Mitt Romney stayed at Bain 3 years longer than he stated  —  Firm's 2002 filings identify him as CEO, though he said he left in 1999  —  Nine SEC filings submitted by four different business entities after February 1999 describe Romney as Bain boss.  —  Government documents filed …

Obama reflects on his biggest mistake as president  —  (CBS News) President Obama's biggest mistake during his first term, he told CBS News in an exclusive interview, has been putting policy over storytelling.  —  Mr. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sat down Thursday with “CBS This Morning” …

Poll: Cruz up on Dewhurst in Texas  —  The Republican pollster that signaled Dick Lugar's demise and Deb Fischer's late surge is now flagging an upset in the making in the Texas Senate race.  —  Tea party favorite Ted Cruz is leading Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst 47 percent to 38 percent in the GOP runoff …

Obama's Absence The Talk Of NAACP Convention  —  “I don't think there's anyone around the president who's really, truly from the black community,” complains Chambliss.  —  A video of President Barack Obama is shown before Vice President Joe Biden addressed the NAACP annual convention, Thursday, July 12, 2012, in Houston.

How the Mormons Make Money  —  (Updated with magazine version.  Removes an earlier reference to a Twitter account that is not Thomas S. Monson's official account.)  —  Late last March the Mormon Church completed an ambitious project: a megamall.  Built for roughly $2 billion …

Team USA To Be Decked Out in Uniforms Made in China  —  They are the pride of America — Team U.S.A. — and for the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in London, they'll be proudly wearing red, white and blue, from beret to blazer.  —  The classic American style — shown in an image above …

Obama Holds Lead, Romney Trails on Most Issues  —  Record Negatives for Supreme Court Driven by GOP Discontent  —  OVERVIEW  —  Despite the stagnant economy and broad dissatisfaction with national conditions, Barack Obama holds a significant lead over Mitt Romney.

The world desperately wants to loan us money  —  The Financial Times reports that there was record demand for 10-year Treasurys this week.  “The $21 [billion] sale of 10-year paper sold at a yield of 1.459 per cent, the lowest ever in an auction.”  William O'Donnell, a strategist at RBS Securities …

How Congressional Republicans and Democrats Pay Women  —  What does $10,000 mean to you?  Well, if you made something around the median in the U.S. last year, it could mean more than a fifth of your household income.  —  But what's $10,000 to you if you're a female Republican congressional staffer?

At Brock Fundraiser, Maine Gov. Paul LePage Doubles Down on “Gestapo” Comment (AUDIO)  —  Updated below: Maine Democratic Party chair questions LePage's fitness for office; Vermont Dem chair says Brock should condemn remarks.  Update #2: Comment from Anti-Defamation League and union representing IRS workers.

Michael Tomasky on Mitt Romney the Race Baiter at the NAACP  —  With his incendiary speech to the NAACP, Mitt crossed an ugly line.  No longer simply spineless and disingenuous, he's now become a race-mongering pyromaniac.  Plus Mansfield Frazier on Romney's diversity problem.

Sanctions at the Genius Bar  —  IMAGINE if your ethnicity determined which products you were able to buy.  Or if sales clerks required you to divulge your ancestry before swiping your credit card.  —  Some of us don't have to imagine.  —  Last month, Sahar Sabet, a 19-year-old Iranian-American woman …

An Age-Old Ruse  —  That's the way Mitt Romney, back in 1994, described putting one's assets in a so-called blind trust.  But it's 2012, and the ruse looks pretty serviceable.  —  Never mind that Mitt Romney has an estimated net worth as high as $250 million, or that some of it has been invested …

Sodomy “For the Sake of Islam” … Not only did the original “underwear bomber” Abdullah Hassan al-Asiri hide explosives in his rectum to assassinate Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Nayef—they met in 2009 after the 22-year-old holy warrior “feigned repentance for his jihadi views” …