John Yoo, who wrote the "torture memos" for the Bush Administration, said Osama bin Laden should've been captured alive during a testy exchange with Eliot Spitzer, saying at one point, "This might be the last time I'm obviously going to be on your show, because you obviously don't think it's worthwhile to hear from me at all." FULL POST

Hamid Gul, Pakistan's fmr. intelligence chief, says President Obama knows Osama bin Laden died 'some years ago.' FULL POST

U.S. officials say information taken from Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan revealed a plot to derail trains.

Osama bin Laden's wife claims she didn't leave her husband's walled compound for 5 years, the Pakistani military says.  FULL POST

Charles Wolf says he personally thanked President Obama "getting" the man responsible for kililng his wife, Katherine.

CLICK HERE to read our fascinating OFF-SET interview with Wolf, exclusive to the "In The Arena" blog! FULL POST

Today’s Number of the Day is 474,000.

That’s the number of Americans who filed for first time unemployment claims in the week that ended April 30.

We know that lots of attention has gone to the killing of Osama bin Laden, the President’s visit to Ground Zero, and all of those cities and towns trying to recover from terrible tornadoes. But this unemployment benefits claims number is really bad news. FULL POST

ONLY ON THE BLOG: Answering today’s five OFF-SET questions are Fay Givens, executive director of American Indian Services, based in Lincoln Park, Michigan, and, in a separate conversation, Thomas Holm, retired professor of American Indian studies at The University of Arizona.

“Geronimo” was the name the U.S. military gave to the operation to capture and kill Osama bin Laden. How did you and American Indians in your area react to the name?

FG: Well, we were very hurt. Americans Indians have the highest percentage of military participation of any group in the United States.

TH: My first reaction was: why in the world do they keep picking on us? But I do know the answer to that—at least, I think I do: we are Indian people—we are America’s traditional enemy. What that means is that is the frontier experience for Americans has somehow turned into a great blood sacrifice–you celebrate the warrior’s prowess that you overcame.

U.S. military equipment and machinery bear many Indian references: the Apache helicopters, the Chinook helicopters, the Tomahawk missiles. You obviously don’t see this as honoring Indian war prowess…

FG: No, we feel that naming war machines after Indian chiefs is also insulting. Our ancestors –- these Indian chiefs–were defending our land and our way of life, as well as our people and our families.

TH: Why not use Robert E. Lee’s name? He killed more people than Geronimo and Osama bin Laden combined. It’s the same kind of thing–Lee is such an icon, and people have made him into a glorified American hero. But how do you get to be a hero if your intent was to destroy America—which is what the Confederate states were all about.

FULL POST

ONLY ON THE BLOG: Answering today’s OFF-SET questions is Charles Wolf, husband of World Trade Center victim, Katherine Wolf.

Katherine Wolf was a classically-trained pianist and an accompanist an amateur operetta group in London. She came to America in 1988, when the ensemble staged a joint production with the Village Light Opera Group in New York City. Charles Wolf was a member of the opera group and you can read how they met below.

Mrs. Wolf worked for many years at Schroders, a British asset management company in midtown Manhattan. Just three weeks before Sept. 11, 2001, she began a new job at Marsh & McLennan, an international risk and insurance services and solutions company. Her office was on the 97th floor of 1 World Trade Center, the north tower.

On Thursday, President Obama is scheduled to visit Ground Zero, attend separate meetings with firefighters, first responders and with family members who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, and participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 memorial.

Charles Wolf is one of the family members invited by the White House to attend.

Why is it important to you to be a part of this?

I want to meet the president, shake his hand, look him the eye and say “thank you.” I want to meet the man.

What did you think when you heard that Osama bin Laden had been killed?

Wonderful. Just wonderful! Fantastic.

Do you know if you’ll get to meet Mr. Obama?

Don’t know. I have no idea. It’s a small, intimate group, so we probably will get some time with him. FULL POST

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF TO VISIT GROUND ZERO – President Obama's visit will include a wreath-laying ceremony, the White House said. He does not plan to deliver a speech. He will also visit Engine Company 54, which lost 15 firefighters in the terror attacks on September 11, 2001. Former President George W. Bush will not appear alongside his successor.

WHO HELPED BIN LADEN? – U.S. and European intelligence officials increasingly believe active or retired Pakistani military or intelligence officials provided some measure of aid to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, allowing him to stay hidden in a large compound just a mile from an elite military academy. The Wall Street Journal reports that suspicions cast light on where the U.S. is expected to focus as it investigates who might have helped bin Laden hide in plain sight in Abbottabad, a town about 40 miles from the capital Islamabad. FULL POST