Boehner holds call to calm House GOP  —  Jolted by concerns over the wave of Medicare-themed Democratic attacks sparked by Paul Ryan's vice presidential nomination, House Speaker John Boehner held a Tuesday evening conference call aimed at soothing jittery Republican members, POLITICO has learned.

FBI probing shooting of guard at Family Research Council HQ  —  A security guard at the Family Research Council headquarters in Washington, D.C., was shot in the arm by a gunman who sources said expressed disagreement with the conservative group's policy positions.

Biden: 'Folks, Where's it Written We Cannot Lead the World in the 20th Century in Making Automobiles?'  —  In a speech today in Virginia, Vice President Joe Biden seemed to forget we're in the 21st century:  —  'Folks, where's it written we cannot lead the world in the 20th century in making automobiles?," said Biden.

Judge won't halt Pa. voter identification law  —  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge on Wednesday refused to stop a tough new voter identification law from going into effect, which Democrats say will suppress votes among President Barack Obama's supporters.

Special ops group attacks Obama over bin Laden bragging, leaks  —  (Reuters) - A group of former U.S. intelligence and Special Forces operatives is set to launch a media campaign, including TV ads, that scolds President Barack Obama for taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and argues …

Ann Romney talks family, finances in exclusive interview: 'There's nothing we're hiding'  —  LLANGYNWD, Wales - About two hundred miles away from the Greenwich, England, arena where her purebred horse Rafalca competed in the London Olympics, Ann Romney stroked the nose of Magic, a Welsh pony.

Unlikely/Unregistered Voter Poll with USA TODAY  —  Political opinion polls usually confine themselves to seeking out registered, likely voters.  But what about the millions of adult U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote and choose not to?  —  The Suffolk University Political Research Center …

I wish my mother had aborted me |  Lynn Beisner  —  This is no 'I wish I'd never been born' howl of angst.  I love my mother, and having an abortion would have given her a better life  —  If there is one thing that anti-choice activists do that makes me see red, it is when they parade …

When Cruelty Is Cute  —  I'd been wondering how long it would take Republicans to realize that Paul Ryan is their guy.  —  He's the cutest package that cruelty ever came in.  He has a winning air of sad cheerfulness.  He's affable, clean-cut and really cut, with the Irish altar-boy widow's peak …

Fiery protester outside General Mills dies days later on family errand  —  A Twin Cities man who staged a fiery protest outside General Mills headquarters in Golden Valley last week died several days later while running an errand, his family's minister said Wednesday.

Rudy Giuliani on Joe Biden: 'He isn't bright'  —  One explanation for Vice President Joe Biden's gaffe-prone reputation?  He just isn't very bright, said former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.  —  The former GOP presidential hopeful had harsh words for Biden in the wake of a statement …

In Harvard essay, young Michelle Obama argued for race-based faculty hiring  —  During her third and final year at Harvard Law School, first lady Michelle Obama — then named Michelle Robinson — penned an article for the newsletter of Harvard's Black Law Students Association (BLSA) …