Deputies: RNC protestor arrested with machete strapped to his leg  —  TAMPA —  A Republican National Convention protestor was arrested while he allegedly carried a machete strapped to his leg, according to deputies.  —  According to Hillsborough County Sheriff's officials, Jason T. Wilson …

Mitt Romney Reaped Huge Tax Benefits Based On ‘Active’ Role At Bain Capital … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Taxes , Mitt Romney Bain Capital, Private Equity, ROMNEy TAXES, Tax Return, Bain, Bain Capital, Loopholes, Mitt Romney 2012, Mitt Romney 2012 …

CHART: How Ending The High End Bush Tax Cuts Saves Nearly $1 Trillion  —  President Obama has promised to end the Bush tax cuts on income in excess of $250,000 when they expire at the end of the year, with his aides saying that he is “100 percent committed” to preventing another extension.

Tropical Storm Isaac Should Rival Hurricane Katrina  —  By Michael Barak, Joseph Bastardi and Alan Lammey  —  On August 24th, we warned on Forbes that Tropical Storm Isaac could pose a threat to energy markets and even rival Hurricane Katrina in its destructive power (Could Tropical Storm Isaac Turn Into Another Katrina?).

Jeb Bush to Obama: Stop blaming my brother  —  TAMPA — Jeb Bush says it's time for President Obama to stop blaming his brother for the nation's problems.  —  “I mean, look, the guy (Obama) was dealt a difficult hand, no question about it,” Bush said on NBC's Meet The Press.  “But he's had three years.

Trump plays up birth certificate issue in Fla.  —  Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Sarasota, Fla., Donald Trump said Mitt Romney's birth certificate quip in Michigan last week may have been a lighthearted joke, but that the issue of President Obama's birth certificate is far from settled.

Mitt Romney Event — Drops $500k on Journey Concert  —  MITT ROMNEY EVENT  —  Drops $500k on Journey Concert  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  ANY WAY YOU WANT IT ... is exactly what the band Journey said when they were offered $500,000 to play a campaign event for Mitt Romney ... and they accepted, TMZ has learned.

Interview: Romney blasts Obama for a ‘vituperative’ campaign  —  POWELL, Ohio - Mitt Romney calls campaign attacks by President Obama and his allies “vituperative” and “vicious” and “absurd” and “sad.”  Also: Effective.  —  “I do think that the president's campaign of personal vilification …

Republicans Worry About Keeping Factions Reined In  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Mitt Romney arrives here this week to accept his nomination from the increasingly disparate coalition of factions known as the Republican Party, confronting the challenge of unifying them behind him and — should he win …

Times Agrees to Sell About to Diller's IAC  —  The New York Times Company has agreed to sell the About Group, which includes the About.com network of topic sites, to Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp for about $300 million in cash, the company said on Sunday.

Votes From Expatriates Could Play Crucial Role in Election  —  Meredith Wheeler's Barack Obama is wrinkled and a bit tattered; it sags at the knees.  She and her colleagues with Democrats Abroad in Toulouse, France, have lugged their smiling cardboard likeness to so many events that they have finally had to order a new one.

Top GOP Operative: Republicans ‘Will Run A Write-In’ To Defeat Todd Akin  —  Republicans are desperate for Todd Akin to drop out of the Missouri Senate race after his controversial comments about legitimate rape.  Nearly every top Republican, including Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, have publicly called for him to quit.

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 …