What I Learned at Bain Capital  —  My business experience taught me how to help companies grow—and what to do when trouble arises.  When you see a problem, run toward it before the problem gets worse.  —  The back-to-school season is here, and as parents take their children to shop for school supplies …

Lance Armstong's Statement of August 23, 2012  —  There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, “Enough is enough.”  For me, that time is now.  I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999.

Romney May Be Nominated Early  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Mitt Romney's quest to formally win the Republican Party's presidential nomination may come two days earlier.  —  Plans are underway for Mr. Romney to be nominated on Monday - not Wednesday as previously thought - because of a potential threat …

Huckabee digs in behind Akin  —  Todd Akin hasn't had many high-profile supporters with him in the trenches this week, but Mike Huckabee became an important and emphatic exception Thursday afternoon, sending a message to his own supporters accusing Republican elites of trying to drum a good man out of a winnable Senate race.

Cardinal sin: Bam blew off DNC blessing  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama turned down a chance to have Timothy Cardinal Dolan deliver a prayer at the Democratic National Convention after Dolan told Democrats he would be “grateful” to deliver a blessing in Charlotte.

Trash-talking veep's Tampa tantrum  —  In an electoral season of appalling gutter politics, the Obama campaign is about to test a new bottom.  Contrary to tradition — which dictates that Democrats and Republicans respectfully lie low during their rivals' presidential nominating conventions …

Galt, Gold and God  —  So far, most of the discussion of Paul Ryan, the presumptive Republican nominee for vice president, has focused on his budget proposals.  But Mr. Ryan is a man of many ideas, which would ordinarily be a good thing.  —  In his case, however, most of those ideas appear …

Obama Still Wins on Likability; Romney, on the Economy  —  Obama gains on healthcare and taxes since July  —  PRINCETON, NJ — As the two-week period of back-to-back presidential nominating conventions gets underway next Monday, an Aug. 20-22 USA Today/Gallup poll underscores the strengths …

Booker tells chairs he's weighing 2013 gubernatorial run  —  In the lead-up to next month's Democrat National Convention in Charlotte, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and his political consultant Mark Matzen are meeting face-to-face with county chairs and making it known that Booker is weighing a run …

Anders Behring Breivik: Norway court rules him sane  —  A Norwegian court has ruled that mass killer Anders Behring Breivik is sane, sentencing him to 21 years in prison.  —  Breivik admitted killing 77 people and wounding more than 240 others when he bombed central Oslo and then opened fire at an island youth camp last year.

George W. Bush doesn't miss ‘the swamp’ of politics  —  DALLAS — George W. Bush has spent much of the month with relatives at the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he played golf, rode bicycles and dined with friends.  Back in Dallas, the former president will mostly play golf, ride bicycles and dine with friends.

Box office update: Anti-Obama doc '2016: Obama's America' headed for mainstream success  —  A politically charged documentary called 2016: Obama's America turned heads last weekend when it grossed a whopping $1.24 million out of just 169 theaters.  —  The $2.5 million independent film …

The making of Paul Ryan  —  One good way to understand how 42-year-old Paul Ryan vaulted over a generation of politicians into the top tier of national Republican politics is to dive into some numbers.  —  190 times.  That's how often the Wisconsin lawmaker's name appeared in the opinion pages …

Noonan: America Meets Mr. Romney  —  Anticipating the highlights of the GOP's Tampa convention.  —  It is good that Joe Biden is going to the Republican National Convention to hold high the flag of his party.  People make fun of his gaffes, of his embarrassing verbal forays …

News Analysis: Romney Would Give Reins to States on Drilling on Federal Lands  —  By proposing to end a century of federal control over oil and gas drilling and coal mining on government lands, Mitt Romney is making a bid for anti-Washington voters in key Western states while dangling the promise …

Minnesota Lawmaker, Facing Sex Scandal, Ends Reelection Bid, But Some Want Him Expelled Now  —  Disgraced Minnesota Democratic State Rep. Kerry Gauthier decided late Wednesday night that he will not seek reelection after he was caught having sexual contact with a 17-year-old.

Botched Restoration of Jesus Fresco Shocks Spain  —  MADRID — A case of suspected vandalism in a church in a northeastern village has turned out to be probably the worst art restoration project seen in Spain.  —  An elderly woman stepped forward this week to claim responsibility for disfiguring …

Ambassador Crocker arrested for hit and run, DUI  —  Author: Jeff Humphrey, KXLY4 Reporter , jeffhu@kxly.com  —  Ambassador Ryan Crocker, one of the most decorated State Department diplomats in the last half century, was arrested on August 14 by the Washington State Patrol for hit-and-run and DUI in Spokane Valley.

The Party of No: New Details on the GOP Plot to Obstruct Obama  —  TIME just published “The Party of No,” an article adapted from my new book, The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era.  It reveals some of my reporting on the Republican plot to obstruct President Obama …

Second Local Station Says Romney Camp Asked For No Akin Questions  —  Before Mitt Romney appeared via satellite on an Ohio TV station WHIO Thursday, his campaign told a reporter it would prefer Romney did not get questions about Todd Akin.  Fortunately for the Romney campaign, Akin wasn't on the WHIO agenda.

Rev. Grant Storms, critic of Southern Decadence, convicted of obscenity for public masturbation  —  The Rev. Grant Storms, the former “Christian patriot” pastor whose marches against homosexuality at New Orleans' Southern Decadence festival briefly put him in the national spotlight …