In July, Romney raises $24M more than Obama with help of super PACs

Showing increasing strength in the money race, Mitt Romney in July outraised President Obama in all but 11 states, and in all nine of the most likely swing states, chalking up his strongest support yet from small donors.

Labor Department spends stimulus funds for ads during Olbermann, Maddow shows

The Labor Department paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal stimulus funds to a public relations firm to run more than 100 commercials touting the Obama administration's "green training" job efforts on two MSNBC cable shows, records show.

Top U.N. official in Iraq 'misled' world on camp for Iranians

The top U.N. official in Iraq directed his staff to cover up the prisonlike conditions of a relocation camp for Iranian dissidents in reports to the world body, said a former U.N. official who has resigned in protest.

Barry's opposition a speed bump for taxi 'smart meters'

The District is forging ahead Wednesday with plans to install "smart meters" in about 6,500 taxicabs that offer pay-by-credit-card readers and other amenities, despite a mystifying dispute initiated by D.C. Council member Marion Barry over how to pay for it all.

Obama to young voters: Romney doesn't think you're worth investment

Trying to rally disillusioned supporters of four years ago, President Obama pleaded with young voters Tuesday to come back to his side by warning them that rival Mitt Romney "does not think investing in your future is worth it."

An RPG took Josh Olson's leg, but not the sharpshooter's spirit

Black flies hummed around stall 58 at Wagner Range. Fort Benning's pine trees shimmered in the distance as the late-morning temperature pushed 95 degrees with the promise of more from the Georgia summer.

Court slaps down EPA on coal plant rule

In a major blow to environmentalists and the Obama administration's crackdown on coal-fired power plants, a federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down a key Environmental Protection Agency rule to limit emissions.

HURT: Another media belly-flop over skinny-dipping 'scandal'

Skinny-dipping overseas isn't exactly the campaign commercial you want to run for Congress on, but the notion that leaping into the Sea of Galilee is somehow an offense that churches and synagogues all over the country are suddenly fretting about seems a wee bit overblown.

Akin vows to stay in Missouri Senate race despite GOP ire

Defiant Rep. W. Todd Akin of Missouri vowed Tuesday to stay in his state's U.S. Senate race as the Republican nominee, letting pass an initial withdrawal deadline despite near-unanimous demands from Mitt Romney and a parade of prominent Republicans that he step aside after his insensitive remarks about rape and abortion.

Inside the Beltway: Ron Paul's big day

They're amassing: former Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr. is among those eager to celebrate Rep. Ron Paul at the "We Are the Future" rally, to be staged in Tampa, Fla., just 24 hours before the Republican National Convention rumbles to life.

D.C. mayor's son quits second job as liquor specialist

D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's son, Carlos, a "team captain" on his 2010 mayoral campaign and a business development and marketing coordinator at the D.C. Housing Authority, is no longer moonlighting as a "brand specialist" for a New York firm that represents top-shelf liquor labels, D.C. officials said.

Ryan slams Obama plan as harmful to Medicare

For the first time since being named Mitt Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan journeyed to Pennsylvania, where he warned that President Obama's new health care law will force Medicare recipients to pay more for their coverage and make it harder for them to find hospitals and nursing homes that will let them in the door.

Obama says his 'red line' in Syria conflict is WMD

President Obama has declared the threat of chemical or biological warfare in Syria a "red line" for the United States, outlining for the first time the point at which his administration could feel forced to intervene militarily in the Arab country's increasingly messy conflict.

CSX freight train derails in Ellicott City; 2 killed

A train hauling coal derailed on a bridge in this city's historic district, killing two college students who had been drinking together and hanging out on the tracks. Nearly two dozen railroad cars flipped over, including some that fell onto vehicles in a parking lot below the bridge, officials said.

North Korea hosts a global trade fair

Fleets of shiny minivans, Chinese-made bulldozers and dump trucks festooned with red ribbons fill the plaza, while toys, clothes and even probiotics digestive capsules are on display inside an exhibition hall.

Americans tune out Afghan war as fighting rages on

The conflict in Afghanistan once was President Obama's "war of necessity." Now it's America's forgotten war.

Commentary

BOLTON: Will Obama stop Iran's nuclear ambitions?

The Western world's media are again filled with speculation, leaks, purported leaks and flat-out disinformation about whether and when Israel will use military force against Iran's nuclear-weapons program. As America's Nov. 6 elections draw inexorably closer, pundits and commentators are assessing whether Israel can take seriously President Obama's assurances that he will not permit Iran to become a nuclear-weapons state.

YOUNG: Harsh presidential race no surprise

The presidential campaign of 2012 is so negative because America's economy is so bad. While this may seem a non sequitur, the two not only are closely connected, but mesh with the campaign dynamics prevailing when an incumbent president seeks re-election.

NUGENT: Crimes against Gibson guitars

My all-American sonic-bombast weapon of choice for 50 years has been those world-class pieces of musical art, the mighty Gibson guitar. I own a stunning arsenal of them. It wouldn't surprise me if some Fedzillastooge from Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s Department of Gunrunning Injustice will try to tell us American guitarslayers that we can only buy one fully automatic Gibson guitar a month.

DECKER: Obama's dark side

President Obama's ugly campaign is backfiring. With bad news clouding over our struggling nation, Americans are sick of all the political lies, such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's claim that Mitt Romney hadn't paid taxes for 10 years and the Obama camp's inference that the Republican presidential candidate was guilty of a felony related to his business background.

EDITORIAL: Swift-boating Obama

President Obama is brushing off criticism from the Special Operations community over politicized national-security leaks and his exaggerated role in the Osama bin Laden takedown. Two new organizations -- the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund and Special Operations Speaks -- have launched campaigns to highlight the president's exploitation of the military for political gain.