Politics @ The NY Times

Political news from today's Times and around the Web, plus a look at the president's weekly address.

In his remarks, Paul D. Ryan, Mitt Romney’s running mate, seemed to emphasize cultural differences with President Obama.

A 1968 car crash in France and the 1998 diagnosis of Ann Romney’s multiple sclerosis offer clues into Mitt Romney’s character, and how he reacts to challenges.

Representative Todd Akin insisted he was staying in the race and tried to return the focus to the issue that once made victory seem sure: Senator Claire McCaskill.

The United States insisted Friday that diplomatic solutions remained in the Iranian nuclear crisis, despite new evidence that Iran is bolstering its ability to produce a type of uranium used for bomb fuel.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. postponed a campaign visit to Tampa scheduled for Monday during the Republican convention, saying it might drain law enforcement resources needed to deal with Tropical Storm Isaac.

The Romney campaign courted delegates for Ron Paul even as it tried to make sure that such an insurgency does not arise in future campaigns.

The federal government cannot make tobacco companies put large, graphic health warnings on cigarette packages, an appeals court panel ruled.

A young visitor goes for a spin at the Paul Festival, an informal, alternate convention held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Fla.

The current list of banned items for the convention in Tampa varies from weapons to vegetation to puppet-making materials.

The decision comes after Republicans failed to convince any of the broadcast networks to televise any of the convention speeches on Monday.

Janice Overton, a volunteer in Tampa, Fla., helped deliver giant tubes of balloons on Friday for temporary storage before the Republican National Convention.

Some experts are looking at a corner of the tax code involving foreign tax credits, and pointing to intriguing clues buried in the returns Mitt Romney has released.

The Republicans are sensing an opportunity to cut into the advantage that President Obama had among Catholic voters in 2008.

“No one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate,” said Mitt Romney on Friday, evoking false rumors that President Obama was not born in the United States.

The Capitol dome needs a comprehensive rehabilitation, but the House has declined to appropriate the $61 million required for repairs.

With no major city, few minorities and few union members, South Dakota is rough terrain for Democratic presidential candidates. The last Democrat to carry the state was Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Facing realities about politics and the weather at a conservative conference days before the G.O.P. convention.

Republicans will show a Ron Paul tribute video on the second night of Mitt Romney's convention next week, part of an effort to soothe the small army of delegates that Mr. Paul collected during his long primary battle with Mr. Romney this year.

In an interview, Mitt Romney suggests that the private nature of tithing is among the reasons he is reluctant to release more of his tax returns.