Top Items:
TMZ.com:
Paul Ryan — THE TOPLESS PHOTO — THE TOPLESS PHOTO — EXCLUSIVE — Here it is ... the very first photo of Paul Ryan's mysterious athletic physique ... REVEALED!!! — TMZ has (finally) obtained a photo of Mitt Romney's running mate — sans shirt — taken roughly 6 years ago ... right before Ryan got hooked on the P90X workout.
Discussion:
Politico, The Moderate Voice, The Hill, Viral Read, ABCNEWS, Wake up America, FishbowlDC, GOP 12, Business Insider, The Hinterland Gazette and New York Magazine
RELATED:
Michael Falcone / ABCNEWS:
Mitt Romney's Whiteboard Blues — ANALYSIS: Everything you need to know about how this week went for Mitt Romney can be summed up in one word: whiteboard. — There he was in Greer, S.C., with a black dry-erase marker in hand scrawling out on a wood-framed whiteboard how — in his view …
Discussion:
CNN, Wake up America, ABCNEWS and Politico
Politico:
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan pursue united front strategy — Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan plan to campaign together again sooner than aides had originally planned, likely twice next week, as part of a new offensive to take on the touchy issue of Medicare, campaign officials tell POLITICO.
Discussion:
CNN, The Caucus, The Maddow Blog, Daily Kos, Washington Post, First Read, Connecting.the.Dots, ABCNEWS and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
Tom Morello / Rolling Stone:
‘Paul Ryan Is the Embodiment of the Machine Our Music Rages Against’ — Rage Against the Machine's guitarist blasts Romney's VP pick and unlikely Rage fan — Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call … Paul Ryan's love of Rage Against the Machine is amusing …
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Romney's present, Ryan's future — Vice-presidential picks are always judged by their effect on the coming election. They rarely have any. — They haven't had a decisive influence since Lyndon Johnson carried Texas for John Kennedy in 1960. (That and Illinois put Kennedy over the top.)
Matt Rhoades / Barack Obama:
Letter from Jim Messina to Matt Rhoades — Dear Matt: — I am writing to ask again that the Governor release multiple years of tax returns, but also to make an offer that should address his concerns about the additional disclosures. Governor Romney apparently fears that the more he offers …
RELATED:
CNN:
TRENDING: Obama camp: Let's make a deal on tax returns. Romney camp: No. — (CNN) - President Barack Obama's campaign sought to turn up the pressure Friday on Mitt Romney to release his tax returns, offering to back off on their calls for the release of additional years of returns if he agrees …
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE and Outside the Beltway
Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
The Morning Plum: Romney and Ryan muddy the Medicare waters
The Morning Plum: Romney and Ryan muddy the Medicare waters
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, CNN, BuzzFeed, Brad DeLong and Washington Wire
David Jackson / USA Today:
Romney declines Obama deal on tax return releases
Romney declines Obama deal on tax return releases
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Michelle Malkin and American Spectator
Charles Babington / Associated Press:
Obama campaign offers Romney 5-year tax disclosure
Obama campaign offers Romney 5-year tax disclosure
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler, UrbanGrounds and Riehl World View
Carol E. Lee / Washington Wire:
Obama Campaign Asks Romney for 5 Years of Tax Returns
Obama Campaign Asks Romney for 5 Years of Tax Returns
Discussion:
GOP 12 and Wall Street Journal
BBC:
Pussy Riot members jailed for two years for hooliganism — Judge Marina Syrova: “These three plus others... plotted together to undermine civil order, motivated by religious hatred” — Three members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been jailed for two years after staging an anti-Vladimir Putin protest in a Moscow cathedral.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, The Confluence, Shakesville, Joe. My. God. and The Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
Russian Punk Band Is Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Anti-Putin Stunt
Russian Punk Band Is Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Anti-Putin Stunt
Discussion:
Via Meadia, Hit & Run, News Desk, The Lede, Washington Free Beacon and Althouse
CBS News:
Russian female punk band Pussy Riot found guilty of hooliganism over Putin protest at church site
Russian female punk band Pussy Riot found guilty of hooliganism over Putin protest at church site
Discussion:
CBS Chicago, Instapundit and Algemeiner.com
Shiv Malik / Guardian:
Pussy Riot found guilty - live blog
Pussy Riot found guilty - live blog
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Firedoglake, PinkNews.co.uk, Media Decoder and The Awl
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
Hateful speech on hate groups — Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights organization, posted an alert on its blog Tuesday: “Paul Ryan Speaking at Hate Group's Annual Conference.” — The “hate group” that the Republicans' vice presidential candidate would be addressing?
RELATED:
Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:
Family Research Council head puts blame on Law Center
Family Research Council head puts blame on Law Center
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, GLAA Forum, Associated Press, BuzzFeed and The Daily Caller
Washington Examiner:
Hillary rejected VP slot to ready her own 2016 run … Popular in Politics — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was pressed by her husband and a top Obama aide to consider replacing Vice President Joe Biden just a couple of weeks ago, claims the author of the New York Times bestseller “The Amateur.”
Discussion:
Power Line, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS
RELATED:
Jeff Poor / The Daily Caller:
‘The Amateur’ author Ed Klein: Hillary dismissed VP possibility two weeks ago
‘The Amateur’ author Ed Klein: Hillary dismissed VP possibility two weeks ago
Discussion:
Hot Air, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers, Power Line and The Lonely Conservative
Michael A. Memoli / Los Angeles Times:
Biden's unscripted moments keep campaign on its toes
Biden's unscripted moments keep campaign on its toes
Discussion:
Hot Air
David Simon:
Mitt Romney paid taxes at a rate of at least 13 percent. And he's proud to say so. — Can we stand back and pause a short minute to take in the spectacle of a man who wants to be President of The United States, who wants us to seriously regard him as a paragon of the American civic ideal …
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Magazine, New York Times, p m carpenter's commentary, Mediaite, ThinkProgress, Business Insider, Dave Winer and Shakesville
BBC:
Moscow bans gay pride for century — Nikolay Alexeyev has been campaigning for years for the right to stage gay parades in Russia — Moscow's top court has upheld a ban on gay pride marches in the Russian capital for the next 100 years. — Earlier Russia's best-known gay rights campaigner …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, The Raw Story, Outside the Beltway and Towleroad News #gay
Christopher Bedford / The Daily Caller:
Biden's ‘good friend,’ donor receives $20M federal loan to open foreign luxury car dealership in Ukraine — In late July, John Hynansky — a longtime friend of Vice President Joe Biden, and a major donor to Biden's campaigns as well as President Barack Obama's — was awarded a $20 million taxpayer loan …
Discussion:
Betsy's Page, The Gateway Pundit and Cold Fury
Matthew Mosk / ABCNEWS:
Secret ‘Menu’ Details Perks for Big Democratic Donors — Those seeking invites to the most lavish receptions at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, “gold ticket” access to “dialogues,” and private breakfast briefings with party luminaries, can expect a hefty price of admission.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
Ashley Parker / New York Times:
Mitt Romney's Transition Team Is Hard at Work — WASHINGTON — As Mitt Romney and Paul D. Ryan fanned out across the country this week, glad-handing voters and donors, a smaller but no less important gathering was taking place on Capitol Hill: Mr. Romney's transition team met on Tuesday …
Discussion:
Washington Wire, NY Daily News, First Read and The Caucus
Jen Chung / Gothamist:
Islamophobic Billboard At Metro-North Station Encourages Hatred, Says Local Pol — On the heels of a pro-Palestine ad at Metro-North stations and a judge ruling that the MTA shouldn't have rejected Islamophobic pro-Israel ads is a new poster controversy: At the Hartsdale Metro-North station …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Israel Matzav and Atlas Shrugs
Scott Lemieux / Lawyers, Guns & Money:
One-Trick Pony Hack of the Day — Bill Galston. See also. — In addition to the foolish idea that it would be possible to reach a grand bargain if only the Obama campaign would unilaterally disarm and refuse “demagogue” the Ryan/Romney budget, it's important to ask the question of whether …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
Gregory J. Krieg / ABCNEWS:
Presented With Letters, Ryan Admits Requesting Stimulus Cash — After repeated denials, Paul Ryan has admitted he requested stimulus cash even after sharply criticizing the program. — Ryan had denied doing so as recently as Wednesday, when he spoke to ABC's Cincinnati affiliate, WCPO, in Ohio.
Discussion:
The Hinterland Gazette, PoliticusUSA, CNN, p m carpenter's commentary, The Huffington Post and Business Insider
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard / Telegraph:
Finland prepares for break-up of eurozone — Finland is preparing for the break-up of the eurozone, the country's foreign minister warned today. — Erkki Tuomioja, Finland's foreign minister: “We have to face openly the possibility of a euro-break up”.
Discussion:
New York Times, Questions and Observations, Guardian, Via Meadia and National Review