Book bombshell: Obama canceled Bin Laden ‘kill’ raid three times at Jarrett's urging  —  At the urging of Valerie Jarrett, President Barack Obama canceled the operation to kill Osama bin Laden on three separate occasions before finally approving the May 2, 2011 Navy SEAL mission …

Cruz leads going into Tuesday  —  PPP's final poll of the Republican Senate runoff in Texas finds Ted Cruz opening up a 52-42 lead, an increase from our survey two weeks ago that found him ahead 49-44.  —  Cruz's victory is driven by 4 things: the Tea Party, the enthusiasm of his supporters …

Voter ID laws could swing states  —  At least 5 million voters, predominantly young and from minority groups sympathetic to President Barack Obama, could be affected by an unprecedented flurry of new legislation by Republican governors and GOP-led legislatures to change or restrict voting rights by Election Day 2012.

Romney outrages Palestinians by saying Jewish culture helps make Israel more successful  —  Palestinian leaders are calling Mitt Romney racist and out of touch for saying that Jewish culture helps make Israel more economically successful than its Palestinian neighbors.

New study shows half of the global warming in the USA is artificial  —  PRESS RELEASE - U.S. Temperature trends show a spurious doubling due to NOAA station siting problems and post measurement adjustments.  —  Chico, CA July 29th, 2012 - 12 PM PDT - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ticket touts disgrace: Row upon row of empty seats... as tickets sent to foreign VIPs go on the black market  — London 2012 chairman Lord Coe reveals students and teachers are also being called in at the last minute  —  Prized Olympic tickets entrusted to foreign delegations are being openly sold …

Secret Service won't pay Newport Beach for police at Obama event  —  Newport Beach billed President Obama's campaign for police security at a fundraiser.  The Secret Service says that security is its job, not the campaign's, but that it can't reimburse the city.

Americans Want Next President to Prioritize Jobs, Corruption  —  Lowest priorities are taxing wealthy and environmental problems  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Creating good jobs, reducing corruption in the federal government, and reducing the federal budget deficit score highest when Americans rate 12 issues …

Mitt Romney: A Candidate With a Serious Wimp Problem  —  Dodging reporters, fearing his base, hiding his taxes—is Mitt Romney just too insecure to be president?  In Newsweek, Michael Tomasky surveys a history of presidential manliness and asks just where Mitt would fit amid the studly swagger of Dubya and Reagan.

Swing states give Obama the edge  —  President Obama has an overall edge in the 12 decisive battleground states that is measurably greater than his advantage in national polling.  —  The dynamic, which may reflect a combination of lower swing-state unemployment rates and demographic advantages …

Crash of the Bumblebee  —  Last week Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, declared that his institution “is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro” — and markets celebrated.  In particular, interest rates on Spanish bonds fell sharply, and stock markets soared everywhere.

Romney Praises Israel's Socialized Health Care System  —  No to ObamaCare, but Israel's mandate is working, Romney says.  —  Image by Charles Dharapak / AP  —  JERUSALEM — Presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney offered praise for the Israeli health care system today …

Those shocking bourgeois values  —  In one traditional form of pornography, from the Victorian “A Man With a Maid” to the more recent “Fifty Shades of Grey,” a young woman is initiated — sometimes uncomfortably — into the mysteries of adult sexuality.  In the end she is, at some level at least …

The End of Gun Control?  —  Given the recent appalling events in Aurora, Colorado, there's been a renewed call for greater gun control and a ban on assault weapons.  —  I'm in favor of tighter gun control and a ban on weapons that are unnecessarily powerful but I'm afraid that technology …