Among likely voters, Obama-Romney close  —  Last week's Democratic National Convention helped President Obama improve his standing against Republican Mitt Romney, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, but did little to reduce voter concern about his handling of the economy.

The Kerry-ization of Mitt Romney  —  Mitt Romney is getting the full John Kerry treatment on national security — and some top Republicans are alarmed by what they see as his ham-handed response to it.  —  Romney — whose convention speech didn't include a salute to the troops or a reference to Afghanistan …

Op-Ed Contributor: The Bush White House Was Deaf to 9/11 Warnings  —  IT was perhaps the most famous presidential briefing in history.  —  On Aug. 6, 2001, President George W. Bush received a classified review of the threats posed by Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, Al Qaeda.

Poll: 47% of Chicago registered voters support teachers in strike  —  Just under half of Chicago's registered voters support the Chicago Public Teachers strike in a 500 person poll taken Monday, and nearly three-quarters of those polled say Mayor Rahm Emanuel is doing an average, below average or poor job in handing the labor dispute.

U.S. Embassy Condemns Religious Incitement  —  The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims - as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.  Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11 …

Southern whites troubled by Romney's wealth, religion  —  (Reuters) - Sheryl Harris, a voluble 52-year-old with a Virginia drawl, voted twice for George W. Bush.  Raised Baptist, she is convinced — despite all evidence to the contrary — that President Barack Obama, a practicing Christian, is Muslim.

In harsh rebuttal to Clinton, PM says those who don't set red lines for Iran have no right to keep Israel from attacking  —  Two days after secretary rules out Iran deadline, Netanyahu says: ‘The world tells Israel to wait because there is still time.  And I ask: Wait for what?  Until when?’

Biden recalls own loss while marking ‘bittersweet’ 9/11 anniversary  —  Vice President Joe Biden drew on the sorrow of his own personal losses as he addressed the memorial marking 11 years since United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field.  —  “It is a bittersweet moment …

Moody's: Congress must reach fiscal deal to avert downgrade  —  Moody's Investors Service warned Tuesday that Congress will need to strike a deal on the “fiscal cliff” to avoid a second downgrade to the nation's credit rating.  —  The rating agency said that budget negotiations in 2013 …

Chris Brown Tattoos An Image of a Battered Woman On His Neck  —  Chris Brown, having graduated from tossing chairs at windows after interviewers have the temerity to ask him about his battering of then-girlfriend Rihanna, has apparently decided that violence against women will be his new hallmark.

Dolphins-dissing President Obama chats Pitbull, Medicare with ‘Pimp with the Limp’ DJ Laz  —  President Obama continues reaching out to non-traditional media to spread the campaign word, appearing in a pre-recorded interview that aired this morning on 106.7 FM with DJ Laz AKA “the pimp with the limp …

A Journalist With Rare Access to Obama Had to Play by Quote Rule  —  Michael Lewis, the best-selling author of “Moneyball” and “The Big Short,” was granted extraordinary access to President Obama for his latest article in Vanity Fair.  —  But with that access came one major condition.

EXCLUSIVE: Parents of SEAL Team Six member say unit endangered by Obama administration statements  —  Identifying the Special Operations Force behind the Usama bin Laden raid amounted to placing a target on the back of the team members as well as their families, according to the parents of Aaron Vaughn …