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 …

Obama leads by 6 in Wisconsin  —  Barack Obama's considerably weaker in Wisconsin than he was in 2008, but he still looks like the clear favorite to win the state again.  We find him with 50% to 44% for Mitt Romney.  —  Obama actually has under water approval numbers in the state.

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.

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.

Rielle book tour on shelf  —  Rielle Hunter has gone quiet after less than hoped-for sales of her memoir — she's scheduled no additional tour dates to promote her tell-all about her relationship with John Edwards, “What Really Happened.”  After a serious media blitz, which included interviews …

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 …

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 indexes of house prices are bending up.

Romney Struggles To Lock Down Rowdy Delegates  —  The campaign grapples with demanding state parties and hostile libertarians.  A threat to the New York State chairman.  —  Romney in New York earlier this year.  —  Image by John Moore / Getty Images  —  A recent tussle between …

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.

Allen raises $2M in second quarter, touts welfare reform in new ad  —  Former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) raised $2 million in the past three months, his strongest fundraising quarter to date, and has used some of that money to run an ad touting his work as governor to reform the state's welfare system.

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.

Holder compares Texas voter ID law to post slavery poll taxes  —  Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday compared the new Texas voter ID law to the post-slavery efforts to keep blacks from voting known as a “poll taxes.”  —  The law was passed last year by the GOP-led state legislature …

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 …

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.