SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:18 P.M. ET:

NORTH KOREAN NUKES – A prominent expert on nuclear weapons claims that North Korea has now stockpiled enough weapons-grade uranium to build six atomic bombs.  That's six cities inconvenienced.  There are growing concerns that North Korea, which just had a failure in a missile test, will try to make up for it by a new nuclear test in the coming weeks.

ANOTHER ECONOMIC WARNING – New orders for American factory-produced goods declined in March by the biggest percentage in three years, another sign that the recovery is fizzling.  Demand for transportation equipment and many other goods declined.  At the same time, VISA recorded a major profit advance, but that news must be viewed carefully.  Buying on credit may simply be a sign of frustration, rather than economic expansion.

TROUBLE IN WISCONSIN – A Marquette University poll shows President Obama widening his lead in the battleground state of Wisconsin, to 51-42.  That's up from 48-43 in March.  The same poll shows that, if Republican Governor Scott Walker is recalled in a June vote, he would stand no better than an even chance of being re-elected against Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee.  Wisconsin has many conservative communities, but also has large numbers of liberal to left die-hard voters in Milwaukee and the daffy university town of Madison. 

CATHOLICS EVENLY SPLIT – American Catholics are evenly split between Obama and Romney, according to Gallup.  The polling stands at 46-46.  Within the Catholic community, though, there are dramatic variations, according to background.  Hispanic Catholics favor Obama 70-20, whereas "white" Catholics favor Romney 55-38.  Catholics make up a quarter of the American voting public.  But, as Gallup points out, there is today no "typical" Catholic voter.  Catholic voters are a substantially diverse lot.

May 2,  2012