Missouri Senate: McCaskill (D) 48%, Akin (R) 38%  —  What a difference one TV interview can make.  Embattled Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill has now jumped to a 10-point lead over her Republican challenger, Congressman Todd Akin, in Missouri's U.S. Senate race.

The Bain Files: Inside Mitt Romney's Tax-Dodging Cayman Schemes  —  Mitt Romney's $250 million fortune is largely a black hole: Aside from the meager and vague disclosures he has filed under federal and Massachusetts laws, and the two years of partial tax returns (one filed and another provisional) …

Polls Say Medicare Is Key Issue in 3 Swing States  —  The Romney-Ryan proposal to reshape Medicare by giving future beneficiaries fixed amounts of money to buy health coverage is deeply unpopular in Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to new polls that found that more likely voters …

Barack Obama actually said this  —  Pete Souza / White House (Obama addresses staff)  —  Barack Obama has become accustomed to being the center of attention.  For many like him, that's one of the biggest appeals of politics, the television exposure it attracts and the power that seems to come with that instant recognition and fame.

EXCLUSIVE: Bin Laden raid tell-all author revealed, questions raised whether ex-Navy SEALs have freedom of speech  —  The author of a recently announced insider account of the raid that killed Usama bin Laden has been identified to Fox News as a 36-year-old former Navy SEAL Team 6 member …

The Lost Decade of the Middle Class  —  Fewer, Poorer, Gloomier  —  CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW  —  As the 2012 presidential candidates prepare their closing arguments to America's middle class, they are courting a group that has endured a lost decade for economic well-being.

Romney says his Mormon tithing shouldn't be public  —  • Mitt Romney says in a new interview that one of the reasons he's distressed about disclosing his tax returns is that everyone sees how much money he and his wife, Ann, have donated to the LDS Church, and that's a number he wants to keep private.

RNC Now Says Anti-Abortion Platform Doesn't Necessarily Disavow Rape Exemptions  —  The Republican Party platform committee's strict abortion plank might have flown under the radar if not for Rep. Todd Akin's explosive comments, which thrust a harsh light on the party's anti-abortion views this week.

AP Exclusive: Energy loan watchdog an Obama donor  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A veteran Wall Street executive who performed an independent review that exonerated the Obama administration's program of loans to energy companies contributed $52,500 to re-elect President Barack Obama in the months since completing …

Fear of a Black President  —  As a candidate, Barack Obama said we needed to reckon with race and with America's original sin, slavery.  But as our first black president, he has avoided mention of race almost entirely.  In having to be “twice as good” and “half as black,” …

Michelle Obama: ‘Get to the Polls on November the 2’  —  Michelle Obama, speaking yesterday at a campaign event in Florida: … The presidential election this year is November 6.

Dan Savage and Brian Brown Debate Gay Marriage Over the Dinner Table  —  THE ancient Greek symposium, which combined drinking with elevated discussion, was often held in a private house; at Parisian salons, conversation frequently took place in the bedroom.  Once upon a time …

Young Barack Obama's Genuinely Hilarious Self-Parody  —  “I fled to Chicago.  There I discovered I was black, and I have remained so ever since.”  Between Barack And A Hard Place by Baroque Yo' Mama.  —  Andrew Kaczynski

THE MASTER CHARACTER NARRATIVES IN CAMPAIGN 2012  —  PRESS COVERAGE OF THE CHARACTER OF THE CANDIDATES IS HIGHLY NEGATIVE, AND NEITHER OBAMA NOR ROMNEY HAS AN EDGE  —  On the eve of the conventions, the portrayal in the news media of the character and records of the two presidential contenders …

Dana Milbank, Washington Post Writer, Slams LGBT Activists, SPLC For FRC's ‘Hate Group’ Label … FOLLOW:  —  washington, washington post, dana milbank, Family research council, FRC, Hate Groups, Anti-Gay Groups, Southern Poverty Law Center, Anti-Gay, Anti-Gay Hate Groups