From Lauren Stephenson and Michelle Perry
There may not be boots -- but the CIA is reportedly on the ground in Libya, helping to direct airstrikes and gather intelligence on the rebels. House Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell that's exactly what they are supposed to be doing. 

Rogers, appearing on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" said he could not discuss classified material, but he did say he “would be shocked if we’re not participating in the collection of information.”

The Michigan Republican congressman said the CIA is "supposed to go to rough places and bad places and collect information -- so that policymakers, the president, the military, the Congress can make good decisions," not to be confused with the “wild speculation” he said was taking place today. Rogers believes the debate about whether or not to arm Libyan rebels and the CIA presence are “two very separate and distinct things.”

Rogers made clear he is against arming Libyan rebels, but he offered his support for the President Obama's decision to lead the coalition in the no-fly zone, "We can't lose sight of the fact that the no-fly zone saved tens of thousands of people."  

Rogers said the reason he supported the no-fly zone early on was because of the chemical stockpile that Khaddafy possesses and the risk of it falling into the wrong hands, “You don’t want Al Qaeda armed with some really nasty stuff."

The chairman also expressed his determination to see Khaddafy unseated: "The worst thing you want to have happen ... is his forces full back. The commitment is made only to enforce the U.N. resolution, which means they can't do anything more, and you have a hunkered down Moammar Khaddafy who we know sponsored state terrorism and has bad weapons."

msnbc.com's Carrie Dann

msnbc.com's Carrie Dann

Tea Party activists gather in the shadow of the Capitol to urge budget cuts.

From msnbc.com's Carrie Dann
As budget negotiations continued inside the halls of Congress Thursday, a gathering of Tea Party activists huddled at a cold outdoor rally on Capitol Hill to send a message to the deal-makers inside:

They're ready to pick a fight.

A few hundred people -- far fewer than the massive rallies seen before last year's midterm elections -- who braved the dreary weather urged lawmakers to push deep cuts to the federal budget even if it results in a temporary shuttering of the government, chanting "Cut it or shut it!" and punctuating cheers with calls to "shut it down!"

"If Harry Reid wants a fight, let's give it to him!" said Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), one of a parade of conservative lawmakers who made remarks at the event sponsored by the Tea Party Patriots.

Many of the rally's speakers were careful to note that Democrats are "rooting" for a shutdown and that GOP budget-cutters hope to avoid a funding lapse that would turn off the government's lights.

Democratic leaders "want to turn you into their scapegoats and blame the Tea Party for shutting the government down," said Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN).

Rep. Allen West (R-FL) declared, "We are not here to talk about shutting the government down... But if you want to talk about shutting down the government, go over there and talk to Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid and the folks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!"

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) told reporters after his brief remarks to the crowd that a federal closure is undesirable but would not be catastrophic.

"No Republican wants to shut the government down. I don't think anybody here really wants a shutdown," DeMint said, "but we shouldn't be so afraid of a shutdown that we can't make the right decisions right now." He added, "We can't be cowed by this threat."

The preemptive finger-pointing over a potential shutdown likely stems from the scars of the budget fights of the mid-1990s, when the public soured on GOP leaders in the wake of a series of federal closings.

A full federal closure "is not going to be very popular with the American people," warned Clinton-adviser-turned-conservative-commentator Dick Morris, who instead suggested a "targeted shutdown" of agencies -- like the EPA and the National Labor Relations Board -- that are loathed by Tea Party activists.

"We don't have to close down the government. We're going to close down the parts of the government we can't stand!" Morris said.

That sentiment was met with cheers -- as well as a smattering of shouts to "shut it down!"

*** UPDATE *** Here's a dispatch from NBC's Catherine Chomiak:

As the continuing resolution currently funding the government inches closer to its expiration date of April 8, Tea Party activists rallied today for a budget battle. Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Mike Pence (R-IN), Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) fired up the crowd on a dreary day in Washington, D.C., with calls for a fight and threats of a government shutdown.

Congressman Pence, citing the current deficit, debt, and “defiant liberal majority in the Senate” said the time was right “to pick a fight."

“The debt stops here,” he said. “If liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and shut down the government instead of making a small down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say, 'Shut it down.'”

Representative and potential Republican presidential candidate Bachmann hit Democrats saying they are hoping for a government shut down. “That’s their plan," Bachmann said. "They want to shut the government down, and they want to turn you into their scapegoat and say, 'It’s the Tea Party’s fault for shutting the government down.'"

Paul urged the Tea Party members to keep up their political involvement. “The fight is just beginning,” he vowed. “Keep their feet to the fire, call them, email them, let them know that you are prepared for America to move forward, but only by balancing the budget and making government smaller.”

In addition to a fight on the budget, King showed support for his fellow House Republican saying, “We need to fight on Mike Pence’s proposal on unfunding (sic) Planned Parenthood… And we need to fight on cutting off the funding that implements Obamacare.” 

Bachmann also got loud cheers from the crowd when she proposed sending “a change of address form to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”

This is something Bachmann has said before and will probably be said again, as she continues to consider a 2012 presidential bid.

From NBC's Shawna Thomas
House GOP freshmen came out of an early morning meeting with former Speaker (and potential presidential candidate) Newt Gingrich -- not talking about his personal experience with a government shutdown, but rather about effective communication and defunding the health-care law.

Rep. Allen West (R-FL) said the message was messaging, "It's about messaging. It's about communicating. I think that's the thing that he talked to us about." (Of course, Gingrich has had messaging problems of his own in explaining his differing positions on Libya.)

When pushed on whether the former speaker talked about a shutdown, freshman Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-IL) said, "He said it's definitely not, you know, something that we want to have."

Gingrich later came out and reviewed much of what he talked about to the freshman, which sounded a lot like the beginnings of a stump speech. The topics covered:

-- "Smart ways to get to a balanced budget that fits the general direction of Paul Ryan";
-- "Bold new approaches on health including a process of using health solutions to reduce health costs";
-- "How really important it was to communicate to our activists and to our base that the primary problem is the 23 Democratic senators that are up for re-election and the Democratic president in the White House";
-- "Absolute commitment to defunding Obamacare implementation this year."

However, when it comes to the impending government shutdown, Gingrich suggested that the members are going to have to find some type of compromise. "Their goal should be to avoid a shutdown while not giving in on their core principles. They can't walk into a room and have President Obama think that they can be blackmailed by yelling the word shutdown."  The former speaker continued, "I think they should seek to keep the government open. I think they should try to find ways to pass continuing resolutions that can be signed."

He blamed Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) for the rumors that there is some kind of spending deal on the table. "There is no compromise. Nobody has signed off on it. It  hasn't gone through the Republican conference. Hoyer's running around desperately trying find a way to get Republican's to sell out without a fight. Well, nice try, Steny. It's not going to happen."

What did happen this morning were compliments for Speaker John Boehner seizing upon the issue of spending. "I think, overall, he's [Boehner] done a pretty good job in the starting round. And I think they've set the stage to stay on the spending issue. I think the spending issue is a huge loser for the Democrats." 

But Gingrich followed that up with another glimpse of what he might say on the campaign trail. "I think the degree to which Obama is utterly irresponsible and totally refusing to provide any leadership on spending is something that gradually sinks in with the country."

The Nation profiles the man who will head up President Obama's re-election campaign: Jim Messina. And as Ben Smith suggests, the primary takeaway is that Messina appears to a target of the left -- much like Rahm Emanuel was when he served as Obama's chief of staff.

From the story by Ari Berman:

Unlike Plouffe, who became a revered figure among Obama supporters, Messina begins the re-election campaign with a significant amount of baggage. As a former chief of staff to Baucus and deputy to Emanuel, Messina has clashed with progressive activists and grassroots Obama supporters both inside and outside Washington over political strategy and on issues like healthcare reform and gay rights, alienating parts of the very constituencies that worked so hard for Obama in 2008 and that the campaign needs to reinspire and activate in 2012. Obama’s fixer has arguably created as many problems as he’s solved. “He is not of the Obama movement,” says one top Democratic strategist in Washington. “There is not a bone in his body that speaks to or comprehends the idea of a movement and that grassroots energy. To me, that’s bothersome.”

From NBC's Jason Seher
On Capitol Hill this morning, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, grilled Department of Homeland Security FOIA professionals, claiming that political appointees obstructed the widely used tool for gaining access to government documents.
 
The hearing centered on a delayed request filed by the Associated Press, which was investigating how DHS handles FOIA requests. Issa and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) repeatedly accused DHS of forwarding FOIA requests -- by certain media organizations and then minority members of Congress -- to political appointees within the department to review and redact the desired documents.
 
"This reeks of a Nixonian enemies list," Issa quipped.  
 
Narrowing most of Chief FOIA and Privacy Officer Mary Ellen Callahan's answers to a, "yes or no," Issa asserted she forwarded FOIA requests to DHS political appointees, who then evaluated the information based on how embarrassing or politically sensitive it was.
 
Despite Issa's claims, however, both the written committee findings and a report issued by the DHS inspector general found the privacy office did not engage in unfair or illegal politicization of FOIA requests. Throughout the hearing, Callahan insisted no FOIA requesters were disadvantaged because of their political party or area of interest.
 
"To my knowledge, no one other than a FOIA professional made a substantive change to a FOIA release," Callahan said. "The department was not engaging in spin. They just wanted to know what was in the documents."

The ranking Democrat on the committee, Elijah Cummings (D-MD) hedged on the issue. While admiting that DHS needs to respond to FOIA requests much faster, he dismissed Issa's claims of politicization, calling these "extreme accusations are unsubstantiated."

From NBC’s John Yang
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) will sign the bill curbing union rights into law Friday afternoon.

Under Ohio law, the law goes into effect 90 days after being signed.

During that 90 days, Ohio unions plan to file language for a ballot referendum repealing the law with the Ohio Secretary of State and will try to collect the required 231,000 signatures from at least half of Ohio's 88 counties.

If they succeed, the law would not take effect, pending a statewide referendum on the November ballot.

It would undoubtedly be a huge political campaign, the main battlefront for the issue.

*** UPDATE *** Kasich will actually sign the bill tonight at 7:00 pm ET.

Wisconsin: Law put on hold
AP reports: “A Wisconsin judge ruled Thursday the state's divisive new collective bargaining law had not taken effect, and officials in Republican Gov. Scott Walker's administration say he plans to comply with the ruling and to halt preparations to begin deducting money from public workers' paychecks. … Two Walker administration officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the governor hadn't publicly announced his plans said he would announce later Thursday that he would comply with [the judge’s] ruling.”

From NBC's Shawna Thomas and Domenico Montanaro
Despite reports today indicating that Democrats and Republicans have settled on a $33 billion compromise figure on the budget showdown, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said there's no such agreement.

"There's no agreement on numbers," Boehner said today in his weekly news conference, "and nothing will be agreed to until everything is agreed to."

He contended: "Democrats are rooting for a shutdown."

The South Carolina GOP is urging Republican National Committee members to move the party's 2012 convention outside of Florida, if the Florida GOP doesn't abide by the agreed-upon primary calendar.

That calendar calls for Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina to hold their presidential nominating contests in February 2012, and then for the other states to follow beginning in March.

"Simply put, if Florida does not respect the process by which our primary calendar was set, the RNC should not be bound to the process by which the convention site was selected," South Carolina GOP Chair Karen Floyd said in a letter to RNC members. "If Florida refuses to move its primary date into compliance with RNC rules, I am respectfully requesting that the Committee convene a special task force to select a new site for the 2012 convention outside the state of Florida."

In her letter, Floyd cites a quote from Florida's House speaker, Dean Cannon (R), who said he wasn't concerned that Florida would be penalized if it held its primary earlier than scheduled, because the RNC wouldn't ultimately penalize the state hosting the party's 2012 convention (which is being held in Tampa).

Floyd added, "It remains my sincere hope that none of this will be necessary -- that Florida will ultimately abide by the rules set forward by our Committee, that we will have an orderly and predictable nominating process, and that we will have a phenomenal convention in Tampa in 2012. If Florida’s legislature makes those things impossible, however, it is important to start the conversation now about the alternatives."

Iowa GOP Chair Matt Strawn has issued a statement backing Floyd's call. “If Florida refuses to move its primary date into compliance with RNC rules, that consequence should be the re-opening of the process to select the site of the 2012 RNC convention," Strawn said. "I join South Carolina Chairwoman Floyd today in beginning preparations to request that the Committee convene a special task force to select a new site for the 2012 convention outside the state of Florida.”

*** UPDATE *** The Republican National Committee sent this statement to First Read on the South Carolina GOP's (and well as Iowa GOP's) support for picking a new 2012 convention state -- if Florida doesn't abide by the 2012 primary calendar. "The convention will be in Tampa. At the same time, we will enforce the rules agreed to by all states with respect to the primary and caucus calendar," said RNC Chief of Staff Jeff Larson.

From NBC's Lauren Stephenson
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has expressed concern with arming the rebels in Libya. Appearing on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" yesterday, Feinstein said: "I think the question of arming the rebels is one that we harken back to Afghanistan where we arm the Mujahadin and then found those weapons later on used against us." 

Feinstein said her main concern is Khaddafy himself. "Khaddafy has shown every sign of recalcitrance. He's not going to quit. He's going to stay the course. And therefore it begins with Khaddafy and it ends with Khaddafy."

Although Feinstein said there "is an enormous amount of firepower, of tomahawk missiles being used," she told Mitchell it will not stop Khaddafy. "I think, at the head of the snake here. And the snake, in this case, is Moammar Khaddafy. And he's got to go."

When asked how to take Khaddafy out of power, Feinstein cited three options: using the International Court, moving the ruler out of the country by offering him some incentives, or having him meet "the same fate as Saddam Hussein met."

Feinstein said she hoped some questions would be answered in the briefing by Secretaries Clinton and Gates and Admiral Mullen, including what the coalition will do about Khaddafy. The senator made clear the sense of urgency that characterizes international involvement in Libya. "There is an immense gathering of forces of many nations out there. This is not a minor exercise. And if it doesn't work, we need to know that. And we need to change direction."

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Florida freshman GOP Sen. Marco Rubio sent a letter to Senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, urging them to call for a resolution explicitly advocating regime change in Libya.

The key quote in Rubio's letter:

I am writing to seek your support for bringing a bi-partisan resolution to the Senate floor authorizing the President's decision to participate in allied military action in Libya.

Furthermore, this resolution should also state that removing Muammar Qaddafi from power is in our national interest and therefore should authorize the President to accomplish this goal. To that end, the resolution should urge the President to immediately recognize the Interim Transitional National Council as the legitimate government in Libya.

Below is the entire letter:

March 30, 2011

Dear Senators Reid and McConnell:

I am writing to seek your support for bringing a bi-partisan resolution to the Senate floor authorizing the President's decision to participate in allied military action in Libya.

Furthermore, this resolution should also state that removing Muammar Qaddafi from power is in our national interest and therefore should authorize the President to accomplish this goal. To that end, the resolution should urge the President to immediately recognize the Interim Transitional National Council as the legitimate government in Libya.

For more than four decades, Qaddafi has terrorized the Libyan people, sowed instability among its neighbors, plotted assassination attempts against heads of state and supported terrorist enterprises such as the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 innocent people - including 189 Americans.

Inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt, Libyans have rebelled against Qaddafi's brutal regime, demanding democratic reforms, transparent governance, and respect for basic human and civil rights. In response to these legitimate demands for a better future, Qaddafi has unleashed foreign mercenaries and used weapons of war against unarmed civilians.

As long as Qaddafi remains in power, he will be in a position to terrorize his own people and potentially the rest of the world. In fact he has vowed to turn rebel strongholds into "rivers of blood." If he succeeds, it will provide a blueprint to repressive regimes across the Middle East in the use of force against unarmed civilians. And unlike the conflicts in other nations in the region, the rebels in Libya have requested and welcome our support.

At the end of the day, the fact remains that our nation is not like other countries.  The United States is an exceptional country with exceptional powers. But that power comes with unique moral obligations and responsibilities.

The world is a better place when America is willing to lead. And American leadership is required now more than ever.

It is my hope that you will lead the Senate to take actions along these lines as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Marco Rubio
United States Senator

Cc: John Kerry, Richard Lugar, Carl Levin, John McCain

From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Double down? This was more like triple down.

The Donald was at it again, offering a full-throated defense of birtherism and birthers this morning on MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown with Chuck Todd and Savannah Guthrie.

Asked if he wants to be taken seriously, why he continues to defend the false conspiracy theory that President Obama was not born in the United States, Donald Trump said, “Well, I do think it’s a serious issue. ... I am embracing the issue. I’m proud of the issue.” He claimed it is “not that much of a conspiracy… it’s really not.”

Trump, who says he's considering a run as a Republican for president in 2012, went further, chastising the media for using the term “birthers,” calling it “derogatory” to lots of “intelligent” people.

He said if it were true that the president weren’t born in the United States it would be the “greatest scam in the history of this country” and that there’s “certainly a chance” he’s not born in the U.S. He claimed Obama “could have come in after birth and could have been registered for purposes of hospitalization” or even “welfare.” “Excuse me,” he said, “I’ve grown up watching some of the great thieves of the world… this is peanuts compared to what these people do.”

He deadpanned later: “We all agree he was born.”

NBC’s Pete Williams reported on the birth announcement that appeared in the Honolulu Advertiser in 1961. Trump dismissed that, claiming the notice was “three days later. … Lots of things could happen.”

He added that “no nurses, no doctors, nobody came forward.” And he said that about 50 percent of Republicans “think he wasn’t born in the country” – and they’re “intelligent” people.

He even went so far as to almost question if Chuck Todd’s children were born in the United States after Todd said that he has “certificates of live birth” from DC. He contended that Todd could go down to the hospital where they were born and get authorization to get a more official “birth certificate” from the Department of Health -- provided they were born in the U.S., “which I assume they were,” Trump said.

Trump was also asked if he’s prepared for the financial scrutiny that would come with running for president. Official candidates for president are required to file financial disclosure forms. Asked, in particular, about his companies that have filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Trump became defensive.

“I never went bankrupt,” Trump said, trying to draw a distinction between personal bankruptcy and putting a company into Chapter 11. “Many of the biggest people in this country, many times have filed Chapter 11s on various companies in order to reduce debts.” He added, “I’ve done an unbelievable job” and used the laws of the country to help his companies.

Asked then if the United States should file for bankruptcy, Trump said no. “I wouldn’t recommend that,” he said, because the United States has more leverage.

On Libya, Trump said he didn’t “know enough” about the rebels to arm them.

On his decision to run for president, he said, “I will make a decision sometime prior to June.

“We’ll all have a lot of fun together.”

White House and Democrats continue to cave in on the spending fight, while House Republicans haven’t budged an inch… Tea Party Patriots rally in DC puts the Tea Party back in the spotlight… The question is: Does it have staying power as a political force?... Gingrich -- who knows a thing or two about spending fights and government shutdowns -- speaks to the House GOP freshmen… Romney whacks Obama on jobs… It has become harder and harder to take Donald Trump seriously… He appears on "Daily Rundown" this morning... “Andrea Mitchell Reports” interviews Mitch Daniels… And NBC’s David Gregory sat down with RNC Chair Priebus. 

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Caving in: If the current Washington fight over spending was a game of chicken, the Obama White House would already be pulled over on the side of the road, as House Republicans continue to barrel down the deserted highway. The fact is, the White House and Senate Democrats keep caving, while House Republicans -- at least publicly -- have yet to budge an inch. The latest development, as Politico reports, is that the administration has agreed to an overall cut of $33 billion, which is near the number that the House leadership originally proposed (before the Tea Party caucus forced it to go higher). And now the White House appears to be backing away from its demand that no riders be attached to the deal. Press Secretary Jay Carney said there is no veto threat from the White House on a deal that contains ANY riders, as was originally the position. And here’s what Vice President Biden said on the matter yesterday: “The president and I are not really big on any riders at all. But this is a process which is normal for the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to get into the details.  We’ve made it clear what we think are non-starters, both in numbers and riders. But I’m not going to go -- I’m not going to negotiate out here.”  

*** Tea Party back in the spotlight: The Tea Party was one of the most fascinating stories of the 2010 election season. It energized the conservative movement and opposition to President Obama; it served to re-brand the GOP away from Bush and Cheney; and it ended up costing Republicans three Senate seats. And for the first time since Republicans won control of the House in November -- which was fueled by the conservative movement -- the Tea Party protests have returned to DC. At noon ET, the group Tea Party Patriots is holding a rally outside the Capitol to urge GOP lawmakers to hold firm in the spending battle. Speakers include Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann, Steve King, and Mike Pence.

*** But does the movement have staying power? Yet here’s the question we’ve been pondering: Will the Tea Party continue to have staying power as a political force? It certainly has shown its muscle in the spending fight. And Bachmann’s potential presidential candidacy wouldn’t be possible without the Tea Party. But a new CNN poll finds that the movement’s unfavorable rating has spiked with 47% holding a negative view of the Tea Party (versus 32% positive). That’s up from 43% unfavorable rating (versus 37% positive) back in December. It’s a trend we’ve also seen in our NBC/WSJ poll. And strikingly, independents have turned against the Tea Party. In the CNN poll, the movement has a 61%-18% fav/unfav among Republicans, a 10%-71% fav/unfav among Dems, and a 31%-48% fav/unfav among indies.

*** Newt speaks to the GOP freshmen: By the way, the Tea Party Patriots aren’t the only ones who will be rallying GOP House members today. Newt Gingrich -- who knows a thing or two about spending fights and government shutdowns -- will be meeting with the House Republican freshmen. He also attends a congressional Health Care Caucus Policy forum at 12:30 pm ET.

*** Romney whacks Obama on jobs: In a USA Today op-ed, Mitt Romney hits Obama not on the topics du jour (Libya and the spending fight), but rather on job creation. “President Obama didn't cause the recession, but he made it worse and caused it to last longer. From the outset, he inaugurated the most anti-investment, anti-business, anti-jobs policies we have seen since Jimmy Carter. Further, the White House has still not crafted any discernible plan to put Americans back to work.” We’ll find out tomorrow -- with the monthly jobs report -- whether the employment situation is as powerful a GOP weapon against Obama as it was last year, or whether things have really changed. Last month, 192,000 jobs were added to the economy. By the way, this is yet more evidence that Romney is trying to stick to the balancing act of preserving a general election strategy but not getting sucked into specific primary fights.

*** T-Paw backs Ohio legislation: On the other hand… In Ohio yesterday, Tim Pawlenty backed the Ohio legislation curbing collective-bargaining rights, which cleared the state's legislature last night. "The Ohio Republican Party and Gov. Kasich and the legislators who supported this bill are having the courage to tell the truth about a real problem that's taken down the budgets of government at the state level," Pawlenty said, per the Columbus Dispatch. "It's not always going to be easy, it's not always going to be popular, but it's the right thing to do... They're trying to fix a real problem instead of ducking, bobbing and weaving." The question is whether this is good politics to win Ohio in a general election. As the Dispatch adds, "A Quinnipiac University poll of Ohio voters last week showed that only 30 percent approve of Kasich's job performance."

*** An Unserious Man: Donald Trump is making it harder and harder to be taken seriously. And it’s worth asking -- as we did regarding Linda McMahon and WWE -- whether it could be bad for business, too. After all, businessmen and businesswoman never want to alienate customers, right? On FOX last night, NBC’s Lauren Selsky reports, Bill O’Reilly questioned Trump if he REALLY believes the debunked conspiracy theory that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States. Trump stood his ground, and when O’Reilly brought up the president’s published birth announcement in a Hawaii newspaper, the potential presidential candidate gave this answer: How could have Obama’s parents -- a “hippie” mother and a Kenyan father who “split” -- afforded to put an announcement in a newspaper. Trump will be on "Daily Rundown" later this morning where will ask if this is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

*** 2012 watch: There’s a New Hampshire straw poll at 7:00 pm ET hosted by the St. Anselm College Republicans. And Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels -- who may or may not run for president -- appears on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” (as does Sen. Jim Webb and others).  

*** Priebus meets the press (sort of): NBC’s David Gregory sat down for a new edition of the mid-week Meet the Press “Press Pass” with the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, who says his job during the first two months of his tenure has been to “rebuild trust and credibility” in the RNC. “My job is to rebuild trust and credibility at the RNC. And that's a tough place to start when you have to rebuild trust that you're spending money wisely, that you're not on private planes; you're not in private limousines,” he said. Meanwhile, the RNC is coming out this morning with a video hitting President Obama for not dealing with entitlements: “Despite Claiming That He’s Serious About Fiscal Responsibility, President Obama Has Shown No Ability To Make The Hard Choices To Rein In The Deficit.”

Countdown to continuing resolution’s expiration: 8 days
Countdown to NY-26 special election: 54 days
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 134 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 222 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 312 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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The New York Times: “The Central Intelligence Agency has inserted clandestine operatives into Libya to gather intelligence for military airstrikes and to contact and vet the beleaguered rebels battling Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces, according to American officials.”

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney released this statement: “As is common practice for this and all Administrations, I am not going to comment on intelligence matters. I will reiterate what the President said yesterday – no decision has been made about providing arms to the opposition or to any group in Libya. We’re not ruling it out or ruling it in. We’re assessing and reviewing options for all types of assistance that we could provide to the Libyan people, and have consulted directly with the opposition and our international partners about these matters.”

The Times also reports, “A day after Libya’s foreign minister defected to London, dealing a blow to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s government even as his forces made military advances, Britain said the Libyan official had fled of his own accord and without promises of immunity from prosecution.”

“The Obama administration’s closed-door briefings Wednesday for House and Senate lawmakers about U.S. military operations in Libya didn’t end the broadside from Capitol Hill,” Roll Call says. “Administration officials were repeatedly hammered with questions during their briefing with House lawmakers, but some Republicans said few answers were forthcoming.”

“The head of a major Wall Street company echoed White House officials Wednesday, warning that a default on America's debts would be ‘catastrophic,’” The Hill writes. “Speaking at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., said America has a ‘moral obligation’ to ensure it pays its debts on time.”

This is interesting. “President Barack Obama was not on the ballot in 2010, but his campaign committee outspent all other presidential campaigns last year on legal fees, refunds to contributors and payments to the Treasury Department for unusable donations,” Roll Call reports. “Obama for America has spent more than $2.8 million on legal fees since the 2008 election, according to a CQ MoneyLine study of Federal Election Commission records. In all, the president’s campaign spent three times more on lawyers after Election Day than in the two years preceding it.”

“President Obama has threatened to veto the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill unless a provision on union organizing is removed,” The Hill notes.

“After weeks of arguing, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill began negotiations yesterday on a possible budget agreement that would slash federal spending by as much as $33 billion and avert a government shutdown,” the Washington Post reports. “‘We’re all working off the same number now,’ Vice President Joe Biden told reporters after meeting with Senate Democratic leaders at the Capitol yesterday evening. ‘Obviously, there’s a difference in the composition of that number — what’s included, what’s not included. It’s going to be a thorough negotiation.’” And there’s this fact: “If approved, the deal would be the largest single-year budget cut in US history.”

“The White House and congressional Republicans edged closer to a budget deal Wednesday, as House and Senate Appropriations staff resumed negotiations at the direction of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio),” The Hill adds. “A source familiar with the talks said members of the Senate and House Appropriations panels are working toward a target of $33 billion in spending cuts. The $33 billion goal splits the difference between $30 billion in cuts Senate Democrats have proposed and $36 billion in cuts Boehner suggested in talks with White House officials, according to the source.”

“Senate Democrats are discussing plans to introduce tax policy changes that they say would raise federal revenues and broaden the budget debate beyond discretionary spending cuts,” The Hill reports, adding, “Democrats want to take the offensive and propose higher tax rates for millionaires, companies that move factories overseas and wealthy people who make charitable contributions.”

“House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will largely give Social Security a pass in his highly anticipated budget while proposing a significant overhaul of Medicare and Medicaid, according to sources briefed on the plan,” The Hill reports.

ACORN, NPR, what’s next? AARP, apparently. “Republicans have launched an assault on AARP, which joins a growing list of groups supportive of the Democrats’ agenda that are being targeted by conservatives,” Roll Call reports.

“Over fierce Democratic opposition, the House on Wednesday approved a bill to reestablish a school-choice voucher system for Washington, D.C., residents,” The Hill reports.

BACHMANN: Fact-checkers are still wading through Michele Bachmann’s claims, including one “that the Obama administration has issued one oil-and-gas drilling permit since taking office,” The Hill writes. Politifact had at it, and gave Bachmann a “Pants on Fire” for that one.

BARBOUR: Haley Barbour is going to visit Florida’s state capitol in Tallahassee to meet with members of the House Republican caucus on April 7, the Miami Herald reports.

CHRISTIE: “Chris Christie reportedly blasted President Barack Obama as a ‘poser and a preener’ in a speech Friday night at the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraiser,” Politico writes. “Christie, who headlined the event that raked in a whopping $10 million, talked about the importance of leadership in his speech, according to Twitter dispatches from inside the closed-press fundraiser.”

HUCKABEE: Mike Huckabee will speak at the Southern Baptist-affiliated University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky next week, the AP reports.

HUNTSMAN: Sen. John McCain, many of whose 2008 campaign staffers are now preparing Jon Hunstman’s “campaign in waiting,” said that Huntsman is a “fine man,” and that he’d be a good candidate “if he chooses to run,” according to the St. Louis Tribune.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s former Senate campaign manager, Rob Wasinger, said he’d encourage Huntsman to run for president because of his pro-life position and record, Life News writes.

KUCINICH: “Rep. Dennis Kucinich hasn’t said whether he will run for president in 2012, but the liberal Ohio Democrat seems to be acting like a candidate with his recent crusade against President Barack Obama on Libya,” Roll Call writes. “Today, Kucinich will take to the House floor to offer his rebuttal to Obama’s Monday night speech outlining reasons for international attacks on Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s military.”

PAWLENTY: CNN picks up an article in the Vanderbilt University student newspaper from last week in which Tim Pawlenty told the paper, the Vanderbilt Hustler, that Republicans will be able to pick up part of the youth electorate that voted for Obama in 2008 because “a bunch of people that voted for him last time feel duped, and they aren't going to sign up again for dupe version two.”

Pawlenty will be the featured speaker at the April 15 Greater Boston Tea Party Tax Day rally, an event on the Boston Common expected to draw hundreds, if not thousands, Roll Call reports.

“Obviously, an important thing to look out for is whether Pawlenty will take any shots (veiled or overt) at Romney on his home turf,” Real Clear Politics writes of the appearance.

PAUL: In a letter to supporters, Ron Paul said more trips to key primary battleground states are in the works. He also referred to himself as a “major potential presidential candidate” in the letter, according to the Texas Independent.

SANTORUM: Rick Santorum: "The reason Social Security is in big trouble is we don't have enough workers to support the retirees. Well, a third of all the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion, because one in three pregnancies end in abortion,” per the New York Daily News.

TRUMP: Surrogates for Donald Trump are talking to New Hampshire activists, Politico reports. Michael Cohen, a Trump aide, is talking with former state legislator Fran Wendelboe to help consult on a potential campaign. 

ARIZONA: “Former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick says she’s running to win back the congressional seat she lost to tea party favorite Paul Gosar in last fall’s election,” AP reports.

"Representative Gabrielle Giffords is still in the hospital, but some of her most ardent backers are so enamored of the idea of her running for the Senate that they describe the inevitable campaign commercials: the deep-voiced narrator recounting what happened to her, the images of her wounded, then recovering and speaking into the camera alongside her astronaut husband to call on Arizonans to unite," the New York Times front-pages.

INDIANA: Stu Rothenberg in Roll Call: “Six-term Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar ended 2010 with more than $2.3 million in the bank. Unfortunately for Lugar, his war chest is about the only reason to think that he might have a chance of winning a seventh term next year.”

Meanwhile, “Rep. Joe Donnelly (Ind.) has been hinting to local press that he would mount a bid against Sen. Dick Lugar (R) instead of running for governor as many had expected.”

NEVADA: “A poll conducted for Rep. Shelley Berkley found the Democrat running relatively even with Republican Rep. Dean Heller in a potential Senate matchup, the Las Vegas Sun’s Jon Ralston reported,” per Roll Call. The numbers: Berkley 42%, Heller 38%.

From NBC's Jason Seher
In his speech at Georgetown University earlier today, President Obama outlined his vision for the future of American energy policy, emphasizing increasing vehicle efficiency standards and mining sources of alternative energy. Obama echoed promises he made on the campaign trail and since he's taken, touting American production of advanced electronic car batteries and job creating alternative energy programs.

These promises emanated from Mr. Obama's pledge to end -- or at least lessen -- the United States' dependence on foreign oil. Citing both the "dangers" of oil dependency and his predecessors’ inability to curb America's demand for foreign oil, the president pledged to "cut our oil dependence by a third" in 10 years. 

But what would that mean for American oil production and how would this cut impact gas prices?

"If everything else stood still, it could be big," said Amy Myers Jaffe, a fellow at the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. "It could lower the price of oil to maybe $50 or $40 a barrel."

Co-author of "Oil, Dollars, Debt and Crises: The Global Curse of Black Gold," Jaffe believes oil from North Dakota's Bakken Shale and continued deepwater drilling could increase domestic oil production three- or four-million barrels a day, enough to push oil prices below $50 a barrel, assuming the geopolitical climate stays relatively stagnant.  

The last time oil dipped below $50 a barrel was Nov. 20, 2008, a few weeks after President Obama's election. For the week of Nov. 24, 2008, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a gallon of regular cost an average of $1.86. 

But Jaffe and others caution a number of factors, including political volatility in the Middle East and oil powers like OPEC, could blunt the impact this increase in domestic oil production would have.

“This plan is unlikely to affect the price that families pay at the pump," said Michael Greenstone, former chief economist for the White House's Council of Economic Advisors. "Even with enhanced production, the United States will account for a small share of what is a world market for petroleum." 

President Obama did temper his calls in today's speech for cutting dependency, acknowledging America only holds about 2 percent of the world's proven oil reserves. 

We're shooting another edition of Inside the Boiler Room with Mark and Domenico. Got a question? Post it below!

AP

President Barack Obama gestures while speaking about his plan for America's energy security today at Georgetown University in Washington.

From NBC's Athena Jones
In laying out his administration's plans for increasing U.S. energy independence, President Obama set a big goal: to reduce oil imports by about one-third in a little over a decade.

The president set out that goal in a wide-ranging nearly 50-minute speech during which he spoke about a series of steps his administration would take to increase domestic oil and natural gas production and promote research into and production of biofuels and raise automobile efficiency standards.

He argued the best opportunities to improve America's energy security "can be found in our own backyard," and he set a goal of breaking ground on at least four commercial-scale cellulosic or advanced biorefineries over the next two years. He made the remarks at Georgetown University, the same place he laid out his sweeping economic agenda two years ago.

Today's speech is part of a White House public communications effort to focus America's attention on energy security during a time of unrest in the Middle East and rising gas prices at home.

"Obviously the situation in the Middle East affects our energy security," Obama said. "In an economy that relies on oil, rising prices at the pump affect everybody -- workers and farmers, truck drivers and restaurant owners; businesses see it hurt their bottom line; families feel the pinch when they fill up their tank. For Americans already struggling to get by, it makes life that much harder."

He went on to say there were no quick fixes to America's energy challenges and that addressing them would require a long-term strategy.

"We cannot keep going from shock to trance on the issue of energy security, rushing to propose action when gas prices rise, then hitting the snooze button when they fall again," he said. "It is time to do what we can to secure our energy future."

As part of the administration's new push on energy, Cabinet officials will hold a series of energy events in Washington and around the country. In an afternoon briefing with reporters, Energy Secretary Steven Chu talked about the "great strides" made in areas like fuel economy, electric vehicles, development of advanced batteries and biofuels and the president himself plans to highlight green vehicles on Friday by visiting a UPS shipping facility in Landover, MD, where he will view vehicles from AT&T, FedEx, PepsiCo, UPS and Verizon's clean fleets.

Despite Japan's nuclear crisis, Obama said nuclear energy would remain part of the U.S. mix of energy sources and said he had called for comprehensive safety review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make sure that all existing U.S. nuclear energy facilities are safe.

But he also spoke about his administration's work to expedite new oil and gas drilling permits. The administration also wants to provide incentives to encourage energy companies to develop the millions of acres in available oil and gas leases.

In a conference call with reporters to preview today's speech, one senior administration official cited a Department of the Interior report showing that last year the oil and gas industry leased only 2.4 million out of 37 million acres offered. The official said in the Gulf of Mexico, companies were sitting on an estimated 11.6 billion barrels of oil and tens of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.

"These are massive supplies of American energy just waiting to be tapped," the official said.

Republicans have argued the Obama administration has made it harder for companies to drill, dragging its feet on issuing new permits. And soon after the president's speech, congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, released a statement in which he said he agreed with the president's goal, but noted, "[W]e have very different ways of getting there. The President wants to decrease imports by telling Americans to use less and to pay more. Republicans want to decrease imports by increasing U.S. production -- while simultaneously creating American jobs, raising revenue to help pay down the national debt, lowering energy costs and increasing our energy independence. I hope the President would be willing to work with Congress in achieving his goal to cut imports by unlocking our American energy resources.”

White House officials believe they can get bipartisan support for several of their energy initiatives and pointed to the Natural Gas Act, a bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), as an example of legislation with the support of members from both sides of the aisle. The bill -- which was co-sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. Orrin Hatch  (R-UT) and has the support of billionaire energy executive T. Boone Pickens -- aims to spur the development of natural gas vehicles and decrease America's dependence on foreign energy.

Still, officials have suggested that not all of the incentives and other proposals the administration is putting forth will have to be passed by Congress. They noted the Obama White House has used its administrative authorities aggressively -- whether regarding auto efficiency standards or efforts to green the federal fleet -- since the president took office, and that it would continue "thinking creatively" about what can be accomplished using existing authorities.

AP

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) earlier this month before a vote on the spending bill. The Senate, led by Boxer, has unanimously passed a stand-alone bill to prohibit members of Congress from getting a paycheck in the event of a shutdown.

From NBC's Luke Russert and Carrie Dann
With the threat of a government shutdown again rumbling on the horizon, federal workers may be looking nervously at their bank accounts.

But what about members of Congress?

The Senate, led by Democratic sponsor Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, has already unanimously passed a stand-alone bill to prohibit members of Congress from getting a paycheck in the event of a shutdown.

But that bill won’t become law unless it is passed independently by the House.

Today the House GOP said that their soon-to-be-approved budget bill (dubbed the "Prevention of Government Shutdown Act") would include the same language to eliminate paychecks for members of Congress during a shutdown.

But that budget bill – which has already been rejected by the Senate once – has virtually no chance of passing the upper chamber, meaning that the language about members' salaries will still not become law.

What’s more, GOP leaders refuse to bring the “clean” – or unattached – Senate-passed salary language up for a vote on the House floor.

(Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., introduced legislation akin to Boxer's in the House in February.)

Why?

There are a variety of reasons, but one that is mentioned constantly is that many newer members of Congress quit their jobs to run for office.

Quite frankly, they say they need the money.

As freshman Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) told constituents last week: "I guarantee most of you, I have more debt than all of you. With six kids, I still pay off my student loans. I still pay my mortgage. I drive a used minivan. If you think I'm living high off the hog, I've got one paycheck. So I struggle to meet my bills right now."

Financial disclosure data show that, generally, members of the Senate have much deeper pockets than their House colleagues. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the median estimated net worth of a member of the United States House in 2009 was about $732,000. Compare that to the median net worth for a United States senator for the same year: A bit more than $2.4 million.

Members of Congress who do not hold leadership roles make an annual salary of $174,000.

A new poll conducted for Xavier University's Center for the Study of the American Dream finds that only 23% of all American adults believe the country is headed in the right direction.

What's more, 83% have less trust in politics than they did 10 or 15 years ago; 79% have less trust in big business and corporations; 78% have less trust in government; and 72% have less trust in the media.

Despite that negative outlook, the survey also shows that 63% are confident in the American Dream. (What's the American Dream? Per the poll, the top definitions are a good life for someone's family, financial security, freedom, and opportunity.)

Yet the survey finds some striking demographic differences. Latinos and immigrations have the most positive perceptions of the American Dream, while whites and women who live in households with incomes less than $70,000 are among those who have the most negative opinions.

And get this: Confidence among African Americans to reach the American Dream declined from 40% who felt "extremely confident" in 2010 to 27% who feel the same way today.

The poll -- conducted by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz and Associates -- was taken from March 5-15 of 1,003 adults, and it has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1%.

From NBC's Shawna Thomas and Carrie Dann
With frustration mounting at the Senate’s failure to pass a long-term federal budget bill, House Republicans are planning another symbolic vote this week in the attempt to force the upper chamber to propose a viable plan to keep the government open beyond an April 8^th funding deadline.

AP

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and others look on as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill today.

The House is expected to pass their newly-touted  “Government Shutdown Prevention Act” - essentially a repackaging of H.R.1, the $61-billion in spending cuts already passed by the House - this week. The new bill would also add a provision that would prevent members of Congress from being paid during a federal shutdown, a proposal originally made and passed by Senate Democrats.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said passing this new version of the bill "will say to the American people [that] the Senate's got to act prior to the expiration of the [current continuing resolution.]  If it does not act, H.R. 1 becomes the law of the land ... it reiterates, again, the deadline." 

(During the announcement of the new/old bill, the circling press questioned how this could become "law of the land" if the Senate already rejected H.R.1 and is sure to do so again. Cantor's office put out a statement that read in part, "We are hopeful that this proposal will urge the Senate to act instead of play politics with a shutdown. Funding the government at the levels passed by House Republicans might not be what Senator Reid wants, but surely even he would agree that it's a better alternative than shutting down the government.")

Symbolic votes aside, the GOP’s exasperation with the Democratically-controlled Senate's lack of momentum appears to be at a boiling point with just over a week left to cut a deal.

“Pass the damn thing, alright?” House Speaker John Boehner urged Senate leaders in a press conference Wednesday. “And send it over here and let's have real negotiations.”

Boehner accused President Barack Obama, who has largely deferred to Congress in the budget negotiations, of abdicating a leadership role in the erratic budget talks.

Asked if he had an idea of what kind of bill the president would agree to sign, Boehner said, "No. No way.  I have no clue."

Cantor added, "The President is M.I.A. on this issue."

Off camera, the Boehner's office has confirmed that GOP leaders and the White House have been in discussions but hs not provided any concrete numerical cuts that are being discussed or the status of the controversial policy riders that are contained in H.R. 1.

AP

Libyan rebels are seen with a rocket launcher as they leave Ras Lanouf, Libya, Wednesday. Moammar Gadhafi's ground forces recaptured a strategic oil town Wednesday and were close to taking a second, making new inroads in beating back a rebel advance toward the capital Tripoli.

From NBC's Courtney Kube
A senior European diplomat says that the coalition of nations involved in the operations in Libya are now considering arming the opposition forces.

The diplomat said that providing arms to opposition forces in Libya "has to be a serious option" and that the coalition is considering that option "now."

The diplomat warned that the coalition cannot provide arms "with closed eyes," that there has to be both coordination and training of the opposition.

"Yes, we have to be ready to continue," with enforcement of the no fly zone, protecting civilians, and the arms embargo for weeks or months, the diplomat said, but added that the coalition is "going to tip the balance" in the near future.

How? By continuing or stepping up military air strikes and possibly arming the opposition, the diplomat said.

Asked who would supply the arms, the diplomat would only say that there would be a "collective agreement" among various nations and then individual countries would supply what they could. The diplomat would not say who would provide the training, or if that would involve military forces on the ground.

Despite the fact that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said only yesterday that the U.S. is still getting to know the opposition, the diplomat today defended them, saying that the Transitional National Council is "composed of serious people who really are committed" to a democratic transition and a united Libya.

The diplomat denied that al Qaeda has much of an influence over the opposition forces in Libya, saying that his belief is the extremist element is not a major player.

The official could not point to specific arms or equipment that the coalition may provide, or how much more the coalition could do in the future, saying only that it is not for the international community to do the job for the opposition, but rather to "encourage them to be better organized."

From NBC’s John Yang
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If Ohio's bill is the most ambitious attempt to limit public workers' collective bargaining rights -- and it is, much more far-reaching than Wisconsin's -- where are the throngs of protestors?

For one thing, Columbus, OH, does not have the tradition of liberal activism that Madison, WI, does. But more significantly, Ohio unions have one more tool that their Wisconsin brothers and sisters don't: Ballot referendum.

That allows Ohio union leaders to follow a different -- and, some say, wiser -- strategy. They acknowledge there is no way to stop this law in the legislature; the Republicans, quite simply, have the votes. So they are focusing on a petition drive to get a ballot referendum to repeal the law on the November ballot.

As a result, they say they'll have a "presence" at the Statehouse today, but no rally, no formal protests. Instead, they are already working on a big rally to kick off the petition drive on Saturday, April 9.

Wisconsin judge issues warning
NBC’s Domenico Montanaro writes: In Wisconsin, there was this striking development… The Wisconsin State Journal: “If it wasn't clear last time, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi made it clear on Tuesday: Any further implementation of Gov. Scott Walker's law limiting public employee unions is barred, and anyone who violates her order risks sanctions. … ‘Now that I've made my earlier order as clear as it possibly can be, I must state that those who act in open and willful defiance of the court order place not only themselves at peril of sanctions, they also jeopardize the financial and the governmental stability of the state of Wisconsin,’ Sumi said. Her statement appeared to be a warning to state agencies, such as the state Department of Administration, that have begin implementing the union bill despite a temporary restraining order that Sumi issued on March 18 and the unsettled question about whether publication of the law by the Legislative Reference Bureau on Friday was enough to implement the law. ‘Apparently that language was either misunderstood or ignored, but what I said was, ‘the further implementation of 2011 Wisconsin Act 10 is enjoined,' Sumi said. ‘That's what I now want to make crystal clear.’” …

“Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald was disappointed by the ruling. ‘It's disappointing that a Dane County judge wants to keep interjecting herself into the legislative process with no regard to the state constitution,’ He said. ‘Her action today again flies in the face of the separation of powers between the three branches of government.’”

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “For the second time in less than two weeks, a Dane County judge Tuesday issued an order blocking the implementation of Gov. Scott Walker's plan to curb collective bargaining for public workers. Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi said that her original restraining order issued earlier this month was clear in saying no steps should be take to advance the law. The GOP governor's administration did so after the bill was published Friday by a state agency not named in Sumi's earlier temporary restraining order.”

The slow start to the GOP presidential race… Reagan Foundation, NBC, and Politico reschedule debate for the fall… Obama talks more about Libya to NBC’s Brian Williams… The danger for Obama on Libya: The rebels are now on the run… Obama to discuss energy and gas prices at 11:20 am ET speech in DC… President talks up Kaine for VA SEN (translation: Kaine’s all but in the race)… Schumer’s rough start… NRCC, DCCC rake in the bucks… Pawlenty’s in OH; Gingrich is in MA; and Villaraigosa is in DC.

From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Slow start: One of the bigger political stories of 2011 -- outside of the Tucson shootings, the collective-bargaining battle in the Midwest and what's happening in the Middle East, of course -- has been the slow start to the upcoming presidential contest. Right now, just three Republicans (Cain, Pawlenty, and Roemer) have formed exploratory committees, and no one has yet to formally announce a presidential bid. By comparison, at this point in the 2008 cycle, at least 17 Democratic and Republican presidential candidates had already formed their exploratory committees or had officially declared they were running for president (as Obama did from Springfield, IL on Feb. 10, 2007). The 2012 Iowa caucuses, as of now, are set to take place 313 days from now.

*** NBC/Politico debate moves to the fall: This slow start to the GOP presidential race is the reason why the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, along with partners NBC News and Politico, today will announce that it's moving its GOP presidential debate -- originally scheduled for May -- to Sept. 14. “Although there will be a long and impressive list of Republican candidates who eventually take the field, too few have made the commitment thus far for a debate to be worthwhile in early May," said John Heubusch, the Reagan Foundation's executive director. "The Reagan Foundation’s first Republican presidential primary debate will move to the fall, allowing enough time for the full slate of candidates to participate.” The NBC/Politico debate will be moderated by NBC's Brian Williams and Politico's John F. Harris. 

*** Obama talks more about Libya: NBC’s Williams yesterday sat down with President Obama to discuss the U.S. military campaign in Libya. Some highlights: The president didn’t rule out the U.S. arming the rebel opposition ("I'm not ruling it out. But I'm also not ruling it in.”). He talked about the end game ("Our expectation is that as we continue to apply steady pressure, not only militarily but also through these other means, that Khaddafy will ultimately step down."). And he repeated that because the U.S. is intervening in Libya doesn’t mean it will intervene in other Middle East countries.

*** The tide turns in Libya? The danger for Obama on Libya, however, is that the situation on the ground there is changing. When he gave his speech on Monday, there was good news: The rebel forces had the momentum. But now? The undermanned and largely untrained rebels are on the retreat. The Washington Post: "The rebels’ chaotic retreat from the town of Bin Jawwad, which they had captured from troops loyal to Khaddafy just two days earlier, reversed the momentum they had seized over the weekend and suggested that the ad hoc and lightly armed opposition force may have reached the limits of its capacity." And this raises the stakes about arming the rebels, but the hesitance is real since none of the allies are sure exactly who these folks are or who they have been connected to in the past. The president's predicament summed up by Tom Friedman this morning: "Dear Lord, please make President Obama lucky."

*** Talking energy and gas prices: At Georgetown University at 11:20 am ET, President Obama will deliver a speech on energy. Per a preview of the speech by senior administration officials, NBC’s Athena Jones reports that Obama is expected to announce a goal of reducing oil imports to the US by "about one-third" in "a little over a decade" by focusing on four main areas -- increasing domestic oil production, increasing natural gas production and use, boosting research into and production of biofuels, and raising automobile efficiency standards. The president will propose incentives to encourage more oil and gas production and when it comes to biofuels, and he will set a goal of breaking ground on at least four commercial-scale cellulosic or advanced biorefineries over the next two years. A little more on the speech from us: What might surprise some is how little he’ll say about nuclear energy, especially after what occurred in Japan. More than anything else, this speech will serve as a “I feel your pain on gas prices” address.

*** Obama talks up Kaine for VA SEN: If there was any doubt of DNC Chair Tim Kaine running for the open Senate seat in Virginia, President Obama erased it at last night’s DNC fundraiser in the Big Apple. "There has been some speculation about our DNC chair plunging back into the hurly-burly of electoral politics," Obama said, per the pool report. "I don't know if those rumors are true, but what I do know is that I cannot imagine someone who has been a better partner to me, a better friend... Should he choose to do so, he would be an outstanding senator for the commonwealth of Virginia." Folks, Obama wouldn’t be talking this way if Kaine WEREN’T going to run. He’s in… Now, who replaces him? Will the president name the first woman to run the DNC in a generation?

*** Schumer’s rough start: Sen. Chuck Schumer forgetting to hit the mute button before a conference call with reporters yesterday was just the latest example of how his tenure heading up the messaging/communications effort for the Senate Democrats has gotten off to a rough start. The bigger transgression, though: Dems are all over the map on their message when it comes to the budget stalemate. Schumer's had a hard time getting a full read on the Democratic caucus, and he's found himself backtracking a few times since the November elections when it's come to dealing with the White House. What's also not helpful to Schumer: his fraying relationship with one of his long-time close friends who sits in the Senate. Is this simply the growing pains dealing with a new portfolio? Or the result of the fact that nearly half the Democratic caucus is up for re-election in 2012, and they aren't interested in singing from anyone else's song sheet but their own?

*** Raking in the bucks: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie headlines a 7:00 pm fundraiser in DC for the National Republican Congressional Committee. The NRCC tells First Read that this annual dinner -- organized by NRCC Chair Pete Sessions, as well as GOP Reps. Upton, Kline, and Ros-Lehtinen -- has already received more than $10 million in pledges. Meanwhile, we’ve learned that DCCC Chair Steve Israel and DCCC Recruiting Chair Allyson Schwartz announced at a members’ dinner last night that they are paying their dues in full this month -- and joined Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Whip Steny Hoyer in urging their colleagues to contribute what they could for the DCCC’s end of quarter push. 

*** On the trail: Tim Pawlenty addresses the Cuyahoga County Lincoln Day Celebration in Cleveland, OH at 6:30 pm, and Newt Gingrich gives a speech at Salem State College in MA at 8:00 pm.

*** And also in DC: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is in the nation’s capital to pitch “America Fast Forward,” an initiative to help accelerate transportation infrastructure projects across the country.

Countdown to continuing resolution’s expiration: 9 days
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 135 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 223 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 313 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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