3 protesters charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism  —  Attorneys for three men charged in Chicago with possession of an explosive device and conspiracy to commit terrorism say they were pulled over by police in Bridgeport last week.  Here is a video circulated by Occupy Chicago.

Senator Lee forced to sell ‘dream home’ in short sale  —  • Less than two years into office, Sen. Mike Lee was forced to sell his dream home in Alpine with his mortgage bank taking a significant loss — up to $400,000 — in a “short sale” as the housing bust in his neighborhood drained his house's value.

Congressmen Seek To Lift Propaganda Ban  —  Propaganda that was supposed to target foreigners could now be aimed at Americans, reversing a longstanding policy.  “Disconcerting and dangerous,” says Shank.  —  Amy Sly for BuzzFeed  —  An amendment that would legalize the use of propaganda …

McMahon Beats Shays 730-389 At GOP Convention; Primary Fight Looms  —  No Surprise As Republicans Endorse Candidate They Backed In 2010  —  Republican delegates at their state convention Friday night once again put their faith in U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon, although her contentious battle …

China Soft-Power Watch: the Yang Rui ‘Foreign Bitch’ Factor  —  This story is all over the China-hand blogosphere, and is so strange that at first I was sure it was a joke.  But apparently it isn't.  It involves the man below, shown in a WSJ screen shot, and here is the background to understand the fuss:

New Evidence is Consistent with George Zimmerman's Self Defense Claim  —  George Zimmerman.  Photo: wiki commons.  —  A medical report by George Zimmerman's doctor has disclosed that Zimmerman had a fractured nose, two black eyes, two lacerations on the back of his head and a back injury on the day after the fatal shooting.

Raising Rev. Wright: bad idea, but not racist  —  What a difference four years make.  —  When Barack Obama was running for president, he successfully managed to distance himself from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, leaving his Chicago church during the campaign and shrugging off suggestions …

10 Toy-Based Movies Ideas That Would Blow Away Battleship  —  Laugh all you want, but the stupendously silly, alien-riddled Battleship blockbuster isn't close to sinking toy- and game-based films anytime soon.  —  Blowtastic auteur Michael Bay's repeatedly juggled Ouija film is officially back on the board …

Red Tape Hobbles a Harvest of Life-Saving Rice  —  This week saw the announcement of the latest conclusions of the Copenhagen Consensus, a project founded by Bjørn Lomborg in which expert economists write detailed papers every four years and then gather to vote on the answer to a simple question …

Tsipras: ‘war between people and capitalism’  —  Greece's eurozone fate may now be in the hands of the 37-year-old political firebrand and his Syriza party  —  “I don't believe in heroes or saviours,” says Alexis Tsipras, “but I do believe in fighting for rights ... no one has the right …

Mayor Barrett was meeting with union organizers when he missed police memorial  —  MILWAUKEE - It turns out, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was in Oshkosh talking with union organizers when he missed an event in Milwaukee honoring law enforcement in southeast Wisconsin, including Milwaukee Police officers.

BEIJING — Chen Guangcheng, the blind legal defender who made a dramatic escape from house arrest and whose decision to seek refuge in the American Embassy here jolted American-Sino relations, left China aboard a commercial flight bound for Newark on Saturday.