Economy Creates 163,000 New Jobs but Rate Rises to 8.3%  —  The U.S. economy closed out an otherwise weak second quarter by creating more jobs than expected, with 163,000 new positions added, but the unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent.  —  Markets reacted positively to the announcement …

What Makes Him Tick?  —  Americans want to feel they know the person they're electing president—but Mitt Romney seems determined to keep himself a secret.  —  Mitt Romney's contention in Jerusalem that “culture makes all the difference” in determining national economic strength caused …

The Civil Rights Agenda files complaints against Chick-fil-A  —  Protesters at Chicago Chick-fil-A Aug. 1, 2012.  Photo: Tony Merevick.  —  The Civil Rights Agenda, a local LGBT rights advocacy group, filed multiple complaints with the Illinois Department of Human Rights Thursday …

WH Chief of Staff Daley Briefed on Solyndra Concerns, Email Says  —  Buried in the treasure trove of White House emails related to Solyndra released Thursday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee is one suggesting that concerns about Solyndra's viability were shared all the way up to …

Romney: Harry Reid needs to ‘put up or shut up’ on charges about taxes  —  Mitt Romney on Thursday said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) needs to “put up or shut up” when it comes to charges the presumptive GOP nominee did not pay his taxes.  —  Romney also accused the White House of being behind the allegation.

DCCC apologizes to Adelson for ‘Chinese prostitution’ comments  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued an apology to casino mogul and prominent Republican donor Sheldon Adelson on Thursday, after the billionaire threatened to sue the organization over comments insinuating …

Perry: Romney's VP pick won't make much difference  —  Aspen, Colorado (CNN) - The announcement of Mitt Romney's running mate won't do much to change the dynamics of the presidential race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday.  —  Perry said the running mate pick will likely grab headlines …

Sir John Keegan  —  Sir John Keegan, who has died aged 78, achieved an international reputation as a military historian, then discovered a talent for writing rapid analyses of international crises as the defence editor of The Daily Telegraph.  —  He had been on the teaching staff …

Obama's problems in the South  —  Ever since his national debut at the 2004 Democratic convention, Barack Obama's calling card has been that he practices consensus-oriented politics that transcend traditional divisions.  But four years after his historic presidential election …

The Life of the Party  —  What Bill Clinton could add to the Obama re-election effort.  —  From a friend watching the Olympics: “How about that Michael Phelps?  But let's remember he didn't win all those medals, someone else did.  After all, he and I swam in public pools, built by state employees using tax dollars.

Vante of Tucson, AZ Regrets Actions of Former CFO  —  Employee Has Left the Company  —  TUCSON, AZ—(Marketwire - Aug 2, 2012) - The following is a statement from Vante:  —  Vante regrets the unfortunate events that transpired yesterday in Tucson between our former CFO/Treasurer Adam Smith …

Exclusive: ‘Regulatory czar’ Cass Sunstein returning to Harvard  —  Cass Sunstein, administrator of the powerful Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the White House Office of Management and Budget, will return later this month to his previous post at Harvard Law School, the White House will announce Friday.

OBAMA CAMPAIGN SUES TO RESTRICT MILITARY VOTING  —  Obama, like many Democrats, like to say that, while they may disagree with the GOP on many issues related to national security, they absolutely share their admiration and dedication to members of our armed forces.

Economic forecasting model predicts Obama will lose in near-landslide  —  Political scientist Douglas Hibbs looks at two factors when forecasting presidential elections: a) per capita real disposable personal income over the incumbent president's term, and b) cumulative U.S. military fatalities in overseas conflicts.

Desperately Seeking Mitt  —  They say Mitt Romney is a robot.  They say he is an unusually handsome cyborg.  They say if you opened up his chest, you'd see a pile of crackling circuitry or maybe a bale of old straw.  And as we prepare (finally!) to crown him the Republican nominee in Tampa …