Poll: Romney preferred over Obama to handle the economy  —  WASHINGTON - Despite concerted Democratic attacks on his business record, Republican challenger Mitt Romney scores a significant advantage over President Obama when it comes to managing the economy, reducing the federal budget deficit …

Star of Romney 'My Hands Didn't Build This' Ad Received Millions in Government Loans and Contracts  —  The Romney campaign has been making much out of an out-of-context President Obama quote.  —  Speaking in Roanoke, Virginia on July 13 about the necessity of government for services such as infrastructure …

Mitt's First Foreign Stumble?  —  It's treacherous for a US presidential candidate to travel overseas — lots of opportunities for mis-chosen words and getting drawn into other countries' domestic politics.  With Mitt Romney about to leave on his big trip abroad he may already have had his first big foreign stumble.

Quote of the Day: Mitt Romney Told Olympians They Didn't Get There Alone  —  Our political Quote of the Day gives us one more strand in the heaping-plate-of-spaghetti-of- hyocrisy called American partisan politics, where the accuracy of an assertion is not what matters.

Albright recalls Romney thanks for ‘keeping my mouth shut’ on Olympics uniforms  —  Madeleine Albright's circa 2008 book, “Memo to the President Elect,” offers this nugget about her own experience seeing the 2002 Olympics uniforms were made in Burma, which she says she brought to Mitt Romney's attention at the time.

The Hill Poll: Majority of voters blame president for bad economy  —  Two-thirds of likely voters say the weak economy is Washington's fault, and more blame President Obama than anybody else, according to a new poll for The Hill.  —  It found that 66 percent believe paltry job growth …

Sally Ride, Trailblazing Astronaut, Dies at 61  —  Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, died on Monday at her home in San Diego.  She was 61.  —  The cause was pancreatic cancer, her company, Sally Ride Science, announced on its Web site.

CNBC EXCLUSIVE: CNBC TRANSCRIPT: REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MITT ROMNEY SPEAKS ONE-ON-ONE WITH LARRY KUDLOW TODAY ON CNBC  —  Where: CNBC's “The Kudlow Report”  —  Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC EXCLUSIVE interview with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney today, Monday, July 23rd.

TPMMuckraker  —  Justice Department Investigates Pennsylvania Voter ID Law  —  The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has launched a formal investigation into whether Pennsylvania's voter ID law discriminates against minorities, TPM has learned.  —  In a three-page letter sent …

Mike Huckabee “Incensed” By Criticism Of Chick-Fil-A  —  Also trying to make August 1 “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day.”  —  Image by Rogelio V. Solis / AP  —  Former Arkansas governor and current Fox News host Mike Huckabee is “incensed” by attacks on fast-food company Chick-Fil-A after its founder …

Report Details $21-$32 Trillion in Untaxed Global Wealth Parked Offshore  —  New study estimates $20-30 trillions in tax shelters (photo: bright strangely)  —  The Tax Justice Network, an organization I frankly had never heard of until this weekend, came out with a study over the weekend alleging …

Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes appears dazed in court  —  CENTENNIAL, Colo.—James Holmes, the suspect in the Colorado theater massacre, appeared in a Colorado courtroom on Monday, three days after one of the deadliest shooting sprees in modern American history.

Iowa 2016 presidential preference poll  —  Hillary Clinton continues to have a dominant lead in Iowa Democrats' preferences for their 2016 presidential nominee almost three years before actual candidates will begin chowing down on cobs of corn.  The straw poll on the Republican side is much closer …

Contempt motion withdrawn for sexual-assault victim Savannah Dietrich who tweeted attackers' names  —  Defense attorneys for two boys who pleaded guilty to assaulting a 17-year-old Savannah Dietrich have withdrawn their motion that she be held in contempt for tweeting the names of her attackers in defiance of a court order.

President Obama Praises Self for Ending War in Iraq on Bloodiest Day of the Year in That Country  —  Is it bad timing or irrelevant?  —  President Obama's campaign today released a video praising the president for ending the war in Iraq.  It turns out that today has proven to be the deadliest day of the year in that country.

Energy-efficient CFL bulbs cause skin damage, say researchers  —  New research funded by the National Science Foundation has scientists warning consumers about the potentially harmful effects energy-saving CFL light bulbs can have on skin.  —  The warning comes based on a study conducted …

Penn State sanctions: $60M, bowl ban  —  The NCAA has hit Penn State with a $60 million sanction, a four-year football postseason ban and a vacation of all wins dating to 1998, the organization said Monday morning.  —  The career record of former head football coach Joe Paterno will reflect …

Scott Brown gets in on the Big Lie  —  Look, ma, I can lie about Obama's quote, too!  —  Obama's now infamous “didn't build that” speech is similar to Elizabeth Warren's viral remarks about how the rich didn't get rich on their own.  So it's not surprising that Senator Scott Brown …