President Obama, Mitt Romney deadlocked in race, poll finds  —  AP - A pair of tepid jobs reports, landmark Supreme Court decisions on health-care and immigration laws, and an unprecedented barrage of negative ads have shaped the opening months of the fall presidential campaign.

The Dark Side of Anti-"Swiss Bank Account" Politics  —  Democratic Swissophobia is hurting patriotic, middle-class Americans.  —  Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) may be too busy to pass a budget more than every 1,168 days or so, but he can always spare time for passing judgments …

Rep. Chaffetz: No need for Romney to release more tax records  —  Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) agrued Tuesday that Mitt Romney shouldn't release additional tax records.  —  “No, no I don't,” Chaffetz said on CNN's “Starting Point,” when asked if he thought the presumptive GOP nominee should make available the records available.

Americans' Confidence in Television News Drops to New Low  —  Liberals' and moderates' views are now similar to conservatives'  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' confidence in television news is at a new low by one percentage point, with 21% of adults expressing a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in it.

Romney Courts Black Vote, an Obama Strength in '08  —  Four years ago, Barack Obama captured 96 percent of the black vote.  But this year, in an election in which every vote may matter, Mitt Romney is not giving up on that front.  —  On Wednesday, Mr. Romney will make a pitch …

James Earl Jones: Tea Party Is ‘Racist’  —  From Sunday's edition of the syndicated Smiley & West show:  —  JAMES EARL JONES: I think I have figured out the Tea Party I think I I do understand racism because I was taught to be one by my grandmother.  My grandmother was part [tribal affiliation] …

Obama directs that wildland firefighters be offered health insurance  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has directed federal officials to offer seasonal firefighters the option of purchasing federal health insurance coverage, White House officials told The Denver Post Tuesday.

Eric Holder revs up NAACP meeting  —  In a rousing speech at the NAACP convention in Houston, Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday strongly defended his efforts to block controversial voter ID laws in some states - including Texas - saying the Justice Department “will not allow political pretexts …

Calls to Destroy Egypt's Great Pyramids Begin  —  According to several reports in the Arabic media, prominent Muslim clerics have begun to call for the demolition of Egypt's Great Pyramids—or, in the words of Saudi Sheikh Ali bin Said al-Rabi'i, those “symbols of paganism,” which Egypt's Salafi party has long planned to cover with wax.

Embattled Dems buck President Obama on taxes  —  President Barack Obama's renewed push to raise taxes on people who make more than $250,000 is facing some strong head winds: Democrats running for Congress in 2012.  —  Several Democrats in critical House and Senate races say they prefer raising taxes …

Brett Kimberlin versus right-wing bloggers  —  Why are right-wing blogs obsessed with a convicted felon famous for once claiming he sold Dan Quayle drugs?  —  So there is this guy named Brett Kimberlin.  He is a true American weirdo from way back, and he's fairly brilliant at self-promotion and is involved in various liberal causes.

Mayor Bloomberg launches contest to stir development of tiny 300-square-foot apartments for singles  —  Larger than a jail cell, but smaller than mobile home, ministudios will reflect city's changing demographics.  They'll be big enough for bathroom, kitchen, sleeping and dining areas

Republican Rep: I Don't Think Someone Who Is Diagnosed With A Brain Tumor Should Have Health Care Provided  —  On Monday evening, Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) said that insurance companies should be allowed to discriminate against people with brain tumors during a House Rules Committee debate …

Political Spending by Unions Far Exceeds Direct Donations  —  Organized labor spends about four times as much on politics and lobbying as generally thought, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis, a finding that shines a light on an aspect of labor's political activity that has often been overlooked.

The strategy behind the Dem attacks on Bain  —  Many commentators view the attacks on Mitt Romney's Bain years as little more than an effort to paint him as a heartless plutocrat.  But the strategy is a good deal more complex than that.  The goal is twofold: First, to undermine Romney's principle case …

Obama's record on outsourcing draws criticism from the left  —  Barack Obama promised voters four years ago that he would work to slow the outflow of American jobs to other countries, proposing to revamp a federal tax code that encourages companies to maintain overseas operations.

Lindsey Graham: 'It's Really American' To Avoid Taxes Like Mitt Romney Does … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Lindsey Graham, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Video, Lindsey Graham Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney Taxes, Sen. Lindsey Graham, It's Really American, Lindsey Graham Taxes, Mitt Romney 2012, Mitt Romney Tax Havens, Politics News

BRAD PITT'S MOM IN FEAR AFTER SLAMMING OBAMA  —  Quaking after being attacked for opposing same-sex marriage  —  Jane Pitt, mother of actor Brad Pitt, has been scared into silence by the hate-filled, vulgar and even violent reaction to her public assertion that Barack Obama is …

HP, Deere, CVS, MillerCoors, BestBuy Exit Controversial ALEC Post-Trayvon Martin Shooting  —  By DAVID ZIELENZIGER: Subscribe to David's RSS feed  —  Five more companies, including Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), the No. 1 computer maker, have left the controversial American Legislative Exchange Council …

THIS IS WHAT RIGHT-WINGERS DO.  THIS IS ALL THEY DO.  —  Lead story at Drudge around 7:00 last night:  —  The link goes to a Daily Caller story posted yesterday afternoon: … “A non-partisan association of doctors and patients”?  Really?  —  Not really: … So this is a blatantly partisan survey.