Polls show Romney closing gap with Obama in swing states

The tight race is getting tighter. As Republicans head to Tampa, Fla., to nominate Mitt Romney for president, the contest with President Obama is narrowing in the 10 battleground states that likely will decide the election. Since Aug. 1, Mr. Romney has gained ground in eight of those states, and two of them — Wisconsin and Michigan — are now considered too close to call by some pollsters.

A year after earthquake, the shocks linger in Virginia town

For every resident, there's been an aftershock. A year after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook the ground from North Carolina to New Jersey, the 471-person town of Mineral at the quake's epicenter continues to tremble.

Poll: Americans want fiscal problems solved before school funding goes up

As President Obama continues to assail the Republican presidential ticket for pushing a budget blueprint that could cut education spending, polling data that emerged Wednesday shows that the vast majority of Americans think getting the U.S. back on solid fiscal footing trumps increasing school funding.

Islamic law rises as Sinai lacks order in the courts

A sign above the military patrol securing the Bank of Egypt in this small town in the northern Sinai Peninsula announces the official opening of "The House of Shariah Law" near the marketplace downtown.

Deferring on budget no longer an option, CBO says

Congress' chief scorekeeper warned Wednesday that the country's top lawmakers can't continue to put off big decisions on the budget and the economy much longer, and said either path — belt-tightening now or even deeper cuts later — will be painful.

Tea party voters lack enthusiasm for Romney

Killing time before Mitt Romney's campaign rally in New Hampshire this week, GOP activist Paul Clark shared the story of how some tea party activists in the crowd had assured him that they would vote for the presumptive GOP nominee come Election Day.

GOP platform opposes U.N. tax plans

Republican platform writers put the party officially on record Wednesday opposing attempts by the United Nations, some backed by Democrats in Congress, to assess a special tax on all Americans and to give the money to Third World nations.

Arpaio pulls in $7.5 million for re-elect bid

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, seeking re-election to his sixth term as the chief law enforcement officer in Phoenix, has raised more than $7.5 million in campaign contributions, including more than $600,000 over the past two months.

Inside the Beltway: The hurricane press

Run for the hills, call off the convention, give up the election. Why, a hurricane could, maybe, possibly, potentially, perhaps hit Tampa, Fla., some time in the next five days.

Romney to unveil energy plan

Mitt Romney plans to announce at a campaign stop in New Mexico on Thursday that if elected he would allow states to explore for energy on federal lands within their borders as part of a large plan to put North America on course to be energy independent by 2020.

Democrats to showcase women as speakers at party convention

Democrats unveiled a slew of female speakers Wednesday for their convention next month, an indication that they will continue to press Republicans on women's issues as GOP leaders furiously try to distance themselves from Missouri Senate candidate W. Todd Akin's recent comments on pregnancy and rape.

Redskins' Niles Paul progressing after switch to tight end

It was the night before Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe addressed his former coach's Washington Redskins, and there was one particular player in need of some advice.

Kyrgyz government collapses, increasing political instability

Kyrgyzstan's coalition government disintegrated Wednesday, creating fresh uncertainty for an impoverished Central Asian country rife with corruption and a recent history of two revolutions.

Airbuses suffer cockpit power failure, await fixes

As United Airlines Flight 731 climbed out of Newark Liberty International Airport with 107 people aboard, the pilot and first officer were startled to find screens that display crucial navigational information were blank or unreadable and radios were dead.

Afghans: Foreign spies at root of insider attacks

The Afghan government blamed foreign spy agencies for a rising number of killings in which government soldiers and policemen have gunned down their international partners, and it ordered stricter vetting of recruits and screening of those in the 350,000-member Afghan security force.

Democrats seek to tie Akin to House candidates

Meet the newest campaign issue for House Democrats: Rep. W. Todd Akin.

Commentary

NAPOLITANO: Akin absurdity aside, rape never justifies abortion

The criticisms of the recent absurd comments by Missouri Republican Rep. Todd Akin, who at this writing is his party's nominee to take on incumbent Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in November in a contest he had been expected to win, have focused on his clearly erroneous understanding of the human female anatomy.

PATTERSON: Government of unions, by unions, for unions

In 2009, the U.S. government bailed out the auto industry, ostensibly to save the livelihoods of thousands of Americans who work for automakers and their supporting companies.

TYRRELL: Obama's looking for the moron vote

It has been a very rough patch for Our President, and I do believe it is going to get rougher still. Do not be surprised as the month goes on and August runs into September, that his campaign budget becomes tighter. President Obama is spending more money than he is raising. It will get worse.

DECKER: Romney's advantage over Obama

Liberal television networks and newspapers won't tell you this, but the election is gradually slipping away from President Obama. As the latest Gallup poll reports this week, Republican challenger Mitt Romney has pulled ahead nationally by 2 points.

EDITORIAL: Green light for lawbreakers

Good news for daredevils who prefer to live on the wrong side of the law. Maryland's Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, declared Tuesday that there is no consequence for ignoring the state's speed-camera statute. Of course, the court wasn't protecting speeders and red-light runners from justice.