Mike Huckabee: Rick Perry timing ‘bad form,’ ‘tactical blunder’  —  Mike Huckabee is giving a big thumbs-down to Rick Perry's campaign rollout, telling Fox News that the Texas governor's decision to announce on the day of the Iowa straw poll is a big “tactical blunder.”

Romney gets in heated exchange with hecklers at Iowa State Fair  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) exchange with a few hecklers turned into somewhat of a shouting match while he was stumping Thursday in Iowa.  —  Romney faced aggressive inquiries with a liberal bent at the top …

Bachmann campaign targeting Pawlenty behind the scenes  —  AMES, IOWA — Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) campaign showed its biggest immediate concern is fellow Minnesotan Tim Pawlenty at Thursday night's GOP debate.  —  During the debate Bachmann staffers handed reporters in Iowa …

Tea Party Rep: Bank Should Have Known I Wouldn't Be Able To Repay $2.2 Million Loan  —  Tea Party aligned Georgia Rep. Tom Graves (R), who castigates Washington for fiscal irresponsibility, reached an out of court settlement Wednesday after he was sued for defaulting on a $2.2 million loan …

Exclusive: Republican Camp won't rule out tax increases  —  (Reuters) - A leading Republican lawmaker would not rule out tax increases on Thursday if they could boost economic growth, adding that “everything is on the table” for a congressional panel charged with forging a deal to cut the deficit.

Coming Home  —  Well, I guess she is interested!  Professor Warren, thanks so much for coming here and engaging with the BMG community.  You read it here first, folks. - promoted by david  —  Growing up, every decision for my family involved a careful calculation about how we could pay for it …

Wisconsin's Warning to Union-Busters  —  Five months after Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin pushed through a law stripping public unions of their bargaining rights, the Republican Party has paid a price.  Two of the state senators who backed the law were thrown out of office by voters on Tuesday and replaced with Democrats.

USPS proposes cutting 120,000 jobs, pulling out of health-care plan  —  In an attempt to stem its financial hemorrhaging, the U.S. Postal Service is seeking to reduce its workforce by 20 percent, including through layoffs now prohibited by union contracts.  USPS also wants to withdraw …

‘Drunk’ man pees on 11 year old on JetBlue flight  —  It was plane madness.  —  Chaos erupted on JetBlue's red-eye flight from Portland, Ore., to JFK yesterday when a drunk allegedly urinated on a sleeping 11-year-old girl.  —  The youngster was traveling with her sister and dad …

Sesame Workshop Statement on Bert and Ernie Petitions  —  Bert and Ernie are best friends.  They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.  —  Even though they are identified as male characters and possess …

England Used to Be a Country of Men  —  With London succumbing to looters and muggers, it's time to ask what happened to the once-manly English people.  The August 9 issue of the Daily Mail, for example, includes a photo of a young man taking off his pants on the street as an impatient looter waits …

Obama sets fuel efficiency standards for big rigs  —  Obama sets new regs for trucks ((Daily Press file photo))  —  WASHINGTON—President Obama announced the first-ever fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for long-haul rigs, work trucks, and other heavy duty vehicles Tuesday …

ATF Whistleblower: NRA-Criticized Rule Is “Huge Tool” For Law Enforcement  —  Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), has been on a media blitz trying to defend an NRA lawsuit that attempts to block an executive rule aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of cartels and criminals.

Extremist T-shirt offers different message after the first wash  —  When the 250 T-shirts were donated to a right-wing concert in Germany, they looked perfect: A skull and crossbones, nationalist flags and the slogan “Hardcore rebels.”  —  But when the T-shirts were washed for the first time, the message changed.