'C'mon, Man!'  Exclaims VP in Deficit Meeting.  'Let's Get Real!'  —  Officials familiar with the negotiations say today's meeting began with President Obama asking House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., to lay out what was agreed upon in the deficit reduction talks led by Vice President Biden.

Half Brother of Afghan President Is Killed in Kandahar  —  By ALISSA J. RUBIN, CARLOTTA GALL and RUHULLAH KHAPALWAK  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The powerful half brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was shot dead on Tuesday by a close family associate, according to Karzai family friends who were nearby.

Fresh doubt cast on Obama's health care story  —  During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama often discussed his mother's struggle with cancer.  Ann Dunham spent the months before her death in 1995, Obama said, fighting with insurance companies that sought to deny her the coverage she needed to pay for treatment.

Michele Bachmann Clinic: Where You Can Pray Away the Gay?  —  A former patient who sought help from the Christian counseling clinic owned by GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann and her husband, Marcus, told ABC News he was advised that prayer could rid him of his homosexual urges and he could eventually be “re-oriented.”

Michelle Obama orders 1,556-calorie meal at Shake Shack  —  First lady Michelle Obama ordered a whopper of a meal at the newly opened Washington diner Shake Shack during lunch on Monday.  —  A Washington Post journalist on the scene confirmed the first lady, who's made a cause out of child nutrition …

Bachmann opens door to raising debt limit — if it repeals healthcare bill  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) opened the door to voting to raise the debt ceiling on Monday — in the extraordinarily unlikely instance that it's tied to a repeal of President Obama's healthcare law.

Darrell Issa questions White House's 2012 actions  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is probing what he sees as signs of an unseemly overlap between President Barack Obama's official and political activities.  —  In what could be considered the committee's sharpest probe …

Huntsman's two pledges  —  Jon Huntsman explains why he won't sign any of the growing number of pledges. … DeMint has been one of the most rigid of all drafters, averring that he won't support any candidate who doesn't sign his Cut, Cap, and Balance pledge.  —  [Hat tip: Daniel Strauss]

2nd Living Recipient Awarded Medal of Honor  —  At a White House ceremony later today, Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, an Army Ranger, will become only the second living recipient of the Medal of Honor for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Petry lost his right hand while throwing a live grenade away from his fellow soldiers.

Obama: Job Losses Prove Stimulus Worked  —  (CNSNews.com) - Three days after the U.S. Department of Labor reported that the national unemployment rate had ticked up from 9.1 percent in May to 9.2 percent in June, President Barack Obama said that the loss of jobs in the public sector is …

The Magic Lever  —  The world economy is a complex, unknowable organism.  Most of us try to diversify our investments and balance risk and security to protect against the unexpected.  —  But a few years ago a group of bankers thought they had the magic tool to help them master financial trends and predict the future.

CIA organised fake vaccination drive to get Osama bin Laden's family DNA  —  Senior Pakistani doctor who organised vaccine programme in Abbottabad arrested by ISI for working with US agents  —  The CIA organised a fake vaccination programme in the town where it believed Osama bin Laden …

U.S. Jobless Numbers Dragging Obama Down in Florida  —  Romney beats president in hypothetical match-up as independents swing toward GOP  —  A slipping economy has Floridians moving away from President Barack Obama and warming up to Republican Mitt Romney, a Sunshine State News Poll shows.

Israel parliament passes anti-boycott bill  —  Israel's parliament has passed a controversial bill making it illegal for any citizen advocating a boycott of Israel or West Bank settlements.  —  The Knesset voted 47-38 in favour after a stormy debate, during which opposition members accusing …

The ‘randy’ rabbi  —  A prominent Long Island Jewish leader was caught with his dreidel out in a string of sordid sex tapes, according to sensational Manhattan court records.  —  Rabbi Avraham Rabinowich — who leads the wealthy, Conservative Bellmore Jewish Center and is vice president …

Video: President Obama promises ‘massive job killing taxes’ if re-elected  —  From today's presser on the debt ceiling debate.  Check out how the prez frames the debate over taxes.  —  Click here to view the embedded video. … Re-elect me to get massive job killing tax hikes when I'm a lame duck and you can't do a thing about it.

Polygamist, Under Scrutiny in Utah, Plans Suit to Challenge Law  —  Kody Brown is a proud polygamist, and a relatively famous one.  Now Mr. Brown, his four wives and 16 children and stepchildren are going to court to keep from being punished for it.  —  The family is the focus of a reality TV show …

Supreme Court Picks One EPA Enforcement Case Over Another and Attorneys Ask Why  —  When the Supreme Court decided last week to take up a case over whether U.S. EPA enforcement of the Clean Water Act can lead to constitutional violations, many veteran environmental lawyers scratched their heads.

Police reports show different side of Michele Bachmann  —  From complaining about her house being egged to filing a report that she was being held “against my will” in a public restroom, Michele Bachmann has left a trail of police reports showing a seldom-seen side of a presidential candidate.

‘South California’ proposed as 51st state by Republican supervisor  —  The 51st state should be named South California, says Jeff Stone, a Republican on the the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.  But the proposed 13 southern California counties that would split off from the Golden State would not include Los Angeles.

Unruly passenger on flight diverted to Cleveland faces federal charges  —  Passenger helps flight crew restrain suspect  —  Last Updated: 14 hours and 16 minutes ago  —  CLEVELAND - The unruly passenger who caused a commercial jet flying from Chicago to Germany to divert to Cleveland Friday is facing federal charges.

GOP looks for special election upset  —  Republicans are hopeful they can pick off a Los Angeles-based House seat long held by Democrats in Tuesday's special election.  —  The odds are against their candidate, businessman Craig Huey, but he's surprised observers on both sides of the aisle by making the race closer than expected.

Returning Jeter's Big Hit: No Good Deed Goes Untaxed (Perhaps)  —  Here is the fan's fantasy: You go to the ballpark and under a picture-perfect sky not only do the Yankees win, but in recognition of your exemplary behavior, the team also showers you with free season tickets …

TIR Poll: Look Out for Chris Christie  —  While Michele Bachmann is the frontrunner in the Iowa Caucuses, she has yet to seal the deal with Iowa caucus goers.  TheIowaRepublican.com poll shows that Bachmann is head and shoulders above the current crop of candidates campaigning in Iowa …

Ex-Aide's Lawsuit Claims Rep. Jackson Lee Mocked, Disregarded Her Disability  —  Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's former legislative director is suing the Democratic congresswoman, claiming she made “humiliating” comments about her vision disability while refusing to do anything to accommodate her.

Six months in, handful of House freshmen haven't offered a bill  —  More than six months after being sworn in to office, a handful of Republican freshman lawmakers have yet to introduce a single piece of legislation.  —  The three House Republicans and a GOP senator were swept into office …

Bush ‘should be prosecuted over torture’  —  Human Rights Watch claims Obama administration ‘failing to act on evidence’, and also names Cheney and Rumsfeld in report  —  A US human rights group has called on foreign governments to prosecute George W Bush and some of his senior officials …