Romney says “birther” joke wasn't a swipe at Obama  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  (CBS News) In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley on Friday, Mitt Romney played down the remarks he made about President Obama's origins, arguing that they amounted to a joke and not a “swipe” at the president.

CNN Poll: Obama 49%-Romney 47% among likely voters  —  Washington (CNN) - With three days to go until the start of the Republican convention, President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney remain deadlocked in the race for the White House, according to a new national survey.

Gunman kills coworker and bystander at Empire State Building, wounds 7 others before cop shoots him  —  Today at the Empire State Building after four people were shot.  —  A disgruntled worker stalked a colleague down a Midtown street, shot him dead and then turned his weapon …

Romney Campaign Radically Changes GOP Nominating Process After Ron Paul Takeovers  —  Paul allies freak out.  —  Image by JEWEL SAMAD / Getty Images  —  TAMPA — Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, led by top Romney lawyer Ben Ginsberg, forced through a major change the GOP nominating process …

Deconstructing A “Devastating” Interview  —  So Republicans—even the normally clear-eyed David Frum—are gloating today over an Anderson Cooper interview of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz that supposedly leaves her shivering in embarrassment and exposed as a liar.

Apple Gets Decisive Win in Patent Case  —  SAN JOSE, Calif.—Nine jurors delivered a sweeping victory to Apple Inc. in a high-stakes court battle against Samsung Electronics Co., awarding the Silicon Valley giant $1.05 billion in damages and providing ammunition for more legal attacks on mobile-device rivals.

When Did the GOP Get So White: The Republicans' Loss of Diversity  —  The one-time Party of Lincoln boasted the first African-American, Asian-American, Native-American, Hispanic, and popularly-elected woman senators.  Now polls show Romney-Ryan will get virtually no black votes.

Prop 8 Opponents Urge Supreme Court To Pass On Appeal  —  The high-powered lawyers for the gay and lesbian couples challenging California's Proposition 8 say their case is “attractive” for Supreme Court review.  Nonetheless, they say the high court should pass on the case.

RNC Official: N.M. Governor ‘Dishonored’ Gen. Custer By Meeting With American Indians  —  A progressive group called on Republican National Committee leader Pat Rogers to step down on Friday after emails showed him telling New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez's staff that meeting with a group of American Indians …

19 people shot in overnight shootings across Chicago  —  Nineteen people were shot across the South and West sides from Thursday evening through early Friday morning — 13 of them wounded over a 30-minute period, authorities say.  —  The overnight shootings peaked between 9:15 p.m …

A New Slur  —  Calling people “Holocaust-obsessed” is the new holocaust denial.  —  Is there an algorithm for suffering?  One that calibrates how much empathy we should feel for the victims of genocide?  What degree of concern is “rational”?  What degree is excessive, “obsessed”?

The 14 Most Important Sex Ads Of The Republican National Convention  —  “Let's compare PAC's!”  Is Tampa America's sketchiest city?  —  Rosie Gray  —  an hour ago  —  26 responses

PARADE Exclusive: A Conversation With the Romneys  —  Editor's note: As part of PARADE's 2012 election coverage, the magazine will feature President Obama and the first lady in its Sept. 2 cover story.  —  It's probably the closest the Romneys have come to kicking back during this campaign summer …