Chris Matthews gets into confrontation with GOP delegates  —  TAMPA, Fla. — MSNBC host Chris Matthews got into a heated exchange with Republican delegates at a Tampa restaurant early Friday morning following the conclusion of the GOP national convention.  —  Matthews was booed and sworn …

Romney Aides Scratch Their Heads Over Eastwood's Speech  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Clint Eastwood's rambling and off-color endorsement of Mitt Romney on Thursday seemed to startle and unsettle even the candidate's own top aides, several of whom made a point of distancing themselves from the decision to put him onstage without a polished script.

Judge Sides With Obama On Ohio Early Voting Suit Despite Romney Attacks  —  A federal judge sided with the Obama campaign on Friday and ruled that Ohio made an “arbitrary” decision when it took away early-voting rights for most voters but carved out a special exemption for military and overseas voters.

Obama speech to soldiers met with silence  —  President Barack Obama was greeted with fleeting applause and extended periods of silence as he offered profuse praise to soldiers and their families during an Aug. 31 speech in Fort Bliss, Texas.  —  His praise for the soldiers …

Romney's likeability improves in post-convention boost: Reuters/Ipsos poll  —  (Reuters) - Mitt Romney emerged from the Republican convention with an overall improvement in his image among voters but no significant change in the number who say they will vote for him, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday.

Voter Fraud: Hard to Identify  —  Voter fraud has become a divisive political-campaign issue and given rise to proposals for new voter-identification legislation in 14 states this year.  A Texas law passed last year was struck down by federal judges Thursday for failing to prove it wouldn't unfairly affect poor and minority voters.

‘The Fighter’ bails on Brown  —  Nothing is sheltered from the whirlwind whims of elections season, even the squared-circle of a boxing ring.  —  Mill City ring king Micky Ward found himself backed into a corner Thursday when word trickled out that he was supporting U.S. Senator Scott Brown's re-election campaign.

Paul Ryan Says He's Run Sub-3:00 Marathon … In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt last week, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said he's run a sub-3:00 marathon.  —  In the interview, after Ryan told Hewitt that he ran in high school, Hewitt asked if Ryan still runs.

Akin: Rove apologized  —  Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) says former Bush adviser Karl Rove has apologized for joking about murdering him.  —  Late Friday, Akin tweeted “Rove apologizes to Todd Akin,” along with a link to an Associated Press story saying an Akin adviser had confirmed the nature of a phone call between the two men.

RNC Convention Workers Being Paid Below Minimum Wage … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Florida, Labor, Video, Rep. Paul Ryan, Cleanevent, Janitors, Media, Minimum Wage, Mitt Romney 2012, Republican Convention Workers, Rnc, Rnc Convention Workers, Rnc Janitors …

Ann Romney: 'We're Used To' Passing Up Multi-Million Dollar Jobs  —  On Friday, Fox & Friends asked Ann Romney if it was difficult for the couple to turn down a $30 million job offer after Mitt lost the 2008 presidential nomination.  Ann, who has been trying to help her husband connect …

Obama bounced into announcing visit to storm-ravaged Louisiana after Romney shows him up with surprise visit  —  President Barack Obama was today forced to announce he will fly to storm-hit Louisiana on Monday - hours after Mitt Romney beat him to the punch by deciding to head there this afternoon.

Obama camp: Our convention will be better  —  Obama campaign officials predicted on Friday that Democrats will do a much better job delivering a substantive message at their convention than they say Republicans did at theirs.  —  “Our goal next week is to bring the choice in the election …

Mitt Romney speech leaves Ron Paul ‘skeptical’  —  Rep. Ron Paul said GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's convention speech left him “very skeptical” that the country's economic policies will change.  —  “The speech is what I would expect,” the Texas Republican said Friday on Bloomberg Television's “In the Loop.”

Bernanke Signals Readiness to Do More  —  JACKSON HOLE, Wyo.—Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke offered a robust defense of the effectiveness of the central bank's easy-money policies in his speech Friday at the Fed conference here, and left little doubt that he is looking toward doing …