GOP pros fret over Paul Ryan  —  You've heard them on television and read them on POLITICO — cheerful, defiant statements from Republican political professionals about Mitt Romney's bold masterstroke in tapping Paul Ryan as his running mate, and turning the 2012 presidential race into a serious …

Romney slams Obama in tough new speech  —  Mitt Romney used a tough new campaign speech to personally blast the Obama campaign on Tuesday, saying comments earlier in the day from Vice President Biden are “what an angry and desperate Presidency looks like.”  —  “Mr. President …

Romney's right: Obamacare cuts Medicare by $716 billion.  Here's how.  —  The Romney campaign has gone on the offense on Medicare, charging that the Affordable Care Act “cuts $716 billion” from the entitlement program.  —  That $716 billion figure is one you'll probably be hearing a lot about during this election cycle.

O'Brien And Sununu's Epic Shouting Match: ‘Put An Obama Bumper Sticker On Your Forehead When You Do This!’  —  Tuesday's Starting Point began with a bang (and a whimper, on our end) as host Soledad O'Brien and Romney surrogate John Sununu entered into a heated argument over Medicare.

Paul Ryan's Got a Great Big Problem With Progressivism  —  Paul Ryan's return to Wisconsin on the day after his selection as Mitt Romney's choice for the Republican vice presidential nomination was billed as a “homecoming.”  —  But Ryan did not actually go home to Janesville, the blue-collar town where he was born and raised.

Barack Obama Is A Wizard This photo from the AP has not been doctored in any way.  —  Jack Moore BuzzFeed Staff posted a few minutes ago  —  A light shines behind President Barack Obama as he speaks during a campaign event at Bayliss Park, Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, in Council Bluffs, Iowa …

Dems want debate question barred  —  Some Democratic lawmakers want to make sure that one question does not get asked at the upcoming first presidential debate - about Simpson-Bowles.  —  Three Democratic House members objected Tuesday to a request by four senators that President Barack Obama …

Ryan Sponsored Abortion Bill That Would Make Romney's Kids Criminals  —  The VP candidate pushed an anti-abortion bill that would outlaw IVF—which Mitt Romney's children used.  —  Now that Mitt Romney has chosen Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, Ryan's long history as a culture warrior is getting a fresh look.

Rep. Dennis Cardoza announces resignation  —  Citing sensitive family needs, Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, has tendered his immediate resignation from the House of Representatives.  The surprisingly timed departure takes effect at midnight Wednesday.  —  A veteran San Joaquin Valley politician …

More questions raised about Fareed Zakaria's work  —  Columnist and TV host Fareed Zakaria, who acknowledged plagiarizing parts of a magazine article last week, appears to have also published without attribution a passage from a 2005 book.  —  Zakaria's 2008 book, “The Post-American World …

Photo Evidence That Kazakhstan May Have the World's Worst Parking Habits  —  A new website seeks to document and shame the Central Asian nation's appalling car parking habits.  —  Unfortunately, there is no World Bank or International Monetary Fund study on comparative parking practices across nations …

Congress Approval Ties All-Time Low at 10%  —  Americans' approval of Congress has been below 20% since June 2011  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Ten percent of Americans in August approve of the job Congress is doing, tying last February's reading as the lowest in Gallup's 38-year history of this measure.

My Sister Paid Progressive Insurance to Defend Her Killer In Court  —  I've been sending out some impertinent tweets about Progressive Insurance lately, but I haven't explained how they pissed me off.  So I will do that here as succinctly as possible.  There's a general understanding that says …

Florida Democrats Will Send First Gay Legislator To Tallahassee  —  Seventeen statehouses have no out lawmakers, but the number could be down to 12 — or fewer — by January.  —  David Richardson, an accountant in Miami, is set to become Florida's first out gay lawmaker, following tonight's decisive Democratic primary win.