'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.

Ron Paul won't seek congressional term in 2012  —  LAKE JACKSON — After serving almost 24 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Ron Paul told The Facts this morning he will not be seeking another term for the District 14 seat.  —  Paul, 75, will instead focus on his quest for the presidency in 2012.

Utah's Huntsman passes on S.C. senator's pledge  —  GREER — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who would like to be the Republican nominee in the White House race, said Tuesday he's not about to sign the spending limit pledge that a South Carolina senator has turned into a threshold test for 2012 presidential hopefuls seeking his support.

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.

Wisconsin recall elections underway  —  (CNN) - Six Republican state senators in Wisconsin face recall elections Tuesday stemming from the state battle over collective bargaining rights that shut down the state legislature for weeks in February and March.  —  Protest Democrats …

Gordon Brown Says Newspaper Hired ‘Known Criminals’  —  LONDON — Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown brought new and alarming charges on Tuesday to the broadening scandal enveloping Rupert Murdoch's media empire in Britain, accusing one of the most prestigious newspapers in the group of employing …

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.

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 …

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.”

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 …

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 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Thinks We're Still in the Bush Era  —  Another day, another chart from the “non-partisan” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on what “accounts” for the public debt.  At some level, these exercises are silly: all prior legislation could be equally said to …

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 …

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.

RSC looks to slash energy subsidies from energy, water spending bill  —  The Republican Study Committee on Monday introduced an amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations Act that would cut $3.25 billion in spending for energy subsidies, which Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) …

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.

Bill Maher To Piers Morgan: I Hope Sarah Palin And Michele Bachmann ‘Split the MILF Vote’  —  Bill Maher braved an hour with Piers Morgan tonight, fielding tough political questions that as host he can usually manage to avoid- questions like “who have you voted for?” and “is America less racist today?”

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 …

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.

Our National Jobs Emergency  —  Immediate government spending cuts would only make things worse.  A new jobs tax cut for companies repatriating their profits could help.  —  Last Friday's employment report landed with a loud thud.  Only 18,000 net new jobs in June?  How could that be?

Not over 'til ex-first lady sings  —  Michelle Paterson, former governor David Paterson's wife, is writing a book.  —  “It's about getting thrown into being first lady.  How the press treated us.  About those who served David and who didn't.  All from my own perspective.  I don't include anyone else's thinking.

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 …

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.