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)

On the Distributional Effects of Base-Broadening Income Tax Reform  —  This paper examines the tradeoffs among three competing goals that are inherent in a revenue-neutral income tax reform—maintaining tax revenues, ensuring a progressive tax system, and lowering marginal tax rates.

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.

Five Things Everyone Should Know About GOP Senate Candidate Ted Cruz  —  Ted Cruz will protect this golf course from the United Nations and George Soros  —  Today, Texas Republican primary voters selected Ted Cruz as their candidate to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX).

Win Olympic Gold, Pay the IRS  —  U.S. Olympic medal winners will owe up to $9,000 to the IRS.  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — While 529 hardworking athletes proudly represent the United States in the 2012 Olympics, any medals and money they earn wearing red, white and blue will be taxed by the IRS.

GOP lawmakers equate birth-control mandate with Pearl Harbor, 9/11  —  House Republicans called the Obama administration's birth-control mandate “religious bigotry” and compared it to the events of Pearl Harbor and Sept. 11, 2001.  —  The heated remarks came at a press conference marking the mandate's first day.

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.

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 …

Twitter Launches Political Index: The Twitter Pulse Of The Election  —  The Twitter Political Index could be one of the most powerful social media tools of the election.  —  Right now, if you want to know how the country feels about Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, you have to rely …

Badminton Players Disqualified for Throwing Matches  —  LONDON — Badminton officials took the extraordinary step of tossing out four pairs of women — two from South Korea and one each from China and Indonesia — for deliberately trying to lose their preliminary matches Tuesday night …

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in June suggests that economic activity decelerated somewhat over the first half of this year.  Growth in employment has been slow in recent months, and the unemployment rate remains elevated.

Statement of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Allegations Relating to Representative Laura Richardson  —  Pursuant to House Rule XI Clause 3(q)(2)(D), today the Chairman of the Committee on Ethics, Representative Jo Bonner, and the Ranking Member …

FLIPPING THE BIRD TO RAHM: Chicago Chick-Fil-A Mobbed.  —  More here.  And John Lucas sends this picture of the Chick-Fil-A in Maryville, TN.  I saw a similar traffic jam outside another Chick-Fil-A near my house.  —  And Lucas adds: “As I watched this phenomenon, I was struck by two related thoughts.

Rep. King Goes Birther: Suggests Obama's Parents Telegrammed Fake Hawaii Birth Announcement From Kenya  —  Try as they may, Republicans just can't seem to kick their birther habit.  —  The latest GOPer to dabble in the ridiculous fantasy that President Obama wasn't actually born in the United States: Rep. Steve King (R-IA).

W.H. declines to address off-site meetings  —  MANSFIELD, Ohio — President Obama's campaign manager regularly used his personal email account while working in the White House but was diligent in copying his official email address to preserve records of the emails, Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Boris stuck on zip wire  —  Boris Johnson was left hanging today when he got stuck halfway down a zip wire at an event in Victoria Park.  —  The Mayor of London had to be pulled the rest of the way by teams on the ground at around 13:30 this afternoon.