Former Gov. Charlie Crist: Here's why I'm backing Barack Obama  —  I've studied, admired and gotten to know a lot of leaders in my life.  Across Florida, in Washington and around the country, I've watched the failure of those who favor extreme rhetoric over sensible compromise …

Hurricane impending, Republicans cancel first day of convention  —  Updated 7:10 p.m. - TAMPA, Fla. — Republicans announced Saturday that they had effectively canceled the first day of its convention for safety concerns associated with an impending hurricane.

NYT's Abramson rebuts Brisbane charge  —  The executive editor of the New York Times is disputing an accusation of liberal bias made by her very own public editor, Arthur Brisbane.  —  In his final column for the Times, Brisbane wrote that his fellow staffers “share a kind of political …

Neil Armstrong |  1930-2012: Neil Armstrong, First Man on Moon, Dies at 82  —  Neil Armstrong, who made the “giant leap for mankind” as the first human to set foot on the moon, died on Saturday.  He was 82.  —  His family said in a statement that the cause was “complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.”

Romney pulls '08 clip for Medicare pushback  —  It's the weekend before a political convention in Florida and both presidential campaigns are escalating the air war over — what else?  — Medicare.  —  After the Obama campaign released its second attack ad yesterday accusing Mitt Romney …

So, Mitt, what do you really believe?  —  Too much about the Republican candidate for the presidency is far too mysterious  —  WHEN Mitt Romney was governor of liberal Massachusetts, he supported abortion, gun control, tackling climate change and a requirement that everyone should buy health insurance …

Jeb Bush: GOP ‘Needs To Change... Reach Out To A Much Broader Audience Than We Do Today’  —  This morning on NBC, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush delivered a pointed critique of the modern Republican party.  Bush acknowledged that that the GOP “needs to change” and “reach out to a much broader audience.”

The NYPD Explains Why Their Bullets Wounded Nine People Yesterday  —  It's official.  The New York Police Department have admitted that all nine people wounded yesterday in the Empire State Building shootout were from bullets they fired at Jeffrey Johnson.  —  CNN's David Ariosto reports …

That's the message in the skies above today's Romney/Ryan rally in Powell, [Oiho] Ohio.  Courtesy of Jan Crawford at CBS News, here's a banner ad that's being flown overhead:  —  Maeve Reston at the LA Times says MoveOn.org is responsible for this.  That makes sense, because they're super-smart.

Poll shows Akin's slide in Missouri Senate race  —  U.S. Senate challenger Todd Akin's support in Missouri has plummeted since his remarks a week ago about “legitimate rape” and pregnancy, putting him 9 points behind Sen. Claire McCaskill in a race he was previously winning, according to a new Post-Dispatch/News 4 poll.