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 …

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

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.

Florida: Romney 46%, Obama 45%  —  Florida's a key swing state in this year's presidential contest, and it remains in play with President Obama and Mitt Romney still running almost even there.  —  Florida is considered a Toss-Up State in the Rasmussen Reports Electoral College Projections.

Dem.  Chair Invested in Swiss Banks, Foreign Drug Companies, and the State Bank of India  —  Disclosure forms reveal that Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a member of Congress from Florida, previously held funds with investments in Swiss banks, foreign drug companies, and the state bank of India.

Romney may name running mate early in election race  —  (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney acknowledged on Tuesday he is considering naming his choice to serve as vice presidential running mate earlier than usual to better compete with President Barack Obama.

Closure of Border Patrol stations across four states triggers alarm  —  The Obama administration is moving to shut down nine Border Patrol stations across four states, triggering a backlash from local law enforcement, members of Congress and Border Patrol agents themselves.

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.

Twilight fan hit by car and killed at Comic-Con  —  A 53-year-old Comic-Con visitor was struck by a car and killed in front of the convention center on Harbor Drive at 5th Ave. on Tuesday, July 10, 2012.  According to police, the woman was in crosswalk, but went against the light when she was struck.

Eva Rausing found dead in Belgravia home  —  Mr and Mrs Rausing were arrested over drugs in 2008  —  One of the UK's richest women has been found dead in west London, Scotland Yard has confirmed.  —  The body of US national Eva Rausing, 48, a member of the family behind the Tetra-Pak cartons empire …

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] …

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 …

On Obama Adviser's Disclosure Form: ‘Bermuda’  —  A lot of attention has been focused lately on Mitt Romney's offshore finances in places like the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.  —  But the word Bermuda pops up on the financial disclosure forms of one of President Obama's top advisers too.

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.

San Francisco Officials Plan to Block Apple Procurement  —  San Francisco city officials say they are moving to block purchases of Apple desktops and laptops, by all municipal agencies, after the company removed a green electronics certification from its products.

The Opportunity Gap  —  Over the past few months, writers from Charles Murray to Timothy Noah have produced alarming work on the growing bifurcation of American society.  Now the eminent Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam and his team are coming out with research that's more horrifying.

The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2008 and 2009  —  The recent recession has had a substantial impact on income, the amount of taxes owed, and average tax rates.  Changes in households' before-tax income and average tax rates in 2008 and 2009 were substantial and differed markedly across the income distribution.

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.

Chief Justice Neville Chamberlain  —  ....governments are not always overthrown by direct and open assaults.  They are not always battered down by the arms of conquerors, or the successful daring of usurpers.  There is often concealed the dry rot, which eats into the vitals, when all is fair and stately on the outside.

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.

Many Wall Street executives say wrongdoing is necessary: survey  —  (Reuters) - If the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes were to go out with his lantern in search of an honest man today, a survey of Wall Street executives on workplace conduct suggests he might have to look elsewhere.

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 …