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.

Meet Joe Ricketts: Billionaire Has Millions To Smear Obama, Demands Massive Taxpayer Subsidy For Baseball Stadium  —  This week, the New York Times reported that Joe Ricketts, a right-wing billionaire and founder of TD Ameritrade, is soliciting multi-million dollar ad proposals to attack President Obama.

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.

‘Exorcist’ author, William Peter Blatty, to sue Georgetown University in Catholic court  —  (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)  —  The author who turned Georgetown University into a horror scene in “The Exorcist” plans to sue the school in church court, charging that his alma mater …

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:

The Great Barry  —  Self-invention on shifting postmodern sands  —  It used to be a lot simpler.  As E. C. Bentley deftly summarized it in 1905: … But that was then, and now Biography is also about maps.  For example, have you ever thought it would be way cooler to have been born in colonial Kenya?

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.

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.

Judge deals setback to state unions on dues withdrawals  —  By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - State unions were dealt a setback Friday when a federal judge said they would have to get their members to opt in, rather than opt out, to have the state deduct union dues from their paychecks.