Mitt Romney Ad Taken Down Over Copyright Claim … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Video, Election 2012, Romney Campaign, Mitt Romney 2012, Mitt Romney Ad, Mitt Romney Singing Ad, Mitt Romney Web Ad, Obama Singing, Politics News

CNN's Burnett: Release tax returns, Romney  —  In a move that departed from CNN's traditional brand of journalism, host Erin Burnett called on Mitt Romney to release more of his tax returns tonight.  —  “It's time, Mitt.  Time to put them on the table,” she said during tonight's edition of OutFront.

The Elton John-Rush Limbaugh bond  —  To the shock of many (given the gap in their political ideologies), Elton John performed at Rush Limbaugh's wedding in 2010 and, in a new interview with USA Today, the performer opened up about his friendship with the conservative talk show host.

The Capitalism Debate  —  Let's say you are president in a time of a sustained economic slowdown.  You initiated a series of big policies that you thought were going to turn the economy around, but they didn't work — either because they were insufficient or ineffective.

Obama switches off teleprompter  —  President Obama is weaning himself off his teleprompter.  —  At recent campaign events in Pennsylvania, Virginia and again Monday in Ohio, Obama spoke to crowds in high school gymnasiums and at crowded outdoor events without his teleprompter, instead using written notes.

Bachmann defends her witch hunt  —  The Minnesota representative offers “evidence” of Islamic infiltration of the U.S. government in a 16-page letter  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann defended her attempt to root out “deep penetration” by the Muslim Brotherhood into the U.S. government Friday …

Romney's new foe: Batman's ‘Bane’ … This summer's much-anticipated Hollywood blockbuster, “The Dark Knight Rises,” is getting an unusual boost from Democrats and other foes of Mitt Romney who are eager to tie the Gotham crushing villain to the GOP presidential candidate.

The media obsess on Bain while we head to a recession  —  The divergence between what the Obama campaign and the media (I repeat myself) are talking about (Bain, Bain and Bain) and the most important economic (and hence political) news of the year is breathtaking.  To put it bluntly, we are looking at economic contraction.

Raising Taxes on Rich Seen as Good for Economy, Fairness  —  OVERVIEW  —  By two-to-one (44% to 22%), the public says that raising taxes on incomes above $250,00o would help the economy rather than hurt it, while 24% say this would not make a difference.  Moreover, an identical percentage …

Welcome to ‘Panthers Stadium’  —  National Democrats have repeatedly touted their stand against taking corporate money for their convention in September, and so it was striking to see two emails from the DNC host committee referring to the Charlotte venue where President Obama will speak as “Panthers Stadium.”

Testimony  —  Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress  —  Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.  —  Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Shelby, and other members of the Committee, I am pleased to present the Federal Reserve's …

DISCLOSE Act, new donor transparency law, blocked in Senate  —  The Senate has failed to advance legislation that would require independent groups to disclose the names of contributors who give more than $10,000 for use in political campaigns.  —  The measure, known as the DISCLOSE Act, died in a 51 to 44 vote on a procedural motion.

Romney appears in final stages of running-mate decision  —  (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appears to be in the final stages of deciding who to pick as his vice presidential running mate, with speculation growing that he has narrowed his choice down to a short-list of three.

New Yahoo CEO Mayer is pregnant  —  She told Fortune exclusively that her first child is due in October.  —  FORTUNE —Marissa Mayer, the Google (GOOG) executive who today was named Yahoo's (YHOO) new chief executive, is pregnant.  —  Mayer told Fortune exclusively that her first child is due October 7.

Romney and his time machine  —  Mitt Romney is an impressive man, but until now, we didn't know just how impressive.  According to his senior adviser, Ed Gillespie, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is a time traveler.  —  Gillespie made this surprise disclosure to CNN's Candy Crowley …

Could one word take down Obamacare?  —  Section 1401 of the Affordable Care Act is, on the surface, just as exciting as it sounds.  It outlines in excruciating detail the eligibility requirements for an American to receive a tax subsidy to assist in purchasing health insurance.

Look Who's Holding the Economy Hostage Now  —  Inequality: Democrats say they'll let all the Bush-era tax cuts expire if they can't raise taxes on the rich.  Apparently, economic catastrophe is a reasonable price to pay for class warfare politics.  —  On Monday, Sen. Patty Murray …

Early VP selection would break with history  —  By NBC's Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Brooke Brower  —  *** Don't bet on an early VP pick: While we're bracing for Mitt Romney to make his VP pick as soon as this week, here is something to consider: If history is any guide, Romney won't announce his selection until next month.

The Incredible Bain Jobs Machine  —  In a competitive economy, $5,000 computers become $500 tablets.  Consumers get to spend the difference elsewhere in the economy.  —  Did Mitt Romney and Bain Capital help office-supply retailer Staples create 88,000 jobs?  43,000?  252?