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 …

Huckabee rallies Missouri pastors to Akin's side, attacks GOP establishment  —  Tampa, Florida (CNN) - Mike Huckabee participated in a conference call Friday night with hundreds of Baptist pastors and Christian talk radio hosts in Missouri that was organized to coordinate a robust defense …

The End of the Line  —  Al and Tipper Gore at a rally in Boston after a presidential debate in October 2000.  The toll of the campaign was difficult for the family but ultimately set the stage for a reinvention.  More Photos »  —  AL GORE lives alone now, in a 10,000-square-foot colonial …

Obama's second, harder Medicare attack  —  On the eve of the Republican National Convention in senior citizen-heavy Florida, the Obama campaign has unveiled another negative ad saying that a Romney-Ryan administration would represent “an end to the Medicare promise.”

AP Interview: Obama on Romney's ‘extreme’ views  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Mitt Romney has locked himself into “extreme positions” on economic and social issues and would surely impose them if elected, trying to discredit his Republican rival at the biggest political moment of his life.

Anti-Obama Movie Stuns Hollywood For #4; Other Newcomers & Holdovers Weak Friday; Only 'The Expendables 2′ Can Break $10M  —  SATURDAY AM, 3RD UPDATE: Because of Friday's very weak box office, there was finally clarity for the Top 10 film rankings this morning.

Peggy Noonan Is Responsible For Mitt Romney's Awkward Ethnic Japery  —  Ronald Reagan's official dirty limerick writer and sodden Irish niece Peggy Noonan was just being helpful when she started giving advice to balky word-saying machine Mitt Romney in an effort to help him in his quest to become America's Cool Dad father figure.

Why the Weak Economy Doesn't Doom Obama  —  Why isn't Mitt Romney doing better in his quest for the presidency?  That's the question a lot of pundits, left, right and center, are asking.  Given the weak economic recovery and the president's tepid approval ratings, one might expect Romney to run away with this.

Republican Women For Obama?  [UPDATED: Another Fake “Republican” Exposed]  —  It happens all the time in talk radio: a caller will say that he is a lifelong Republican, and will recall fondly how he voted for Ronald Reagan.  Then he says that today's Republicans have gone too far …

Sanford Engaged to Former Argentinian Mistress  —  Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) has proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Maria Belen Chapur, according to a Argentinian newspaper, Clarin, The State reports.  —  Sanford was divorced two years ago after the scandal of his affair became public.

Kid Rock shares the stage with Paul Ryan  —  PONTIAC, Mich. - Kid Rock, who will play at the GOP convention in Tampa and is the artist behind Mitt Romney's campaign song “Born Free,” made an appearance at Paul Ryan's fundraiser here in Michigan Friday.  —  According to a pool report …

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)

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.