‘D’ Is for Diplomacy  —  LONDON — Mitt Romney has only been on British soil for 24 hours, but he and his campaign are quickly finding out that every word matters.  —  Even before he touched down, a quote by an unnamed Romney adviser in London's Daily Telegraph newspaper was already creating a stir.

U.S. Business Owners Now Among Least Approving of Obama  —  Professional workers are the most approving  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. business owners' approval of President Barack Obama fell in the second quarter of 2012 to 35%, essentially tying farmers and fishers for the lowest approval among major occupational groups.

Senate passes bill to keep tax cuts for the middle class  —  The Senate on Wednesday narrowly approved a plan to preserve tax cuts for the middle class while letting them expire for the wealthy, a powerful if largely symbolic victory for Democrats who have been pushing to raise taxes on the rich for more than a decade.

Menino shouldn't block Chick-fil-A because of president's views  —  The president of Chick-fil-A opposes gay marriage.  While this view goes against the grain in a state that made history by embracing it, it's no reason for Mayor Thomas M. Menino to oppose a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Boston.

Romney Falsely Claims Colorado Gunman Obtained Weapons Illegally  —  Mitt Romney revealed that he is unfamiliar with the details of the largest mass shooting in American history, during an interview with NBC's Brian Williams.  The former Massachusetts governor claimed that alleged gunman in the Aurora …

Mitt Romney Registered As Lobbyist For Salt Lake City Olympics … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Elections 2012, Newt Gingrich, Barack Obama , Olympics, Video, London Olympics 2012, Atlanta Summer Games, Federal Spending, London Olympics 2012 …

The Battle for Ballot Integrity in Pennsylvania  —  Pennsylvania is, for the moment, ground zero in the battle over voter fraud.  In March, Pennsylvania's legislature enacted a law that requires identification for voting.  The ACLU has sued to enjoin enforcement of the law …

Jeb Bush told Romney to pick Rubio  —  Jeb Bush launched a campaign of his own on Wednesday — to get fellow Floridian Sen. Marco Rubio on the GOP ticket.  —  The former Florida governor is making a big public and private push for Rubio to become the Republican vice presidential nominee …

North Korea flag mixup to go down in Olympic history as major insult  —  A video before the North Korea-Colombia Olympic women's soccer game Wednesday showed the South Korean flag.  In the history of Olympic host nation embarrassments, it's a whopper.  —  LONDON

Skype makes chats and user data more available to police  —  Skype, the online phone service long favored by political dissidents, criminals and others eager to communicate beyond the reach of governments, has expanded its cooperation with law enforcement authorities to make online chats …

Portman pushes bill to end shutdowns  —  Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) on Wednesday introduced a bill aimed at ending the threat of a government shutdown once and for all.  —  The bill would automatically extend government spending at current levels for 120 days when funding expires.

Rahm welcomes help from Farrakahn, ignores anti-Semitic remarks  —  Mayor Rahm Emanuel during City Council meeting Wednesday, July 26, 2012.  John H. White~Sun-Times  —  Ignoring Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan's history of anti-Semitic remarks, Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday welcomed …

Democratic Voting Enthusiasm Down Sharply From 2004, 2008  —  Republicans more enthusiastic than in 2008  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Democrats are significantly less likely now (39%) than they were in the summers of 2004 and 2008 to say they are “more enthusiastic about voting than usual” in the coming presidential election.

14 Specific Allegations of NYPD Brutality During Occupy Wall Street  —  A collaborative investigation launched by law clinics at four top universities has assembled damning evidence of widespread misconduct.  —  An investigation undertaken by law clinics at NYU, Fordham, Harvard …

Obama: AK-47s belong on battlefield, not streets  —  NEW ORLEANS - President Obama touched the sensitive issue of guns here on Wednesday, pivoting off last week's Colorado movie theater shootings to call for a “consensus around violence reduction” in the country.

The Story So Far  —  History may someday settle on one of the competing and contradictory narratives now running rampant within the virtual Beltway to explain the decision by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to save the Affordable Care Act.  Since that day seems far off, here in quick summary are the emerging story lines.

House passes Ron Paul's Fed audit measure  —  Bernanke opposes ‘nightmare’  —  In a move that serves as a capstone to Rep. Ron Paul's colorful career, the House on Wednesday voted to have Congress' chief investigators conduct a full audit of the Federal Reserve's shrouded decision-making process.