Mr. Romney's Financial Black Hole  —  Paying taxes forthrightly has long been a matter of civic pride for most American politicians, a demonstration of honesty and of a willingness to share in society's burdens.  Since the Watergate era, presidential candidates have released several years of tax returns …

Sarah Palin: Mitt Romney needs to set ‘hair on fire’  —  Sarah Palin warned Tuesday that Mitt Romney must do more to energize conservatives before Election Day, saying the Republican presidential candidate should light the base's “hair on fire.”  —  “Romney, he has said before that he doesn't want to have to light his hair on fire.

DNA from Sarah Fox Murder Scene Linked to Chain Used in Occupy Wall Street Protest  —  DNA evidence collected from the murder scene of Sarah Fox in 2004 has just been linked to DNA off a chain left behind by Occupy Wall Street protesters at a subway station in March

Jesse Jackson Jr. mystery deepens  —  The mystery surrounding Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. deepened on Tuesday as speculation swirled around the Illinois Democrat's health and political future.  —  Democratic sources say Jackson — who has not been on Capitol Hill since June 10 …

Southern California city of San Bernardino votes to declare bankruptcy  —  SAN BERNARDINO, CALIF. - As recently as last month, no city in California had opted for bankruptcy since 2008, and no U.S. city of more than 200,000 people had ever chosen bankruptcy.

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.

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.

High-powered lesbians launch first-of-its-kind super PAC to champion women's, gay rights  —  SAN FRANCISCO — As a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, her politically active family's sole Democrat, and a sister with three brothers, Laura Ricketts is comfortable being the odd woman out.

Journalists Required To Show IDs at Eric Holder's Talk On The Evil of IDs  —  If you think it's fine for the government to force you to buy something but you're insulted by the idea of having to prove your citizenship in order to vote... you might be a liberal.

Man charged with 'planning to car bomb London's Olympic Park during Games'  —  Anti-terrorism officers are grilling a man accused of planning to blow up the Olympic Park during the Games using a car filled with explosives.  —  Specialist police from London are in Blackpool, Lancashire …

EXCLUSIVE: Jon Voight defends Brad Pitt's mom after she gets death threats for penning anti-Obama letter to the editor  —  LOS ANGELES - You can always count on family.  —  Last week, Brad Pitt's mother Jane Pitt hit headlines after penning a response letter-to-the-editor of her local newspaper …

Bush Speechwriter Gerson Unable to Read Speeches  —  Michael Gerson is a former speechwriter for George W. Bush turned Washington Post columnist, from which perch he has spent the entirety of the Obama administration gleefully predicting a downward spiral into ruin and dysfunction reminiscent of, well, George W. Bush.

The other foreclosure crisis: Losing a home for $400 in back taxes  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — People are losing their homes over unpaid tax bills that, in some cases, add up to just a few hundred dollars.  —  Outdated state laws that allow local governments to sell tax liens on delinquent properties …

Crossdressing, Compression and Colliders: The First Photo on the Web  —  The first photographic image ever uploaded to the Web was a Photoshop disaster.  It was created to sell something, and featured attractive women in a come-hither pose.  —  In short, photo-uploading was born …

GOP puts biofuels on the chopping block  —  The biofuels industry is at loggerheads with House Republicans, who are eyeing its funding for elimination in the farm bill.  —  Biomass and biofuels groups warn that the loss of $800 million in guaranteed federal support would stall progress …

Exclusive: Romney to host fundraiser in Jerusalem  —  Republican candidate to arrive in Israel July 29, present Mideast policy at conference in J'lem.  —  Presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will host a fundraising event in Jerusalem at $60,000 or more per plate on July 29, The Jerusalem Post learned on Wednesday.

Obama in 2010: Raising Taxes Will Lead to ‘More Folks Potentially Losing Jobs’  —  Why would the president oppose raising taxes when economic growth was 5.6 percent but propose raising taxes when it's at 1.9 percent?  When it's politically advantageous to be seen as raising taxes on the rich.

Democrats Fight DOMA In Court — But 60 Stay Home  —  The House Democrats went to court today to defeat the Defense of Marriage Act, filing a brief in an ongoing challenge to the law.  Nearly one-third of the party's caucus, however, didn't join the party leadership in calling the law unconstitutional.

Do Schools Challenge Our Students?  —  What Student Surveys Tell Us About the State of Education in the United States  —  We need to find new and better ways to provide students with the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed.  —  Read this report in your browser (Scribd)