Obama Hits 50% In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times Swing State Poll Finds  —  Word format Crosstabs by State  —  Watch Video: Assistant Director Tim Malloy discusses poll results  —  Clip Information and Download:  —  FLV File - Download For Website (1920x1080 / 125MB)

Ted Cruz wins Republican runoff for Texas Senate seat  —  (Pat Sullivan - AP) Former state solicitor general Ted Cruz, a tea party-aligned conservative once regarded as a long-shot candidate, has won the Republican runoff in Texas, where he will be the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate in the November election.

Harry Reid: Bain Investor Told Me That Mitt Romney 'Didn't Pay Any Taxes For 10 Years' … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Harry Reid , Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Video, Mitt Romney Taxes, Harry Reid Mitt Romney, Harry Reid Romney Taxes, Mitt Romney 2012, Reid Romney …

Prolific, Elegant, Acerbic Writer  —  Gore Vidal, the elegant, acerbic all-around man of letters who presided with a certain relish over what he declared to be the end of American civilization, died on Tuesday at his home in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles, where he moved in 2003, after years of living in Ravello, Italy.

Culture Does Matter  —  During my recent trip to Israel, I had suggested that the choices a society makes about its culture play a role in creating prosperity, and that the significant disparity between Israeli and Palestinian living standards was powerfully influenced by it.

The Churchill Bust & Charles Krauthammer  —  Yesterday following his column, I sent the following email to Charles Krauthammer.  Charles asked that I make the email public and I have agreed.

Olympic medals: gold to the IRS too?  —  When the lucky (and good) Americans who medal at the London Games bow their head to receive the gold, silver or bronze, one can only hope the tax man is the last person on their mind.  —  They'd be unwise to forget him altogether, however.

Obama, Palestinians irked by Romney remarks on Jerusalem  —  The Obama White House and the Palestinian Authority this week expressed dissatisfaction, frustration and anger over Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney's very public recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Obama Supporters Barraged With Pleas for Cash  —  Each plea for money from President Obama and his allies has become more urgent and desperate than the last.  —  His campaign's chief operating officer said on Monday that “we've gotten our behinds handed to us.”

Why Not in Vegas?  —  I'll make this quick.  I have one question and one observation about Mitt Romney's visit to Israel.  The question is this: Since the whole trip was not about learning anything but about how to satisfy the political whims of the right-wing, super pro-Bibi Netanyahu …

Amtrak promotes gay family travel with groundbreaking ads  —  J.C. Penney did it and now so has Amtrak.  It has launched a promotional campaign that includes gay families.  —  As part of an effort to market its standard discounted family travel program, for the first time …

Kelly Keisling, Tennessee Legislator, Mass Emailed Obama ‘Staged Assassination’ Rumor … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Video, Department Of Homeland Security, Canada Free Press, Doug Hammon, Email, Frankie Anderson, Holt Whitt, Joe Aglione, Kelly Keisling, Obama Conspiracy Theories, Tennessee Politics, Politics News

UC Davis confirms officer at center of pepper spraying controversy no longer on the force  —  Lt. John Pike, the UC Davis police officer who became a focal point of last November's pepper spraying incident during a campus protest, is no longer employed by the university, a spokesman confirmed late Tuesday.

Sarah Palin: It's a ‘shame’ about Dick Cheney  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Tuesday that it's a “shame” former Vice President Dick Cheney considers her vice presidential selection a misfire, but she might be joining Cheney in skipping the Republican National Convention.

Report cites killings blamed on non-deported illegals  —  The Obama administration released illegal immigrants who went on to commit more crimes, including charges of 19 murders, 3 attempted murders and 142 sex crimes, the House Judiciary Committee said in a report Tuesday.

First on CNN: Romney preps swing state blitz, stirring V.P. speculation  —  Washington (CNN) - Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is quietly laying the groundwork for a high-profile blitz of several key battleground states in the run-up to the Republican National Convention in Tampa …