Exclusive: Obama to include Republicans in hard-hitting convention  —  Advisers to President Barack Obama are scripting a Democratic National Convention featuring several Republicans in a prime-time appeal to independents — and planning a blistering portrayal of Mitt Romney as a heartless aristocrat who …

It's Jon Huntsman Sr, right Harry?  —  Harry Reid's source.  Probably.  —  Harry Reid has a Republican source who has told him that Mitt Romney didn't pay taxes in 10 years.  Who could he possibly known that would have that information?  Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's dad sounds like the likely source.

In Real Estate Deal, Romney Made His Loss a Couple's Gain  —  MISSOURI CITY, Tex. — Look closely and it is there, sandwiched between Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund Partners II and D3 Family Bulldog Fund: the mortgage on Timothy and Betty Stamps's modest home on Gentle Bend Drive here.

Attacker in Afghan Uniform Kills 3 U.S. Soldiers  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan police officer shot and killed at least three American Special Forces soldiers on Friday after inviting them for a meal at a check post in southern Afghanistan, an Afghan official said, in what appeared …

Obama Is Ahead, but Is He Winning?  —  The polls put the incumbent in the lead, but there are plenty of reasons for Republicans to be optimistic — and Democrats to be jittery.  —  Reuters  —  Three months remain until election day, and President Obama narrowly leads in nearly every national poll.

There Will Be A “Stand Your Ground” Hearing in the George Zimmerman Case  —  Since the beginning, there has been a rush to judgment in the case against George Zimmerman.  Since the first day of his involvement, Mr. O'Mara has emphasized that people should be patient and wait for the evidence …

Justice Dept. says it won't prosecute Goldman Sachs or its employees in financial fraud probe  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Thursday it won't prosecute Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs or its employees in a financial fraud probe.  —  In a written statement …

Romney's Side Course of Culture  —  When Mitt Romney asserted last week that “culture does matter,” he settled into a pose that was more triumphalist than anthropologist.  Romney had begun by asserting that culture explained the difference in G.D.P. between Israel and the Palestinian Authority …

The Case for Gun Control  —  After the ghastly act of terrorism against a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on Aug. 5, Americans are pondering how to stop gun violence.  We have decided that it is, in the words of New York Times columnist David Brooks, a problem of psychology, not sociology.

Obama camp acknowledges knowing man's story (Updated)  —  Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki acknowledged Thursday that the campaign was no longer pleading ignorance about the story of a man who has appeared in both a super PAC ad and a campaign ad.  —  “No one is denying he was in one of our campaign ads.

The case against reelection  —  There are two ways to run against Barack Obama: stewardship or ideology.  You can run against his record or you can run against his ideas.  —  The stewardship case is pretty straightforward: the worst recovery in U.S. history, 42 consecutive months …

The Democratic Party Pig Sty  —  Michael Ramirez expresses the disgust that pretty much everyone feels at the Democratic Party's gutter politics:  —  There was a time when a person of good will and reasonable intelligence could be a Democrat, simply because he or she was a little lacking in understanding of the issues.

Why the Dismal Science Deserves Federal Funding  —  Basic economic research can pay public dividends, much as in medicine and chemistry.  —  The federal deficit has ballooned in recent years, and even larger deficits are coming due to the expected growth of entitlement spending.

Watchdog Offers Mortgage Rules  —  WASHINGTON—Rules proposed for the mortgage-servicing industry, coming after a $25 billion legal settlement, could further erode the profits banks make from the business of collecting loan payments, pushing the job to more specialized firms.

Noonan: A Nation That Believes Nothing  —  Romney doesn't need to talk about America becoming like Europe—he needs to warn us about America becoming like California.  —  It's been a week marked by mistakes, some new and some continuing.  —  The pro-Obama Super PAC ad that essentially blames Mitt Romney …

Romney's tax plan wouldn't cut the deficit  —  Erskine Bowles, who served as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, was co-chairman of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.  —  Ever since President Obama named my pal Alan Simpson co-chairman of the bipartisan fiscal commission …