Romney to NAACP: Obama made it worse for you ‘in almost every way’  —  Mitt Romney will tell the NAACP on Wednesday that President Obama has made it worse for African-Americans “in almost every way.”  —  “If equal opportunity in America were an accomplished fact, then a chronically bad economy …

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 …

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

San Bernardino seeks bankruptcy protection  —  San Bernardino, facing the possibility of missing payroll, becomes California's third city in weeks to authorize a bankruptcy filing.  —  San Bernardino is the third California city to seek bankruptcy protection in recent weeks.

In 2009, Americans paid lowest tax rates in 30 years to federal government  —  Americans paid the lowest tax rates in 30 years to the federal government in 2009, in part because of tax cuts President Obama sought to combat the Great Recession, congressional budget analysts said Tuesday.

McConnell aiming for repeal vote ‘in the near future’  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday he wants the Senate to vote again “in the near future” on repealing President Obama's healthcare law.  —  McConnell had held off on forcing a repeal vote while he waited …

Marco Rubio: Obama ‘naive’ about Chavez  —  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) issued a harsh statement on Wednesday condemning comments that President Barack Obama made about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as “alarmingly naïve.”  —  In an interview at the White House on Monday …

The Somewhat Valiant Return Of Robert Gibbs  —  Obama's favorite flak is done with his “cooling off period.”  Bonus: He doesn't have to deal with Michelle Obama or Valerie Jarrett anymore.  —  Image by Jonathan Ernst / Reuters  —  On Monday morning, Robert Gibbs unleashed a verbal barrage …

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.

American Crossroads' $70 Million Senate Blitz  —  American Crossroads and its sister organization are poised to inject up to  —  $70 million into the battle for the Senate on behalf of Republicans.  —  The GOP-aligned super PAC and its affiliated issue-advocacy arm, Crossroads GPS …

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.

The U.S. Housing Bust Is Over  —  The housing market has turned—at last.  —  The U.S. finally has moved beyond attention-grabbing predictions from housing “experts” that housing is bottoming.  The numbers are now convincing.  —  Nearly seven years after the housing bubble burst, most indices of house prices are bending up.

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 …

On the heels of The Weekly Standard's report yesterday that DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz — a vocal critic of Mitt Romney's investing practices, had herself dabbled in the foreign markets — we can add Nancy Pelosi to the list of prominent Democrats to profit from overseas investments.

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 governors secede from Medicaid  —  House Republicans are lining up to repeal the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, but GOP governors in the South have a real plan to gut the law.  —  Govs. Rick Perry in Texas and Rick Scott in Florida have both said they won't expand Medicaid …

Obama the Socialist?  Not Even Close  —  WHEN I was asked to direct “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” my friends warned me not to go anywhere near it.  —  The story is so American, they argued, that I, an immigrant fresh off the boat, could not do it justice.  They were surprised when I explained why I wanted to make the film.

Air Conditioning, Blessed Invention  —  Willis Carrier changed the world for the better—though making Washington, D.C. livable in summer doesn't help the cause of limited government.  —  Many people claim to disdain technology, but in last week's deadly heat wave they were probably doing their disdaining in an air-conditioned room.

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.