Do Bain SEC documents suggest Mitt Romney is a criminal?  —  “Romney and Bain claim that he was not involved with Bain, but Bain and its portfolio companies in their required filings under the Securities Exchange Act continuously certified to the Securities and Exchange Commission say precisely …

ROMNEY NARROWS VP CHOICES; CONDI EMERGES AS FRONTRUNNER  —  Late Thursday evening, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign launched a new fundraising drive, ‘Meet The VP’ — just as Romney himself has narrowed the field of candidates to a handful, sources reveal.

Why Our Elites Stink  —  Through most of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Protestant Establishment sat atop the American power structure.  A relatively small network of white Protestant men dominated the universities, the world of finance, the local country clubs and even high government service.

Obama weakens welfare reform (again): Here are some quick initial reactions to the administration's apparent surprising (and possibly illegal) attempt to grant waivers of the work requirements written, after great effort, into the 1996 welfare reform law.  I'm posting Thursday night; the story should break for real tomorrow (Friday).

13 reasons why this is the worst Congress ever  —  This week, the House of Representatives voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  On its own, such a vote would be unremarkable.  Republicans control the House, they oppose President Obama's health reform law, and so they voted to get rid of it.

U.S. Concerned as Syria Moves Chemical Stockpile  —  WASHINGTON—Syria has begun moving parts of its vast arsenal of chemical weapons out of storage facilities, U.S. officials said, in a development that has alarmed many in Washington.  —  The country's undeclared stockpiles of sarin nerve agent …

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” …

Facebook Monitors Your Chats for Criminal Activity [REPORT]  —  Facebook and other social platforms are watching users' chats for criminal activity and notifying police if any suspicious behavior is detected, according to a report.  —  The screening process begins with scanning software …

Preview: The Exclusive PARADE Interview With President and Mrs. Bush  —  Nineteen years after leaving the White House, George H. W. Bush, 88, is seeing his legacy burnished.  In an exclusive interview in this Sunday's issue of PARADE, the former president and his wife, Barbara, 87 …

Bill Clinton ‘perplexed’ Romney not releasing more tax returns  —  Former President Bill Clinton said Friday he is “perplexed” by Mitt Romney's decision to release just one year of his personal tax returns.  —  “It's typical, I think, we all release 10 or 11 years,” he told NBC's “Today” show.

West announces $2.2M second-quarter fundraising haul  —  Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), among the most visible and vocal members of 2010's Tea Party freshman class, announced that he raised $2.2 million in second-quarter fundraising.  —  West has now raised just under $10 million for the cycle …

Long Island cop's mistress suing Nassau County over affair  —  She had an affair with a cop — and now she wants taxpayers to foot the bill.  —  The mistress of a married Nassau County cop — who enjoyed more than 100 nights with him while he was on duty — is threatening to sue the county …

Young U.S. Voters' Turnout Intentions Lagging  —  Black turnout intentions look similar to 2008 on relative basis  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Fifty-eight percent of U.S. registered voters aged 18 to 29 say they will “definitely vote” this fall, well below the current national average of 78% …

Post-Stanford poll finds more Americans believe climate change is happening  —  Most Americans say they believe temperatures around the world are going up and that weather patterns have become more unstable in the past few years, according to a new poll from The Washington Post and Stanford University.

Downtown L.A. Erupts into Violence During Art Walk  —  LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — Demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at LAPD officers as police and protesters squared off in downtown Los Angeles late Thursday night.  —  At least 20 arrests were made and four officers were injured.