gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi] for weeks, hoping to scare him out of the race the way Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-WI) campaign say they did with former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who presented the only serious threat to Feingold's reelection chances. Will it work? Rossi's still flirting with a bid, but no one knows for sure yet." 

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
Conservative politicians and opinion-makers say their not-so-fond farewells to Gov. Charlie Crist as a Republican. And both sides tackle the issue of illegal immigration, driven by Arizona's passage of the toughest anti-illegal immigration laws last week, with camps divided as to whether the bill will promote racial profiling. 

At conservative bastion RedState, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee makes his case for electing three conservative politicians by comparing them to Gov. Crist, who is, at the moment, still a Republican. "On a day when a candidate with no principles is about to switch to 'No Party Affiliation' it's nice to celebrate and support three conservative candidates [Chuck DeVore, Marco Rubio and Marlin Stutzman] who know what they believe - and why they believe it," Huckabee writes. 

And at NRO, conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer weighs in on which party Crist should caucus with should he run and win as an independent. "The fact is that you could ask him today and no matter what answer he gives you won't believe him because we now know that the pledges he makes have a three-week expiration date," Krauthammer said. 

The Huffington Post editorial board doubts that the Arizona immigration law, which is supposed to take effect around July or August, will ever be enforced because it will be found unconstitutional. Citing organizations like the ACLU and The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, who have already announced their intentions to file lawsuits against the state, the editors write, "However well intentioned the Arizona law is in preventing immigrants from pouring through the borders illegally, the law as it is written, is open to different interpretation on what constitutes a 'reasonable search,' which carries with it the potential of civil rights court challenges on grounds that it violates the Fourth Amendment, which protects against 'unreasonable searches.'''  

AMERICAblog posts excerpts from an assessment from the Southern Poverty Law Center: "Arizona lawmakers have created a system that guarantees racial profiling. They also have usurped federal authority by attempting to enforce immigration law. Quite simply, this law is a civil rights disaster and an insult to American values. No one in our country should be required to produce their 'papers' on demand to prove their innocence. What kind of country are we becoming?"

DougJ at Balloon Juice considers the political implications of Republican-led states passing legislation similar to Arizona's: "'Secure the border first' seems the most likely position for Republicans here and it's probably viable, if not brilliant, politically, at least for the time being," he writes. "But I wonder how long they want to sustain the damage of Republican legislatures alienating Latinos with crazy legislation. Another four or five years of this could be catastrophic to Republican long-term prospects, even if the short-term politics aren't bad for Republicans. There will be no way they can compete in places like Arizona and Texas in ten years if this keeps up." 

Neil Stevens at RedState suggests that fears of racial profiling - the standard liberal argument -- are evidence of a difference in perception of immigrants between the East Coast and Western states. "It just doesn't occur to the Beltway folk just how impractical their vision of the law really is," Stevens writes, comparing the proportions of "government-declared 'hispanic[s]'" in D.C., Maryland and Virginia with the much higher statistics in Arizona and California. "Do you east coasters think that we, living in states where government-defined 'minorities' are the majority (or quickly becoming so) of the population, stare at everyone who looks 'hispanic' and suspect something? That's just not how life is out here. Those names, those accents, those complexions are all perfectly normal to have out here. People with Mexican and other latin American heritage don't stand out!" 

[EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this post inadvertently but incorrectly identified the state from which Mike Huckabee was governor. It has since been corrected.]

From NBC's Mark Murray
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist just announced that he's running for the U.S. Senate as a candidate without affiliation -- that is, as an independent.

"Our political system is broken," he said. "They look at Washington and they don't like what they see." 

He added that he doesn't have a Republican Party or Democratic Party to turn to. "I need you -- the people -- more than ever. I am counting on you. And I believe in you."

*** UPDATE *** Here is the reaction to Crist's decision.

DSCC Chairman Bob Menendez: "Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio are the two latest casualties of a divided Republican Party cannibalizing itself. As usual, Charlie Crist is putting his political ambition first and Marco Rubio is threatening to impose his extreme philosophical agenda. Meanwhile, Kendrick Meek will continue to be a hands-on leader, focused on improving Florida's economy and bringing jobs to the state."

RNC Chairman Michael Steele: "To be sure, he left this party. This party did not leave him. His decision will in no way impede our path to victory in Florida. The challenges that Floridians face are many. And this November, we will have a nominee in place that will listen to them and put forth solutions to get Floridians back to work."

Crist's GOP pollster Glen Bolger: "Governor Crist's decision has been ceaselessly speculated on in recent weeks. Despite his difficulties in the Republican primary, we were loyally working for him as long as he was a Republican. With his announcement that he is not running as a Republican, we will no longer be involved."

From NBC's Athena Jones and Mark Murray
President Obama opened his remarks at a Rose Garden ceremony honoring teachers by updating the public on the White House efforts to help monitor and contain a potentially disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

He said he had ordered the EPA administrator and Interior and Homeland Security secretaries to visit the site of the incident tomorrow.

"My administration will continue to use every single available resource at our disposal, " Obama said. "I've been in contact with all the governors of the states that may be affected by this accident. Earlier this week, Secs. Napolitano and Salazar laid out the next steps for a thorough investigation into what precipitated this event."

The Department of Homeland Security has designated the incident at British Petroleum's breached well "a spill of national significance," DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters at a briefing at the White House Thursday, before the president's Rose Garden remarks.

BP estimated the breach at its exploratory well was releasing some 1,000 barrels a day of light to medium crude into the Gulf, but new estimates from the government suggest the amount could be five times that. One possible method to staunch the flow of oil, a relief well, could take 90 days or more to enter operation. In the meantime, the company is using chemical dispersants, controlled burns, and booms to try to limit the damage and the Department of Defense has been asked to look into any special expertise or technologies it might be able to contribute to the efforts.

Officials project the oil could make landfall in the Mississippi Delta region some time tomorrow, and the White House is closely watching the events as they unfold. The president began his daily intelligence briefing in the Oval Office this morning with an update on the oil spill and he was also briefed on the issue last night on Air Force One on the way back from a tour of the Midwest.

One question is whether the incident will lead the administration to rethink plans to expand offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and other areas, an announcement the president made in March. While dodging direct questions about the impact this spill would have on those plans, White House officials said the president's March speech was not the final word on drilling, but merely the beginning of a process.

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D) released a letter he wrote to President Obama, saying that he is filing legislation that would prevent the administration's actions on expanding offshore drilling.

From NBC's Mark Murray and Sarah Blackwill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, arguably the Senate's most vulnerable incumbent, is up with a series of new TV ads that tout some of the benefits in the new health-care law -- tax credits for small business owners, ending the prescription-drug donut hole, and prohibiting insurers from denying those with pre-existing conditions.

Here's one of the three new 30-second TV ads.

[Youtube:ngJtaYV_2Bg]

From NBC's Ken Strickland
Senate Democratic leaders will hold a news conference on immigration this afternoon at 5:45p in the Capitol.  Participants will include Senators Reid, Durbin, Schumer, Leahy, Feinstein, and Menendez.

In a written statement, the leaders write they will...

"..discuss a preliminary outline of ideas to both secure the nation's borders and reform America's immigration system. Immigration reform remains an important priority for Senate Democrats, but it will take bipartisan support to pass reform this year. That's why Democrats are outlining a framework of concrete, bipartisan ideas to take an important step toward reform. In order to make immigration reform successful, Republicans need to work with Democrats and demonstrate a true commitment to fixing the flaws in America's immigration system to improve our nation's economic and national security."

From NBC's Betsy Cline
For once, House Republican Leader John Boehner agreed today with President Obama

On immigration reform, the House minority leader said it's not going to happen anytime soon.

"There is not a chance that immigration is going to move through the Congress," Boehner told reporters. "Even the President last night admitted that this wasn't going to happen."

Boehner was referring to President Obama's comments last night aboard Air Force One that he doubted Congress had the "appetite" for a tough fight over immigration this year before an election.

Though Boehner wants to see an immigration-reform bill move through Congress, he said, he doesn't believe this is the right time.

"You can't do immigration reform in the middle of a boiling political pot here in Washington, DC," Boehner said. "And secondly, you can't do it without serious bipartisan conversations." He told reporters Americans are more interested in jobs and the economy.

In his weekly press conference on Monday, Boehner commented on the newly passed, controversial Arizona immigration law, which some in his party have denounced.

"I think the people of Arizona have a right to pass their laws under the 10th Amendment," he said, but, he added, "I think it's clearly a result of the federal government's failure to secure our border and enforce our laws."

*** UPDATE *** The White House, responding to the post, tells First Read: "The President was explaining the context, he wasn't saying not any time soon," writes Luis Miranda, director of Hispanic media. He points out that the president also said, "That's why I've called for comprehensive immigration reform, and I want that to proceed, and I want it to be done on a bipartisan basis."

We noted this morning that President Obama said, per AP, aboard Air Force One that on immigration, "he didn't want to force an immigration bill through Congress 'just for the sake of politics,'" AP wrote. Obama added, "We've gone though a very tough year and I've been working Congress very hard, so I know there may not be an appetite immediately to dive into another controversial issue."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to announce Thursday whether he will pursue an independent Senate bid, continue on in the Republican primary, or drop his candidacy altogether.

Crist's political fall has been monumental. Once considered a shoo-in for the seat, the prized recruit of the National Republican Senatorial Committee now trails by more than 20 points to an upstart former House speaker. Crist, strategists say, failed to take Republican challenger Marco Rubio seriously. His decline is also one of a handful of examples of GOP races across the country in which the Republican Party's internal ideological battle -- a tug of war between the pragmatists and the purists -- has been on full display.

Despite the GOP's expected short-term gains this fall -- largely owed to the nation's high unemployment rate -- problems still lurk for the party's long-term stability. Republicans' ideological civil war, the recent passage of a controversial Arizona immigration law, and an uncertain shortlist of Obama challengers all raise questions about its ability to compete on a presidential level.

"From a presidential perspective, we have real [expletive] problems," said one GOP operative based in Washington, D.C., who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the state of the party frankly. "From a national candidate perspective, we have real problems."

Click to read the full story.

From NBC's Athena Jones
WASHINGTON -- Calling hers "an unambiguous record of righteous work" that was worthy of recognition, President Obama honored legendary civil rights activist Dr. Dorothy Height at a moving service here today.

The president joined members of Congress, Jesse Jackson, the actor Bill Cosby and others at the National Cathedral to pay homage to Height who died last week at age 98. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shared a pew in the packed church.

At one point early in the ceremony, as the choir sang, the president wiped away a tear.

"Look at her body of work," Obama said of Height. "Desegregating the YWCA, laying the groundwork for integration on Wednesdays in Mississippi, lending pigs to poor farmers as a sustainable source of income, strategizing with civil rights leaders, holding her own, the only woman in the room -- Queen Esther to this Moses generation."

The president has spoken of his own generation as the Joshua generation, the one where the work of Moses bore fruit. At today's service, he talked about what it must have been like for Height growing up in the era of Jim Crow, when black people were robbed of the chance to pursue their dreams, and spoke of the hard-fought struggle for equality.

"The progress that followed -- progress that so many of you helped to achieve, progress that ultimately made it possible for Michelle and me to be here as president and first lady -- that progress came slowly," he said, as the crowd applauded. "That progress came from the collective efforts of multiple generations of Americans: preachers and lawyers and thinkers and doers -- men and women like Dr. Height who took it upon themselves, often at great risk, to change this country for the better."

Height, who was president emerita of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) at the time of her death, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. A key figure throughout the Civil Rights Movement, Height headed the NCNW from 1957 to 1998, fighting for housing programs and leading voter registration drives, according to the group's website. She was on stage at the 1963 March on Washington when Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.

The Richmond, Va.,-born activist fought to prevent lynching, desegregate the armed forces, reform the criminal justice system and allow free access to public accommodations, according to a statement released upon her death by Howard University Hospital spokesperson Ron Harris. In 1938, Height was one of 10 youth invited to spend the weekend with Eleanor Roosevelt at her Hyde Park, N.Y., home to prepare for the World Youth Conference.

Height visited the White House 21 times since Obama took office, the president said, including for an event in January when he hosted a conversation with a small group of African-American seniors and their grandchildren on the legacy of the civil rights movement and afterward showed the group a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation -- which freed the slaves -- hanging in the Oval Office, on loan from the National Archives

Throughout the service, the choir and organist played gospel greats and popular African-American anthems from Lift Every Voice and Sing to We are Climbing Jacob's Ladder, to Great is Thy Faithfulness and This Little Light of Mine.

Dr. Camille Cosby spoke about the challenge Height sometimes faced as a woman in the Civil Rights Movement.

"She was immersed in fighting against our nation's evil 'isms": racism, sexism, classism and ageism," Cosby said. "Speaking of ageism, when she became an elder, Dorothy Height again refused to be pushed into the background. Just as she had done in the 1950s and 60s in her counteraction to sexism, Dr. Height showed us that our lives are always worthy and that a long life must be acknowledged and honored."

The president also talked about Height's drive for both civil rights and women's rights "not as a separate struggle, but as part of a larger movement to secure the rights of all humanity, regardless of gender, regardless of race, regardless of ethnicity."

Former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman spoke emotionally about Height's final days and the poet and author Maya Angelou read from the book of Psalms.

From NBC's Joel Seidman
Today's a big day for those following the ups and downs of campaign-finance regulations. Democrats unveiled proposals pushing back on the Supreme Court's January ruling -- in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission -- that allows a more active campaign role for corporations and unions.

You'll remember that President Obama in his State of the Union address took issue with the court's ruling. With six justices seated in front of him in the House chamber the president said, "With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that, I believe, will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections."

Today, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters at a news conference on the steps of the Supreme Court that the court's decision was "terrible, one of the worst decisions that has come along in the Supreme Court, I think in its history." Schumer and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) propose nearly identical attempts to limit the impact of the court's decision.

Schumer vowed the proposal will have bipartisan support but said that as of now no Republican has come forward to co-sponsor the legislation. He said of his colleagues across the aisle, "A good number have told us that they are very favorably disposed to the legislation."

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement that the new measure would limit free speech: "The campaign finance bill introduced this morning is not about reform, transparency, accountability or good government. It is about election advantage -- plain and simple. An effort to disregard the First Amendment and defy the Supreme Court in order to limit the speech of those who may disagree with you is an effort that has no place in this country."

Schumer said his campaign-finance proposal "levels the playing field so special interests do not drown out the voice of the average voter."

He said the goal is "to enact this measure in time to limit fallout from the court's decisions on the 2010 elections." And Schumer said he hoped to have the measure n the Senate floor before July 4th.

Core provisions of the new legislation establish new transparency and accountability requirements for corporations and unions that make expenditures in federal elections.

Details from Schumer's summary of the bill:
- Improved disclaimer requirements on campaign ads
Requires the CEO of a corporation or head of any other covered organization to personally appear in the organization's independent expenditure or electioneering communication TV ads and take responsibility for the ad by stating that the corporation or other organization approves the message.
- Improved limitations on government contractors
Contractors who have contracts with a value of $50,000 or more are prohibited from making independent expenditures or electioneering communications in federal elections. The same restrictions apply to recipients of TARP funds until such funds have been paid back.
- Expanded restrictions of foreign nationals
Expands the existing definition of a foreign national to include a U.S. corporation in which a foreign national directly or indirectly owns 20 percent or more of the voting shares of the domestic corporation; a U.S. corporation in which foreign nationals constitute a majority of the board of directors; or a U.S. corporation in which one or more foreign nationals have the power to control the decision-making process of the company with respect to the company's interests in the U.S. or its activities in connection with U.S. elections.
- Strengthen rules on coordination
The legislation strengthens and codifies existing FEC regulations that define "coordination." Under the legislation, a public communication is subject to the coordination test if it refers to a presidential candidate during the period beginning 120 days prior to the earliest primary through the general election, and if it refers to a congressional candidate during the period beginning 90 days before the candidate's primary through the general election.
- Improved disclosure by lobbying organizations
The legislation requires any lobbyist or lobbying organization that files periodic reports under the Lobbying Disclosure Act to include in those reports a list of independent expenditures or electioneering communications made by the lobbyist or lobbying organization of $1,000 or more, and the name of each candidate supported or opposed by the expenditure, if applicable.
- Strengthens lowest unit rate provisions
The legislation strengthens existing law regarding "lowest unit rate" requirements by requiring a broadcaster to provide reasonable amounts of "non-preemptible" time at lowest unit rates to candidates and parties so that they have reasonable access to lowest unit rates during the more desired parts of the broadcast schedule.

Charlie Crist's big day, big announcement, and big challenges… Crist's POTENTIAL independent move would create some unintended consequences (for FL GOV and Dem $$$)… Crist is just the latest top NRSC recruit to experience difficulty in this political environment… Cornyn responds to Kaine… Obama suggests the Senate will tackle energy before immigration… Obama's two-day swing through the Midwest a blueprint for his midterm travel in the fall?… Lincoln and Halter continue their war over the airwaves… And Strickland maintains lead over Kasich in OH.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Mr. Independent: Fourteen months ago, it started with a simple hug of President Obama. Today, it culminates in the governor of the fourth-largest state potentially leaving the Republican Party. (Yes, we say "potentially," because you never know what he's thinking after sleeping on his decision.) At 5:00 pm ET, Charlie Crist holds a campaign event in downtown St. Petersburg, where he's expected to announce that he's running as an independent for the U.S. Senate. The move would immediately begin a three-way general election that Crist, Marco Rubio (R), or Kendrick Meek (D) could end up winning. This will be, as ESPN might boast, an instant classic. Bracketing Crist's 5:00 pm ET event today, Rubio holds an event in Miami at 10:30 am to thank GOP volunteers, while Meek holds a press availability at 5:30 pm (and appears on MSNBC's "Hardball" before that).

*** Crist's three immediate challenges: Crist has a few challenges ahead of him running as an independent. First, how does he explain his past Sherman-esque denials that he'd run as an indie? In his debate with Rubio, he ruled out such a move ("That's right. I'm running as a Republican"). His campaign manager said the same thing in an email to reporters ("To put these rumors to rest once and for all, as we have said countless times before, Gov. Crist is running for the United States Senate as a Republican. He will not run as an Independent or as a No Party Affiliation"). Second, by leaving the GOP, how does he build a staff and a GOTV operation? (We've heard whispers that several Republican operatives currently working for him would resign from his campaign if he leaves the party; they pretty much have no choice if they want to work in Republican politics in the future) Third, where does his money come from, and does he give back the money he's currently raised from Republicans?

*** Department of unintended consequences: What would Crist's departure from the GOP mean for Florida's gubernatorial contest? (Where would Crist's voters go, especially now that Republican Bill McCollum will now have to reject completely the man he's trying to replace?) Also, given the Democratic Party's finite resources, which Senate race will get less money and attention now that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the White House have no choice but to play in Florida now that the race is winnable? And consider this odd fact: The governors of the four largest states are not exactly popular in their home parties: Schwarzenegger (no Republican really embraces him anymore), Perry (establishment wing tried to oust him), Paterson (he's basically been ousted), and now Crist. Of course, this is more than a coincidence. In these tough economic times, it isn't easy being a governor. And while each of the four have had their own unique (and self-inflicted) political problems, all have figured out some way to survive.

*** Not a good time to be the establishment candidate: With Crist's likely move away from the GOP and toward an indie bid, it's a reminder of the struggles that some of the National Republican Senatorial Committee's top-tier recruits have experienced this cycle. In addition to Crist, you have Trey Grayson (who is trailing Tea Party favorite Rand Paul in KY), Carly Fiorina (who's behind Tom Campbell in CA), and Rob Simmons (who's losing right now to Linda McMahon). NRSC recruits Dan Coats in IN, Kelly Ayotte in NH, and Jane Norton in CO also are receiving tougher-than-expected primaries. Now the NRSC would contend -- rightly so -- that Republicans winning these contests in November is what truly matters. But unfortunately for the GOP, the party's likely nominees in Florida and probably Kentucky aren't slam dunks to win in November. Still, the NRSC is working with a map that's much more favorable than it was a year ago. "Republicans are on offense in nine seats -- 10 if Rossi gets in -- and Republicans won Massachusetts," a GOP source tells First Read.

*** Cornyn's response to Kaine: Also, the NRSC can't be blamed for recruiting candidates -- Crist, Grayson, etc. -- that would have been the party's stronger general-election candidates. But a year ago, it probably never imagined that the Tea Party and even forces like Jim DeMint and Red State would be influencing GOP primaries as much as they have. Speaking of the NRSC, Chairman John Cornyn is addressing reporters this morning at the Christian Science Monitor Breakfast, where he will respond to DNC Chairman Tim Kaine's CSM appearance yesterday. "I know many of you heard yesterday from the chairman of the Democratic National Committee and we've heard the Democrats talk in recent days about how they plan to run as the 'party of results,'" Cornyn is expected to say, according to an NRSC aide. "You might be surprised to hear this but I could not agree more with President Obama, Chairman Kaine, and their fellow Democrats that this election should be about that -- a referendum on the Democrats' agenda and the results of Democratic control in Washington."

*** Revenge of the independents? Here's one final thought about Crist's likely announcement today: He isn't the only independent this cycle. In Massachusetts, Tim Cahill (I) has thrown a wrench into the state's gubernatorial race that also features Gov. Deval Patrick (D) and Charles Baker (R). And in Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee (I) also is running for governor.

*** Energy before immigration? Yesterday in a rare chat with reporters aboard Air Force One, President Obama suggested that energy is probably next on the agenda, not immigration. Immigration, he said, "is a difficult issue. It generates a lot of emotions, and the politics are difficult. But I've been unwavering in saying what we need to do. I think that I can get a majority of Democrats to support a comprehensive approach. But I need some help on the Republican side." Obama then continued, "So it's a matter of political will. Now, look, we've gone through a very tough year, and I've been working Congress pretty hard. So I know there may not be an appetite immediately to dive into another controversial issue. There's still work that has to be done on energy. Midterms are coming up. So I don't want us to do something just for the sake of politics that doesn't solve the problem."

*** The campaigner-in-chief: While President Obama's two-day swing through the Midwest didn't get much national attention -- due to the Goldman Sachs news, as well as the Senate action on the financial reform legislation -- the reporters following him (including one of your authors here) got a pretty good sense that his stops in Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois will serve as a blueprint of sorts for his travel during the midterm season. And remember this: If Obama's travel isn't getting much national pick-up, it's grabbing tons of local media and attention. In fact, even time he orders pie at a diner, it's not for the New York Times; it's for the local newspapers and TV stations.

*** Super Senate Tuesday: In Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln and Bill Halter are once again hitting each other over the airwaves. Lincoln has released a new TV ad blasting Halter over Social Security, while Halter has a radio ad whacking Lincoln for receiving money from Goldman Sachs.

*** More midterm news: In Ohio, Gov. Ted Strickland (D) maintains his lead over John Kasich (R), according to a new Quinnipiac poll. Strickland leads Kasich by six points (44%-38%). Obama's approval in Ohio, however, is at 45%.  

Countdown to IN, NC, and OH primaries: 5 days
Countdown to NE and WV primaries: 12 days
Countdown to AR, KY, OR and PA primaries, and PA-12 special: 19 days
Countdown to HI special election: 23 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 187 days

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"Republicans ended their three-day filibuster of a financial regulatory overhaul Wednesday, reaching agreement with Democrats to begin debate on a bill aimed at curbing the risky investment practices that brought the U.S. economy to the brink of collapse," the Washington Post says. "After voting three times this week to block debate, GOP senators decided to reverse course and attempt to reshape the bill through the amendment process. The change in tactics came after Senate banking committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and the ranking Republican on the panel, Sen. Richard C. Shelby (Ala.), announced that they had again reached an impasse in their efforts to reach a bipartisan compromise." 

The New York Times: With political pressure mounting, Senate Republicans relented on Wednesday and agreed to let Democrats open debate on legislation that would impose the most far-reaching overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system since the aftermath of the Depression." 

The New York Daily News: "Senate Republicans blinked Wednesday, ending their risky blockade of a bill to rein in Wall Street." 

Roll Call: "GOP Waves White Flag on Reform."

The Boston Globe: "The vote to move the bill forward came after Democrats threatened to meet through the night -- an attempt to further pressure Republicans and spotlight what some called their stalling tactics -- and after Republicans said they had reached an impasse in private negotiations with Democrats." 

A Senate Democratic aide emails First Read: "The only 'deal' Republicans got for allowing this debate to move forward was an open debate and the chance to offer amendments. We remain open to hearing Republican ideas on reform but let us be clear: we will fight any efforts to water down consumer protections or secure special loopholes for lobbyists in this bill."

Jim DeMint -- a.k.a. "Mr. Waterloo" -- on Obama in a radio interview: "The president is the one who put the kibosh on working together, and now he's just trying to use the mainstream media to confuse the American people. The fact is I think he thinks Americans are stupid, and he's going to play this out until he gets a headline in every paper that Republicans are obstructionist. The fact is, he's the one who's obstructing real bipartisanship."

Did you know that this is the "oldest Congress in U.S. history." "The average age of House members at the start of the 111th Congress was 57 years old -- 63 in the Senate -- making it the grayest on record," it writes. 

"Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who took pains to distance himself from his 'Saturday Night Live' personas during his 2008 Senate run, will host a fundraiser with several of the show's alums this weekend in Los Angeles," The Hill reports.

On immigration, President Obama said yesterday "he didn't want to force an immigration bill through Congress 'just for the sake of politics,'" the AP writes. He added, "We've gone though a very tough year and I've been working Congress very hard, so I know there may not be an appetite immediately to dive into another controversial issue," the president told reporters aboard Air Force One returning with him to Washington from a Midwest trip.

The New York Times: "President Obama conceded Wednesday that Congress may not have the appetite to deal with the hot-button immigration issue this year, but he vowed to continue to press lawmakers to at least begin work soon on a comprehensive bill to overhaul the country's immigration system." 

"A fired-up Mayor Bloomberg warned the U.S. 'is committing national suicide' by passing the buck on implementing comprehensive immigration reform," the New York Daily News reports. "Hizzoner delivered the blunt message Wednesday as he criticized Arizona's harsh new anti-immigrant law. 'This is not good for the country. I don't agree with it,' he said. 'We love immigrants here.'" 

"Is the CIA's secret program of drone strikes against terrorists in Pakistan and Yemen a case of illegal assassinations or legitimate self-defense?" the AP asks. "That was a central question yesterday as the program was criticized by several legal scholars, who called for greater oversight by Congress, arguing the attacks could violate international law and put intelligence officers at risk of prosecution for murder in foreign countries."

Get ready… " '[B]irthers' reportedly plan to converge on Washington on May 29 with the Obama Care Eligibility March, claims original birther attorney Phil Berg, who runs the Web site ObamaCrimes.com. However, it is not clear how many people are actually expected to attend." 

"US Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar yesterday approved the nation's first offshore wind farm, the controversial Cape Wind project first proposed nine years ago in the beloved waters of Nantucket Sound, and proclaimed the dawn of a new era of clean energy in the United States," the Boston Globe reported, adding, "The project is also a critical milestone for President Obama, who pledged during his election campaign to make America a leader in clean energy but then failed to broker an international climate deal in Copenhagen last year. So far, the president has also been unable to sign an energy and climate bill into law. Even as the federal government developed offshore energy rules and as a suite of other projects were proposed off the East Coast in recent years, the Cape Wind decision loomed as a test of what kind of energy future the country would choose."

From Russia With Love? The New York Post: "At least eight prominent Kremlin critics have been caught in a hidden camera sex sting by a sultry young Moscow model in what they say is a classic KGB-style 'honey trap.'" The Post profiles the model, "Katya" and some of those who have been caught with her.