Two people removed from RNC after taunting black camera operator  —  Tampa, Florida (CNN) - Two people were removed from the Republican National Convention Tuesday after they threw nuts at an African-American CNN camera operator and said, “This is how we feed animals.”

Yahoo News fires David Chalian  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Yahoo News has fired Washington bureau chief David Chalian after he was caught on a hot-mic during an online video broadcast today saying that Mitt Romney and his wife Ann had no problem with African Americans suffering as a result of Hurricane Isaac …

Romney Party Yacht Flies Cayman Islands Flag  —  The yacht where the elite donors of the Romney Victory Council are partying in Tampa bears the flag of the Cayman Islands.  Romney's use of offshore accounts for his investments has come under fire during the campaign.

First Thoughts: Mixed messages  —  Mixed messages: Both Ann Romney and Chris Christie gave fine speeches, but they created a disjointed message... Christie raises the bar for Romney... Last night showcased the GOP's governors and its diverse candidates/officials... Isaac slams into Louisiana …

MSNBC abandons GOP convention during every speech by a minority  —  One of the left's favorite attacks on the Republican Party is that it is the party of old white people, devoid of diversity and probably racist.  —  If you were watching MSNBC's coverage of the Republican National Convention …

Federal Judge Will Permanently Remove Florida Voter Registration Restrictions  —  A federal judge said Wednesday he would permanently remove harsh restrictions on third-party voter registration groups that have handicapped registration efforts in Florida this year.

‘No Easy Day,’ Bin Laden Raid Book: Osama Was Unarmed … FOLLOW:  —  Osama bin Laden, Video, Bin Laden Dead, Bin Laden Operation, Bin Laden Raid, Bin Laden Raid Book, Bin Laden Unarmed, Mark Owen, No Easy Day, World News  —  NEW YORK — The much-anticipated firsthand account …

Obama has small lead in Nevada  —  PPP's newest Nevada poll finds Barack Obama holding on to a small lead in the state over Mitt Romney, 50-47.  Obama's advantage has been declining over the course of the year.  In late March we found him up 8 points, in early June it was down to 6 points, and now the advantage is at 3.

Why the GOP is winning the battle over Paul Ryan  —  TAMPA — Say what you want about Paul Ryan's politics; even Democrats in Congress struggle to find a negative word to say about him.  —  At least, that's what Republicans have been arguing for the last two weeks.

S.C. lawmaker admits positive response to racist email on voter ID bill  —  WASHINGTON — A South Carolina lawmaker and the author of a voter ID law considered discriminatory by the Justice Department testified in federal court Tuesday that, while crafting the bill, he had responded favorably …

Akin's Options  —  One name that is never mentioned from the podium here at the Tampa convention is Congressman Todd Akin, the hyper-controversial GOP Senate nominee from Missouri.  But in innumerable side conversations, lots of folks are talking about him.

NASA's Kepler Discovers Multiple Planets Orbiting a Pair of Stars  —  Coming less than a year after the announcement of the first circumbinary planet, Kepler-16b, NASA's Kepler mission has discovered multiple transiting planets orbiting two suns for the first time.

Greed and Debt: The True Story of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital  —  How the GOP presidential candidate and his private equity firm staged an epic wealth grab, destroyed jobs - and stuck others with the bill  —  The great criticism of Mitt Romney, from both sides of the aisle, has always been that he doesn't stand for anything.

Erin Burnett Moved to Tears by Romney Appearance  —  Your ‘liberal media’ hard at work: … Scintillating analysis, don't you think?  —  Next on CNN: how taking away social safety nets and reproductive rights are totally awesome for American women, and then we'll go to the Chris Christie 2016 rally already taking place!

Why Aren't Conservatives Funny?  —  An academic's doomed attempt to explain why there are no good right-wing comedians.  —  Facebook Twitter Digg Reddit StumbleUpon Delicious  —  A Conservative Walks Into a Bar: The Politics of Political Humor  —  by Alison Dagnes  —  Palgrave Macmillan, 255 pp.