Chris Christie's flop at the GOP convention  —  TAMPA, Fla. — There is no mistaking what a successful keynote speech for Chris Christie would have looked and sounded like.  There would have been an electric reaction from the crowd in the convention hall.  It would have been followed by waves …

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.

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.”

Rice heckled at convention event  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was twice interrupted on Wednesday by hecklers who were protesting her role in the Bush administration that began the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  —  The interruptions, which came hours …

Obama's Reddit AMA: The Full Questions and Answers  —  The president answered questions on the popular social media site Wednesday afternoon.  Here's what he had to say.  —  The full thread from President Obama's Reddit “Ask Me Anything” thread is here, but if you just want the questions …

TRENDING: Palin canceled on Fox?  —  (CNN) - Sarah Palin posted a cryptic message on Facebook Wednesday night, saying the Fox News Channel had cut her appearances for the evening.  —  “I'm sorry Fox cancelled all my scheduled interviews tonight because I sure wanted to take the opportunity …

Appeal court: Lester is out  —  The Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach today ruled that second-degree murder suspect George Zimmerman deserves a new judge.  —  A three-judge panel voted 2-1 that Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. in Sanford went too far when, among other things, he wrote that Zimmerman is a manipulator.

Obama Honored Fallen SEALs By Sending Their Parents a Form Letter Signed By Electric Pen  —  On August 6, 2011, 30 US service members were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter they were being transported in crashed in Wardak province, Afghanistan.  It was the deadliest single loss …

The Myth of an Affirmative-Action President  —  Why, I wonder, do so many people question how Barack Obama got where he is, while no one asks the same about Mitt Romney?  —  Obama for America  —  El presidente, reporting from Tampa, catches this from Karl Rove:

Secret Service gun inadvertently left in Romney plane lavatory  —  (CBS News) A gun belonging to a member of Mitt Romney's U.S. Secret Service detail was found unattended in the bathroom of the candidate's charter plane Wednesday afternoon.  The Republican nominee was traveling from Tampa …

The 10 oddest items in the GOP platform  —  Any party platform is necessarily a compromise between a number of different interest groups.  Inevitably, there are always some odd or puzzling policy planks that make it in.  Here are 10 of the more unexpected items from this year's Republican platform:

A Troubling Chant on the Convention Floor  —  An unscripted moment happened late this afternoon that caused the assembled mainstream media to turn away in the hope that it would disappear.  As I was standing in line for a sandwich next to an Italian and a Puerto Rican correspondent, a controversy was unfolding on the floor.

In Virginia, Obama Attacks Romney's Positions  —  CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — President Obama on Wednesday provided counterprogramming for a second day to the Republican National Convention, mocking its proceedings and contrasting his agenda with what he called the “backward” positions of Mitt Romney.

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.

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 …

California Defies Lower-Tax Texas In Creating More Jobs  —  California, which sent a delegation to Austin last year to find out how the Lone Star State had beat it in employment growth, surged ahead of Texas to lead the nation in job creation for the last two consecutive months.