Romney’s Tax Discrepancy, Bachmann’s Election Troubles, and More

Double Standard:

Mitt Romney is adamant that he won’t be releasing any more of his tax returns. Two years, he keeps arguing, should be enough. Yet, when it came to vetting his own vice presidential candidates, Romney asked for 10 years’ worth of returns, according to sources with knowledge of the process. (Read more)

Ryan Returns: Republican VP nominee Paul Ryan was back in Congress on Thursday, just in time to ignore his own budget proposals and vote in favor of a House stopgap funding bill that would keep the government up and running for the next six months. By approving the resolution, Congress ensures there won’t be a government shutdown before the election in November. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass next week. (Read more)

Tough Ballot for Bachmann: Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is fighting a tough re-election battle that she may end up losing. According to a new poll, the Republican is in a statistical tie with Democratic challenger Jim Graves. It’s uncharted waters for Bachmann, who has easily kept her seat since first being elected to Congress in 2006. (Read more)

Hard to Swallow: New York City is definitely not the place to go if you’re looking for a large, sugary beverage to quench your thirst. The city’s Board of Health on Thursday approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial proposal to prohibit the sale of soda and other types of sweet beverages in cups larger than 16 ounces at restaurants and other venues. The ban will be enacted on March 13, and the city will begin fining sellers for noncompliance beginning in mid-June. (Read more)

Lewinsky Wants Book Deal: Fourteen years after former White House intern Monica Lewinsky became famous for, errr, “not” having sexual relations with then-President Bill Clinton, she’s shopping around a book proposal to major publishers. It’s “top secret” and publishers have been asked to sign nondisclosure agreements before any meetings. (Read more)

Video of the Day: If you listen to the way Ohio GOP Gov. John Kasich tells it, all wives of male politicians do is stay home “doing the laundry” while their husbands are out campaigning. Naturally, the remark has sparked outrage (anyone want to take a guess why?). But the interesting thing, as BuzzFeed noted, is that in making the statement, Kasich essentially ignored the fact that his wife worked outside the home for nearly two decades.