GOP Congressman to Step Down, Romney Gaffe Trip Continues, and More

Moderate Republican to Retire:

In a surprise announcement, Rep. Steve LaTourette of Ohio said he would not seek re-election this fall. LaTourette, 58, explained: “The atmosphere today no longer encourages the finding of common ground.” He added, “I always believed that the art of being a legislator is finding common ground.” LaTourette’s exit will mean there’s one less moderate in Congress, as he is considered the second-most liberal of the 241 Republicans serving in the House. (Read more)

Government Shutdown Averted (Again): Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that he’s reached a deal with House Speaker John Boehner and the White House to keep the federal government funded for half of the next fiscal year. And then both parties can go back to playing a game of chicken once more. (Read more)

Romney’s VP Announcement: If you want to be among the first to know who Mitt Romney selects as his running mate, there’s an app for that. Literally. Romney’s campaign posted on its website that it will reveal his vice presidential pick through his VP app. Best part: It’s free! Or, you know, you could also just wait for someone to post it on Twitter a few seconds after it happens.

Mitt’s Tax Breaks—a Breakdown: Businessweek put together a great slideshow of Mitt Romney’s tax breaks. Did you know, for example, Romney gets a tax break for Rafalca, his wife’s dressage horse that’s competing in the London Olympics? Rafalca is apparently classified as a business. Evidently, corporations aren’t just people—they’re horses too. Other tax breaks include his mega-mansions, offshore investments and his donations to the Mormon church. (Read more)

Liz Cheney Disagrees With Her Dad: A day after Dick Cheney called Sarah Palin’s choice as vice presidential nominee in 2008 a “mistake,” his daughter took to Twitter to disagree with him. She tweeted: “Rarely do I disagree with best VP ever but @ SarahPalinUSA more qualified than Obama and Biden combined. Huge respect 4 all she’s done 4 GOP.” I have to admit, it took me a few seconds to figure out who she was talking about when she said “best VP ever,” but I’m pretty sure she was talking about her father. Liz Cheney, by the way, isn’t the only one who doesn’t share her dad’s opinion: John McCain, who chose Palin as his running mate, also disagrees with the former VP. (Read more)

Video of the Day: Romney’s Gaffapalooza 2012 Tour continues on its latest stop in Europe: Poland. This one involved Romney’s traveling press secretary Rick Gorka. Gorka was furious with the media for hounding the candidate with questions as he visited the Polish Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. As reporters tried to pepper the presumed Republican presidential nominee with questions, Gorka shouted, “Kiss my ass; this is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.” He then keeps it classy by telling a reporter to “shove it.”