For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: how's that inflation thing working out for you?

The Labor Department reported Wednesday that consumer prices edged up 0.2 percent last month, compared to a 0.3 percent rise in March. The lower inflation reflected a flat reading for energy, which helped offset a 0.9 percent jump in food costs as prices climbed for many basic items, from bread and milk to coffee and fresh fruits. The unchanged reading for energy reflected a big 4.8 percent jump in natural gas prices, offset by a 2 percent decline in gasoline costs. The reported drop in gasoline prices reflected the government's accounting process, which discounts expected seasonal price changes. Since gasoline prices normally rise significantly in April, the 5.6 percent rise in prices for the month turned into a 2 percent drop after the government adjusted for normal seasonal changes.

You folly that? </archie bunker voice> Listen closely : although food prices went up by 0.9 percent, and gas prices by 5.6 percent, because of seasonal adjustments, and other government accounting machinations, "Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, showed prices well behaved in April, rising by just 0.1 percent, compared to a 0.2 percent gain in March" -- which means that if you don't eat, and you don't drive, you're fine!

Is that the way you see it, or are the prices at the pump and at the checkout counter having a demonstrable impact on you and yours?

NewsBusters and the Media Research Center wanted to take a moment to offer their best wishes to NB editor Matt Sheffield and his beautiful bride Yolanda Hibbler on the occasion of their wedding.

The couple will exchange vows in about an hour in Key West, Florida, and those of us that couldn't be there to celebrate the day wish them a wonderful wedding and a marvelous marriage.

Although it's early in the morning, let's raise our glasses to toast our dear friends.

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Racism worries Obama campaign:

For all the hope and excitement Obama's candidacy is generating, some of his field workers, phone-bank volunteers and campaign surrogates are encountering a raw racism and hostility that have gone largely unnoticed -- and unreported -- this election season. Doors have been slammed in their faces. They've been called racially derogatory names (including the white volunteers). And they've endured malicious rants and ugly stereotyping from people who can't fathom that the senator from Illinois could become the first African American president...Victoria Switzer, a retired social studies teacher, was on phone-bank duty one night during the Pennsylvania primary campaign. One night was all she could take: "It wasn't pretty." She made 60 calls to prospective voters in Susquehanna County, her home county, which is 98 percent white. The responses were dispiriting. One caller, Switzer remembers, said he couldn't possibly vote for Obama and concluded: "Hang that darky from a tree!"

How pervasive do you think this is? Has WaPo taken a few disgusting incidents and turned them into a controversial yet exaggerated front-page story? Or, are such sentiments common enough in America to be an issue this election?

Before you answer, consider that the Clintons and their surrogates certainly felt so, and their racist strategy failed miserably.

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Jenna and Henry wed in private ceremony away from DC and paparrazi:

Unlike other first family weddings that have been broadcast live, the Bushes didn't share their daughter's nuptials with the nation... Millie Martin Bratten, editor-in-chief of BRIDES magazine, said the wedding was a letdown for some who craved a Princess Diana-style event. But she said Jenna's wedding - her classy Oscar de la Renta gown and all - might even set a trend for future presidential weddings.

What do you think of the Bushes' decision to keep this private rather than the typical, well-attended gala at the White House televised for the entire nation? Could this type of public event been exactly what the country needed at this time, and the family was wrong to keep it from us? Or was this another perfect example of what kind of person the President is, and a sign that he is fully vested in his parental responsibilities?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: deadly tornadoes hit America's heartland:

Tornadoes that spun across the Oklahoma-Missouri border killed at least 18 people as severe storms raked the nation's heart Saturday, injuring many and mangling buildings in the storm-weary region.

The storms have also caused damage in Arkansas and Georgia, with casualties now at 21.

As our hearts go out to our fellow citizens, one has to wonder just how soon Nobel Laureate Al Gore and his sycophants in the press will blame these tornadoes on global warming.

And, much as when tornadoes devastated towns in Kansas last year, when will Democrats and media blame George W. Bush and the war in Iraq for the rescue response regardless of how fast and effective it is?

For all things sports-related:

• LSU tosses QB Perriloux (by request)
• How are the NBA playoffs going for you?
• Or the NHL?
• Bad day of practice for the Indy 500
• Patriots also stole offensive play signals
• Are you into baseball yet, or waiting for b-ball and hockey to finish?
• Do you like the new look at Darlington?
• Will we get Annika vs. Lorena Sunday?
• Who'll win the Players?

Anything else?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: airline stops serving beef to placate Hindus (paragraph breaks removed):

British Airways has taken beef off the menu for economy passengers amid concerns about its "religious restrictions". The airline has instead switched to a fish pie or chicken dish option for the so-called "cattle class" passengers. BA's second-biggest long-haul market is to India, where the majority Hindu population do not eat beef because of their beliefs.

What do you think about this kind of "religious correctness"?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: death toll in Burma could reach 500,000:

THE death toll in cyclone-ravaged Burma could hit 500,000 – more than TWICE the total killed by the Boxing Day Tsunami.

As you probably know, Nobel Laureate Al Gore has already blamed this cyclone on -- wait for it! -- global warming. As our hearts go out to the Burmese, as well as our generous charitable contributions, one must wonder when American media will begin blaming George W. Bush for this horrible cataclysm.

After all, he hasn't signed on to the Kyoto Protocol, and has done little to reduce America's shameful emissions of carbon dioxide. As such, akin to the tsunamis of 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and last year's tornadoes in Kansas, there has to come a point when media will tie this natural disaster to Bush, his policies, or, at the very least, the war in Iraq.

Isn't it only a matter of time?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Clinton continues to throw the race card (paragraph breaks removed):

Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed Wednesday to continue her quest for the Democratic nomination, arguing she would be the stronger nominee because she appeals to a wider coalition of voters — including whites who have not supported Barack Obama in recent contests. "I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," she said in an interview with USA TODAY. As evidence, Clinton cited an Associated Press article "that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me." "There's a pattern emerging here," she said.

What do you think about these statements? Could a Republican get away with this? Wouldn't any GOP candidate saying such a thing get so trashed by the media that he or should would have to drop out of the race? Assuming Obama gets the nomination, will McCain be allowed to make similar comments?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: $200 oil?

Oil prices are increasingly likely to hit between $150 and $200 a barrel over the next six to 24 months, said Arjun N. Murti and other Goldman Sachs analysts in a research report. "We believe the current energy crisis may be coming to a head, as a lack of adequate supply growth is becoming apparent and resulting in needed demand rationing in the OECD areas in particular the United States," the Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in the report dated Monday.

Be advised that Goldy predicted $105 oil back in March 2005 when crude was at $50. So, they've been pretty darned prescient. Of course, also be advised that this is the largest commodity trading house in the world, and, therefore, has a vested interest in these prices continuing to rise.

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Hillary bet on the horse that had to be put down at the Kentucky Derby Saturday (paragraph breaks removed, emphasis added):

Showing a sisterhood with the female horse, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., during a trip to Louisville this week had said she was going to bet on Eight Belles to win, place, and show. ABC News' Karen Travers reports that Clinton told supporters in Jeffersonville, Ind., earlier this week, "I hope that everybody will go to the derby on Saturday and place just a little money on the filly for me. I won’t be able to be there this year -- my daughter is going to be there and so she has strict instructions to bet on Eight Belles." Travers also points out that Eight Belles' trainer, Larry Jones, returned the love. "It looks like it could be the year for the girls," he said.

Is this a macabre irony given how poorly things have gone this year for the woman that would be president as well as Katie Couric, or in very bad taste to bring up?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: equating Rev. Hagee with Rev. Wright:

BORED by those endless replays of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? If so, go directly to YouTube, search for "John Hagee Roman Church Hitler," and be recharged by a fresh jolt of clerical jive...Mr. Hagee is not a fringe kook but the pastor of a Texas megachurch. On Feb. 27, he stood with John McCain and endorsed him over the religious conservatives' favorite, Mike Huckabee, who was then still in the race...Mr. Hagee, it's true, did not blame the American government for concocting AIDS. But he did say that God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its sins, particularly a scheduled "homosexual parade there on the Monday that Katrina came."

Is there any similarity between the Hagee issue and Wright? Is the left grasping at straws to deflect criticism from Obama? Isn't there a huge difference between attending a church for 20 years and accepting an endorsement? Or are Rich and others making this comparision correct, and this is going to be a problem for McCain?

For general debate and discussion. Possible talking point: England makes a HUGE right turn:

Boris Johnson, the floppy-haired media celebrity and Conservative member of Parliament who transformed himself from a shambling, amusing-aphorism-uttering figure of fun into a plausible political force, was elected mayor of London on Friday...With final votes in for the 159 local councils in which seats were being contested, Labor lost 331 seats overall, and the Conservative opposition gained 256. The Labor Party took an estimated 24 percent of the overall vote, placing it a woeful third behind the Conservatives, with 44 percent, and the Liberal Democrats, with 25 percent.

This is a HUGE win for the Conservatives in the UK. Does this have any portent for our elections in November? Before you answer, consider what the Tory victory in 1979 under Margaret Thatcher's leadership did for Ronald Reagan the following year.

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Is the worst of this economic slowdown behind us?

In case you hadn't noticed, there's been a good deal of positive economic news lately, especially today's jobs number and factory orders report. Stocks appear to have bottomed, ditto the dollar, ditto the S&P financial index. Oil, grains, and precious metals have been softening while credit spreads tighten.

Despite the negativity of Democrat politicians and their media minions, are you starting to feel that we're closer to an economic bottom than the top, and that things might be a whole lot better before they get any worse?

Or, is this all a head-fake, and there's much more bad economic news looming on the horizon?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Will Obama and the media's attempt to "move on" from Rev. Wright work?

As NewsBusters predicted Monday following Wright's performance at the National Press Club, the media have used the event to assist Obama in distancing himself from the reverend. In the past couple of days, Obama has expressed his outrage, and the press have followed suit, even allowing Michelle to tell us all that focusing attention on Wright is bad for our kids.

Is this going to work? Will Obama and press members telling folks to ignore Wright lead Americans to do so? Or are his words to venomous for most to forget?

On a related issue, will this strategy only work to seal his nomination, but fail in the general election as Republicans revive Wright's words? And, finally, what's the possibility that Wright and Obama orchestrated the Press Club speech so as to give the candidate the ammunition to publicly disavow the reverend? Think about it.

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: government on a hiring binge (paragraph breaks removed):

Federal, state and local governments are hiring new workers at the fastest pace in six years, helping offset job losses in the private sector. Governments added 76,800 jobs in the first three months of 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. That's the biggest jump in first-quarter hiring since a boom in 2002 that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Is this good news, or something that should really concern fiscal conservatives, assuming such an animal still exists? :-)

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Sharpton blasts Obama for "[grandstanding] in front of white people":

Barack Obama made a call for nonviolence in the aftermath of the Sean Bell verdict - infuriating the Rev. Al Sharpton, who accused the presidential candidate of trying to "grandstand in front of white people," sources told The Post. During what a source described as a "heated" phone call yesterday, Sharpton told Obama he was disappointed with the Illinois senator's words on Friday, when Obama said "resorting to violence to express displeasure" was "completely unacceptable and counterproductive."

Is Obama's campaign beginning to dissemble? Are we witnessing one of the biggest political collapses in years? Or, will media save Obama from himself long enough to capture the nomination?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Hannah Montana in the buff?

Pop star and 15-year-old Disney sensation MILEY CYRUS tells ET she's "embarrassed" about an upcoming photograph of her appearing semi-topless in the new Vanity Fair issue. "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," she tells ET. "I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."

If you have kids, you know who this girl is. Estimates put this "franchise" at the $1 billion level. Yes, with a "B".

What the heck were these parents thinking? This is a 15-year-old girl. They certainly didn't do this for money, because they're all becoming filthy rich off her. How did they let this happen, what does this say about our society, and do you care at all about what this girl does?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: President Bush mocks the media, the candidates, and himself at his final White House Correspondents' Ball.

Must-see video available here (h/t NBer bigtimer).

Watch the whole thing, for it's very entertaining (picture courtesy AP).

What's on your sports mind this weekend?

• The NFL draft
• The NBA playoffs
• The NHL playoffs
• Baseball
• Is Lorena Ochoa more dominating than Tiger?
• Can Danica make it two for two in Kansas on Sunday?
• Will Brandon Sheppard fly high at the currently chilly Drake Relays?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Tax rebates start next week:

The Treasury Department said it hopes to get the first $50 billion out by the end of May. People who use direct deposit will get their payments soonest. By the end of next week, checks will have been deposited into the bank accounts of 7.4 million people. Most people will get their payments by July 11.

Are you expecting to receive any money back? What are you going to do with it? Do you think this is going to help the economy at all? In the end, was this a good idea, or, forgive the pun, a waste of money?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: WSJ advocating the stockpiling of food?

Food prices are already rising here much faster than the returns you are likely to get from keeping your money in a bank or money-market fund. And there are very good reasons to believe prices on the shelves are about to start rising a lot faster...Stocking up on food may not replace your long-term investments, but it may make a sensible home for some of your shorter-term cash. Do the math.

Does this make sense? If people really do this, want it compound the problem? Is the Journal being responsible advocating this? Doesn't this add to the bubblish look of this grains price rise?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Florida considering Christian license plate (paragraph breaks eliminated):

The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words "I Believe."...Rep. Edward Bullard, the plate's sponsor, said people who "believe in their college or university" or "believe in their football team" already have license plates they can buy. The new design is a chance for others to put a tag on their cars with "something they believe in," he said...Approval would almost certainly face a court challenge. The problem with the state manufacturing the plate is that it "sends a message that Florida is essentially a Christian state" and, second, gives the "appearance that the state is endorsing a particular religious preference," said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

What a shock: the ACLU objects. Regardless, any thoughts on this?

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: the food crisis:

• Farmers and food executives appealed fruitlessly to federal officials yesterday for regulatory steps to limit speculative buying that is helping to drive food prices higher.
• Bay Area Shoppers Asked To Limit Rice Purchases
• Gordon Brown responded to mounting concerns about the global rise in food prices by signalling that he might scale back Britain’s commitment to biofuels, which critics say has exacerbated the food crisis because land has been given over to grow crops for energy rather than food.

How serious do you think this "food crisis" is? How much of a factor is ethanol? How much is it being exacerbated by hedge funds and speculators driving prices higher much as what is happening in oil? Are there any solutions, or like any speculative bubble, does it just have to play itself out?

Got election results? Post 'em here as the returns come in. Pennsylvania polls close at 8:00pm ET just minutes from now...

Update 20:36. We've opened up a chat room tonight if you want to discuss live. Note: You must be a registered NB user in order to read or participate in chats.

Update 04-23. Did Clinton pull off a political Michael Myers (image courtesy of RedRover)? Analysis here, here, and here.

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking points: Finally, Pennsylvania!

Will we know anything more after this evening? Will we be anything but chronologically closer to the finish line? Will anything but a major victory by Obama get Hillary out?

On the other hand, given how close this race still is, why SHOULD Hillary get out? Is all of this talk about her needing to exit for the benefit of the Democrat Party just a function of media's love affair with Obama?

Also for consideration, our boy Tony goes to CNN. Why do you think he did this rather than possibly returning to Fox? Is this a slap at Fox and conservatives, or a good business decision for a great man in another of his many career transitions? Are you happy for him, or questioning his sanity?