Romney gets in heated exchange with hecklers at Iowa State Fair  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) exchange with a few hecklers turned into somewhat of a shouting match while he was stumping Thursday in Iowa.  —  Romney faced aggressive inquiries with a liberal bent at the top …

Rick Perry Wants to Be President  —  Highlights here.  Subscribers can read Halperin's story on Perry in the latest issue of TIME.  —  Video highlight: Perry says he has decided he wants to be president.  —  Video highlight: Perry on 43's advice to him. Transcript of Mark Halperin's Interview with Rick Perry

Exclusive: Republican Camp won't rule out tax increases  —  (Reuters) - A leading Republican lawmaker would not rule out tax increases on Thursday if they could boost economic growth, adding that “everything is on the table” for a congressional panel charged with forging a deal to cut the deficit.

Attorney for Graves, Rogers: Bank is at fault  —  CALHOUN — While U.S. Rep. Tom Graves was calling for fiscal responsibility in Washington his attorney was arguing in a lawsuit that a North Georgia bank is at fault for issuing Graves a $2.2 million loan the bank knew he could not repay.

DeMint: Obama Administration The Most “Anti-American Administration In My Lifetime”  —  Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) appeared on The Janet Mefferd Show yesterday to discuss his new book and his goals to elect more like-minded conservatives to the Senate.  DeMint told Mefferd that President Obama is promoting …

England Used to Be a Country of Men  —  With London succumbing to looters and muggers, it's time to ask what happened to the once-manly English people.  The August 9 issue of the Daily Mail, for example, includes a photo of a young man taking off his pants on the street as an impatient looter waits …

Wisconsin's Warning to Union-Busters  —  Five months after Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin pushed through a law stripping public unions of their bargaining rights, the Republican Party has paid a price.  Two of the state senators who backed the law were thrown out of office by voters on Tuesday and replaced with Democrats.

BREAKING: Perry will announce Saturday  —  Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry will announce that he is running for president on Saturday in South Carolina, a Republican familiar with the plans told CNN.  —  Previous reports had indicated that Perry would use a speech …

George Soros sued by ex-girlfriend for reneging on real estate promise  —  A beautiful Brazilian soap star has the lead role in her own daytime drama, which casts George Soros, the billionaire financier of lefty causes, as a heavy who not only broke her heart, but also reneged on a promise …

Extremist T-shirt offers different message after the first wash  —  When the 250 T-shirts were donated to a right-wing concert in Germany, they looked perfect: A skull and crossbones, nationalist flags and the slogan “Hardcore rebels.”  —  But when the T-shirts were washed for the first time, the message changed.

Gas Fracking Poses Serious Environmental Risks, U.S. Panel Finds  —  Natural-gas companies risk causing serious environmental damage from hydraulic fracturing unless they commit to the best engineering practices, a task force named by Energy Secretary Steven Chu concluded.

Senators Call on McConnell to Put Jobs First in “Super Committee”  —  Merkley, 22 others urge Minority Leader to support job creating policies on Joint Select Committee  —  WASHINGTON - One day after Republicans in the House and Senate announced their picks for the Joint Select Committee …

Pa. judge gets 28 years in ‘kids for cash’ case  —  SCRANTON, Pa. — A longtime northeastern Pennsylvania judge was ordered to spend nearly three decades in prison for his role in a massive juvenile justice bribery scandal that prompted the state's high court to toss thousands of convictions.

D.C., Hawaii Most Democratic, Utah Most Republican State in '11  —  North Dakota and Louisiana tilt more Republican than they did in 2010  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Hawaii shows the largest advantage for the Democratic Party over the Republican Party among U.S. states, along with the District of Columbia, in the first half of 2011.

VIDEO: Michele Bachmann's Auschwitz Warning  —  In 2002, the tea party leader and GOP presidential candidate filmed a movie that warned Minnesota's educational standards could lead to a second Holocaust.  —  Post Comment  —  In a 2002 film highlighting her work as an education activist …

Buffett: The lower stocks go, the more I buy  —  Warren Buffett discusses the lowered outlook for Berkshire Hathaway debt, why some of his businesses aren't hiring, and why U.S. debt remains triple-A rated in his mind.  —  By Andy Serwer, managing editor  —  Warren Buffett sees buying opportunities