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.

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 …

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.

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

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 …

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.

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 …

Orthodox activists urge Facebook ban over gay wedding icons  —  Facebook icons for same-sex marriage  —  Russian religious activists have demanded Facebook be banned in the country over “gay propaganda” among minors and have launched a campaign to criminalize homosexuality.

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.

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 …

Spain unveils new austerity under European pressure  —  (Reuters) - Recession-plagued Spain unveiled new austerity measures on Wednesday designed to slash 65 billion euros from the public deficit by 2014 as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy yielded to EU pressure to try to avoid a full state bailout.

Obamacare Now Estimated to Cost $2.6 Trillion in First Decade  —  The Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee will later today release the following chart, detailing the rising projected cost of President Obama's signature legislation, Obamacare:  —  The latest estimate …

Green Party Candidate Jill Stein's Running Mate Is Not Roseanne Barr  —  Image credit: Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images  —  Long-shot Green Party candidate Jill Stein has chosen her running mate: Cheri Honkala, who, Stein said, is “the nation's leading anti-poverty advocate.”

Berkley's not quite dead yet  —  Shelley Berkley is dead, one in an occasional series:  —  Within moments of the House Ethics Committee's announcement Monday that it was moving forward with its probe of the Nevada congresswoman, the national chattering class began digging her political grave.

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.