memeorandum: Obama-friendly CEO gave to Paul Ryan (Charles Riley/CNNMoney.com)

10:45 AM ET, August 21, 2012

Top Items:

Akin 44 McCaskill 43 — Missouri voters strongly disagree with the comments Todd Akin made about abortion over the weekend, but it hasn't moved the numbers a whole lot in the Senate race. Akin leads Claire McCaskill by a single point, 44-43. That's basically identical to our last poll …

CNN:

TRENDING: First on CNN: GOP prepares tough anti-abortion platform — Tampa, Florida (CNN) - The Republican Party is once again set to enshrine into its official platform support for “a human life amendment” to the Constitution that would outlaw abortion without making explicit exemptions for rape or incest …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, ThinkProgress, Agence France Presse, Booman Tribune, theGrio, First Read, Taylor Marsh, Little Green Footballs, Daily Kos, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, WMUR, Election 2012, Boston Globe and BuzzFeed

Alexander Burns / Politico:

Exclusive: Akin ad asks for ‘forgiveness’ — Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin has recorded a television ad asking for “forgiveness” from the voters of his state and acknowledging that he used “the wrong words in the wrong way” when he suggested last weekend that rape rarely leads to pregnancy.

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Media Decoder, AEIdeas, The PJ Tatler, The Maddow Blog, Washington Examiner, Scared Monkeys, The Hinterland Gazette, National Review, CNN, Outside the Beltway, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, The Huffington Post, RealClearPolitics Video Log and Daily Kos, more at Mediagazer »

Alex Roarty / NationalJournal.com:

Could Akin Damage the Top of the GOP Ticket? — Democrats could suggest Ryan and, by proxy, Romney share many of the congressman's views on abortion rights. — Isolated comments from a political candidate — even remarks as incendiary as Todd Akin — 's suggestion that “legitimate rape” …

Discussion: 2012 Decoded, Taegan Goddard's …, The New Republic, ABCNEWS, ThinkProgress and Newsy

Catalina Camia / USA Today:

Embattled Rep. Akin apologizes again in new TV ad — Amid growing GOP pressure to quit the Missouri Senate race, Rep. Todd Akin has recorded a new TV ad seeking forgiveness for his controversial comments about “legitimate rape.” — “Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong …

Discussion: The Agonist

Meredith Shiner / Roll Call:

Missouri: What Happens If Todd Akin Drops Out — (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call File Photo) — If Rep. Todd Akin (R) does drop his Missouri Senate bid within the next 24 hours, as the GOP establishment is pressuring him to do, at least his timing will be impeccable.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, Washington Examiner, Election 2012, The Raw Story, The Volokh Conspiracy, National Review and The New Civil Rights Movement

James Hohmann / Reuters:

Tampa platform's 5 flashpoints — TAMPA, Fla. — Mitt Romney's motto during two days of marathon meetings here to craft the 2012 Republican platform could be: Do no harm. — In order to keep the peace, his team must concede some things to the conservative base.

Discussion: CNN

CNN:

Clock ticking for Akin as GOP urges him to withdraw after rape comment — (CNN) — The Missouri GOP Senate candidate under fire for his controversial comments about rape plans to pursue his bid for office despite calls to withdraw. — Todd Akin faces a Tuesday deadline to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Missouri.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, National Review, Balloon Juice, Poynter and New York Times

Evan McMorris-Santoro / Talking Points Memo:
Todd Akin Launches 'I'm Not Quitting' Ad Campaign

Discussion: Hot Air, Show Me Progress, The Fix and Hotline On Call

Pema Levy / Talking Points Memo:
Akin TV Spot: ‘I Ask For Your Forgiveness’

Discussion: Reclusive Leftist, Washington Monthly, Shakesville, Power Line, Roll Call, Plunderbund and Michelle Malkin

Ann Coulter / Human Events:
IF AKIN LOVES HIS COUNTRY, HE WILL STEP ASIDE

Discussion: Politico, Conservatives4Palin, Hot Air, Mediaite, About.com Conservative … and UrbanGrounds, more at Mediagazer »

Pam Belluck / New York Times:
Health Experts Dismiss Assertions on Rape

Discussion: The Caucus, The Daily Beast and Hullabaloo, more at Mediagazer »

Kerry Picket / Washington Times:
RNC Chair wants Akin to ‘step aside’ and not come to convention

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Scared Monkeys and The Gateway Pundit

Dennis Prager / Townhall.com: The Pro-Life Movement Must Disavow Akin Comment

Allison Hantschel / Firedoglake:
Late Night: On Legitimacy, Or Why Akin's Comments Weren't (Just) About Rape

Discussion: The Fix and CBS News

Manu Raju / Politico:
Piers Morgan calls Todd Akin ‘gutless little twerp’

Discussion: The Hill, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, The Moderate Voice and CNN

Maggie Haberman / Politico:
Family Research Council head defends Akin

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Dish, Stinque, CNN, The Raw Story, rightwingwatch.org, Midwest Democracy and First Read

National Review:
Step Aside, Todd Akin

Tony Perkins / CNN:
Leading social conservatives rally to Akin's defense

Discussion: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Questions and Observations, New York Times, Washington Post, American Power, Plunderbund, This Just In, Newsy, National Review, Daily Kos, BuzzFeed, The Reaction, BuzzFeed, Pirate's Cove, The Hinterland Gazette, Shakesville and The Reality-Based Community

Wall Street Journal:
Crucial Senate Race in Uproar

Discussion: Washington Wire, New York Times and Suburban Guerrilla

Chris Christie / CNN:
Christie says ‘I was right’ about Romney's VP pick

Discussion: Politico

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Hannity to Akin: You know you could cost us the Senate, right?

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Mediaite, The Other McCain, ABCNEWS, The Lonely Conservative, Politico, The PJ Tatler and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

BuzzFeed:
Republican Source: Akin Moving To Withdraw [UPDATED]

Discussion: The Daily Caller and The Gateway Pundit

New York Times:

Romney Gains Huge Cash Advantage Over Obama — Mitt Romney's cash advantage over President Obama and the Democrats more than doubled in July, as intense Republican fund-raising and heavy spending by Mr. Obama and his allies left Mr. Romney and the Republican National Committee with $62 million …

Discussion: Election 2012, Politico, Outside the Beltway, New York Magazine, Prairie Weather and USA Today

Justin Sink / The Hill: RNC ad: Obama ‘ignores the truth’ over ‘felon’ comment

Aaron Blake / The Fix:
Romney grows cash advantage on Obama

Discussion: Power Line, Hot Air, The Lonely Conservative and Reuters

Andrew Grossman / Washington Wire:

GOP Panel Rejects Plank on Mortgage-Interest Deductions — The committee drafting the Republican Party's platform rejected a bid to include a plank calling for preservation of the mortgage interest tax deduction Monday. — The battle pitted allies of the beleaguered real-estate industry …

Justin Sink / Ballot Box:

Romney ad: Obama welfare change leads to ‘cycle of dependency’ — Mitt Romney's campaign released a new web video Tuesday, using the story of Danny Vargas, the former National Chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly to again hammer President Obama on changes to welfare policy.

Discussion: The Daily Beast and The Maddow Blog

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Obama to media: Romney's whole campaign is based on lies

Discussion: The Maddow Blog, Mad Kane's Political Madness, Booman Tribune, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post and The Political Carnival

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:

Here's Your Beltway Pundit Constituency — As part of a series of Pre-Convention Front-Pagers based on a new WaPo-Kaiser Family Foundation survey, Jon Cohen and Dan Balz deliver a solid assessment of political independents that is most impressive for its succinctness. Here's all you really need to know from the piece:

Discussion: Washington Post and Eschaton

Rosie.com:

my heart attack — while walking in a parking lot in nyack — “can u help me? she asked again — as i walked toward her — “oh u r rosie odonnell” — yes i am — the ghost of christmas future — me - if i did not wake — there r no accidents i thought — as i braced myself and lifted her

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com, People.com, Towleroad News #gay, New York Magazine, Mediaite and The Hollywood Gossip

Ryan J. Reilly / Talking Points Memo:

Justice Department Approves Va. Voter ID Law — The Justice Department approved changes to Virginia's voter ID law Monday, suggesting there is a way forward for such laws — even in states that must have election laws pre-cleared under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Dave Zirin / thenation.com/blogs/163256:

Condi Rice's Membership at Augusta National Is Nothing to Celebrate — In a week where the phrase “legitimate rape” became part of the American political discourse, it's understandable that anyone who believes in women's liberation would be scavenging for some good news.

Discussion: protein wisdom, Hit & Run, NewsBusters.org and NewsBusters.org blogs

Alicia Mundy / Washington Wire:

Rabbi Shmuley Gets Boost From Adelsons — Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, among the top donors to the Republican machine this election, is also now the top giver - along with his wife - to the New Jersey congressional race of the reality-TV rabbi, Shmuley Boteach.

Discussion: Politico, Algemeiner.com and Israel Matzav