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.

UVA Declines Obama Campaign Request  —  A University of Virginia spokeswoman says President Barack Obama will not be at the university when he comes to Charlottesville on Wednesday.  In a statement released Friday, it was confirmed that the university declined the president's request to speak at UVA.

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.

Anti-Obama Movie Stuns Hollywood For #3; Other Newcomers & Holdovers Weak Friday; Only 'The Expendables 2′ Can Break $10M  —  FRIDAY PM/SATURDAY AM, 2ND UPDATE: Because of Friday's very weak box office, there won't be any clarity behind the Top 10 film rankings until Saturday morning.

Police Decision to Shoot in Midtown Left 9 Wounded  —  As the two officers confronted a gunman in front of the Empire State Building on a busy Friday morning, they had to make a snap decision: Do they open fire in the middle of Midtown?  —  From a distance of less than 10 feet, the officers …

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 …

Christians victims of rising ‘hostility’ from gov't and secular groups, report says  —  Christians rally to show support of the Bald Knob Cross of Peace near Alto Pass, Ill. Atheists objected to the use of taxpayer money to pay for rehabbing the 11-foot cross.  (AP)

Report abuse  —  If he were a good president, that has done a lot of good for our country, you would think that he need not campaign at all !!!  Seriously !  A great president would just keep his nose to the grindstone and have one simple slogan for his re-election...." America …

Unemployment woes hit hard for displaced workers, Labor Dept. study shows  —  Mark Lennihan/AP - In this Aug. 2, 2012 photo, ironworker Stephen MacGray cuts a steel brace at the World Trade Center construction site, in New York.  The economy has added an average of 151,000 jobs a month this year, roughly the same as last year's pace.

Obama, Sen. Paul battle in weekly addresses  —  (CNN) - President Barack Obama battled with Sen. Rand Paul during their weekly addresses Saturday, with the latter describing it as “a war ... for the heart and soul of America.”  —  Obama contrasted the views of Republicans and Democrats on Medicare …

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.

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”?