A 5-Ring Circus: Olympic Opening Is Oddly, Confidently British  —  LONDON — With its hilariously quirky Olympic opening ceremony, a wild jumble of the celebratory and the fanciful; the conventional and the eccentric; and the frankly off-the-wall, Britain presented itself to the world Friday night …

Statement by Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., distributed by Mayo Clinic  —  Rochester, Minn. — Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has arrived at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for extensive inpatient evaluation for depression and gastrointestinal issues.  —  Further information will be released …

Pelosi: President Obama's Been to Israel ‘Over and Over Again’  —  Daniel Halper has called attention to Nancy Pelosi's remarkable interview with Al Hunt on the topic of Barack Obama and Israel.  I'd note one comment in particular: Pelosi's claim that President Obama “has been there [Israel] over and over again.”

Palin visits Chick-fil-A  —  Sarah Palin waded into the controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A and gay marriage by tweeting a picture of herself and husband Todd visiting the fast-food chain Friday after a Texas campaign stop.  —  “Stopped by Chick-fil-A in The Woodlands to support a great business …

Does billboard comparing Obama to alleged shooter go too far?  —  On Franklin Blvd in Caldwell.  —  RELATED CONTENT  —  CALDWELL, Idaho (KBOI) - A Caldwell billboard is raising questions in the Treasure Valley as it compares President Obama to accused Colorado killer, James Holmes.

Fla. Republican: We wanted to suppress black votes  —  Florida's disgraced former GOP chairman says the party had meetings about “keeping blacks from voting”  —  In the debate over new laws meant to curb voter fraud in places like Florida, Democrats always charge that Republicans are trying …

Obama: GOP plan is to spend ‘trillions more on tax cuts for the wealthy’  —  President Obama pressured Congress to avoid an impending rise in middle-class tax rates, accusing GOP lawmakers of holding those families “hostage” in order to enact massive tax cuts for the wealthy.

Indiana company scraps plans for expansion over ObamaCare device tax  —  An Indiana-based medical equipment manufacturer says it's scrapping plans to open five new plants in the coming years because of a looming tax tied to President Obama's health care overhaul law.

THE YOUNG ATHLETES CHOSEN TO LIGHT THE OLYMPIC CAULDRON  —  Callum Airlie, 17, was nominated by gold medal-winning sailor Shirley Robertson.  He has been sailing since the age of four, and is a two-time Optimist UK national champion who aims to be entered into the 2013 ISAF (International Sailing Association & Federation) Open.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos, wife, make $2.5 million donation for gay marriage  —  (Reuters) - Amazon Inc founder Jeff Bezos and his wife have made what may be the biggest donation to the cause of gay marriage, contributing $2.5 million to a Washington state campaign to legalize same-sex nuptials there, the campaign said on Friday.

Americans More Positive Than Negative Toward Netanyahu  —  Republicans more favorable to him than in his prior term; Democrats less so  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans have a more positive (35%) than negative (23%) view of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though four in 10 are not familiar enough with him to rate him.

U.S. wrestler gives Michelle Obama a lift  —  LONDON - Body lifts are routine in Olympic wrestling.  —  U.S. wrestler Elena Pirozhkova hoisted first lady Michelle Obama off the ground in a kinder, gentler and most uncommon fashion Friday.  —  It happened during the first lady's visit …

Ron Paul campaign to challenge all Louisiana delegates  —  (CNN) - The Ron Paul 2012 campaign is preparing to challenge the entire slate of Louisiana's 46 delegates selected to attend the Republican National Convention next month in Tampa, Florida.  —  Paul's campaign asserts the final list …