links from around the web...

Industrial Production unchanged in April, Capacity Utilization declines slightly Production is still 7.6% below the pre-recession levels at the end of 2007. 

Housing Starts decline in April

U.S. Hits the Debt Ceiling: What Does It All Mean? <---- a real short and sweet segment on the Debt Ceiling over at Yahoo Finance

Kevin Drum wonders why anyone takes Alan Simpson seriously when he can't even get basic facts about social security right-- Alan Simpson, Social Security illiterate.

David Boaz, over at CATO, has a really good post on the Freedom Riders.

Hermain Cain is not a legitimate candidate.  The fact that he is voicing the feelings of so many Americans--err Tea Party Republicans-- tells me those Americans probably should stop feeling so much and start thinking a little more.  Jay Bookman makes a fantastic analogy for why "business experience" does not equal "the kind of person we need elected to office":

As his backers are quick to point out, Cain is more than a radio talker. He enjoyed a successful corporate career, rising to CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and serving as chair of the Federal Reserve Board in Kansas City. While that’s impressive, politics and business are very different fields. Michael Jordan was the best basketball player in history, but as athletic as he was, he couldn’t hit a curve ball. At the top echelons of any endeavor, skill sets don’t transfer easily.

A set of confidential federal audits has found a pattern of mortgage fraud at the nation’s five largest mortgage companies. The victim? Uncle Sam 

Jerusalem Post:  70% of Palestinians expect a break out of a third intifada, 25% were opposed to a new intifada, almost 75% believed that any military escalation in the Gaza Strip would be in Israel’s interest,18% believed it would in Hamas’s interest. 70% of Palestinians were opposed to the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel, 40% support resumption of peace talks with Israel, five percent is for “military operations” as a way to end Israeli occupation, 30% in favor of negotiations until an agreement between the two parties is reached. Another 25% said they favored a non-violent popular resistance, 12% said solution could be reached through the United Nations.