Romney spokesperson cites Massachusetts health law  —  A Mitt Romney spokesperson offered an unusual counterattack Tuesday to an ad in which a laid-off steelworker blames the presumptive GOP nominee for his family losing health care: If that family had lived in Massachusetts …

Economists to Romney campaign: That's not what our research says  —  On Tuesday, the Romney campaign responded to the fire it's taking from economic analysts by unleashing some artillery of their own.  They released a paper by four decorated economists associated with the campaign …

Report: Rep. Steve King mulling bill to repeal everything Obama has signed  —  Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an outspoken critic of just about everything President Obama supports, is considering introducing a bill that would repeal everything Obama has signed into law.

Expect Romney to Surprise With Running Mate Pick  —  Every month at the Hotline, we publish our veepstakes rankings, the list of the most likely running mates to serve on Republican Mitt Romney's presidential ticket.  It's preceded by a vigorous staff-wide debate on the merits of the numerous contenders.

GAME OVER: WIKIPEDIA LOCKS DOWN POTENTIAL VP PAGES IN RESPONSE TO COLBERT MISCHIEF-MAKING  —  The act of observing something can sometimes change the thing being observed.  Case in point: my observation on Monday that we might be able to get useful clues as to the identity …

Romney Chased By Jewish Wedding Party On Harrowing Drive Through New Jersey  —  Reporters are taken for an exciting ride — including 90+ MPH speeds and an Orthodox Jewish wedding.  This bride is pissed.  —  Image by Charles Dharapak / AP  —  Mitt Romney's motorcade took a harrowing drive through New Jersey this afternoon.

Let's Have a Maximum Income  —  Rich people across the Western world are anxiously watching France, where president Francois Hollande is vowing to raise the top tax rate—on earnings over $1.2 million a year—to 75 percent.  Tres bien, Mr. Hollande.  The problem with this otherwise fine idea …

Jewish gal shows up IOC with a gold salute to Munich 11  —  It wasn't a gloved-fist salute from the medal stand, but Jewish-American gymnast Aly Raisman made quite a statement yesterday by winning a gold medal and invoking the memory of the Israeli athletes killed 40 years ago in Munich.

Obama's welfare debacle  —  Mitt Romney is hammering President Obama on welfare reform, and for good reason.  The 1996 welfare reform legislation was overwhelmingly popular, was a great bipartisan achievement, stands as a policy success and comports with Americans' deepest values about personal responsibility and the work ethic.

The GOP's Kamikaze Candidate  —  I spent most of July in the upper Midwest and was reminded that not everyone in America passes the summer fixated on politics.  They go to the beach, catch fish, grill burgers, eat ice cream, try to stay cool, see The Dark Knight Rises without recognizing …

Why the Reaction Is Different When the Terrorist Is White  —  Atrocities like the attack on the Sikh congregation in Wisconsin introduce terrifying dissonance into America's post-9/11 mindset.  —  Members of the Sikh congregation mourn their dead.  / Reuters

Over 100 Million Now Receiving Federal Welfare  —  A new chart set to be released later today by the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee details a startling statistic: “Over 100 Million People in U.S. Now Receiving Some Form Of Federal Welfare.”  —  “The federal government …

How Romney's Pick of a Running Mate Could Sway the Outcome  —  We haven't had that much to say about Mitt Romney's choice of a vice-presidential nominee — mostly because it just isn't something that lends itself to rigorous analysis.  —  But let's focus on the part of the problem where our tools …

Mitt Romney Started Bain Capital With Money From Families Tied To Death Squads … FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Video, Arena Party, El Salvador, Mitt Romney Bain Capital, Roberto D'Aubuisson, Bain Capital, Death Squads, Mitt Romney 2012, Mitt Romney Bain Investors …

Incentive to Slow Climate Change Drives Output of Harmful Gases  —  RANJIT NAGAR, India — When the United Nations wanted to help slow climate change, it established what seemed a sensible system.  —  Industrial gases were rated based on their power to warm the atmosphere.

One night in Rob Portman's haunted hotel  —  LEBANON, Ohio—The sun is setting on this small town in southwest Ohio, and when darkness reigns, strange things happen at the Golden Lamb Inn.  Or so I'm told.  —  The Inn, owned by the family of Ohio Sen. Rob Portman for the better part of the last century …

Harry Belafonte on Capitalism, Media Moguls and His Disappointment With Jay-Z and Beyonce (Q&A)  —  At the Locarno Film Festival to pick up the Golden Leopard Honor Award, the singer and actor also talks about his fears of a Fourth Reich and why Mitt Romney shouldn't be president.

Morning Jay: The Race Is Romney's to Win  —  The conventional wisdom in the presidential race is that President Obama is a clear favorite.  We hear this from the pundits in the press, we see it in the InTrade odds, and various predictive models built around the polling averages tell us this.