Afghan police officer kills three U.S. Marines

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan police officer shot and killed three U.S. Marines after sharing a meal with them before dawn Friday and then fled into the desolate darkness of southern Afghanistan, the third attack on coalition forces by their Afghan counterparts in a week.

Thirty-one coalition service members have died this year at the hands of Afghan forces or insurgents disguised in Afghan uniforms, according to NATO – a rise from previous years.

The assaults have cast a shadow of fear and mistrust over U.S. efforts to train Afghan soldiers and police more than 10 years after the U.S.-led invasion to topple the Taliban’s hardline Islamist regime for sheltering al-Qaida’s leadership.

Romney is looking to shift momentum

BOSTON – Mitt Romney faces urgent tasks as he heads into a new phase of the White House race: Repair an image damaged by negative Democratic advertising and shift the trajectory of a campaign that’s seen him lose ground to President Barack Obama.

He’s got opportunities, starting with a big battleground-state bus tour beginning today. Then comes his critical running-mate announcement and the TV hoopla of a national convention, where he’ll accept the Republican nomination he’s sought for nearly a decade.

If the last few days are any indication, Romney will spend the coming weeks trying to gain ground largely by dragging Obama down on a host of issues. It’s a shift away from the all-economy, all-the-time strategy of the last several months.

Obama courts middle class by hitting Romney on taxes

WASHINGTON – Democrats are growing increasingly confident that a two-pronged tax attack on Republican Mitt Romney – one part policy, one part personal – will help President Barack Obama lure pivotal support from middle class voters.

Led by Obama, the Democrats are going after Romney for seeking to protect tax cuts for the wealthy and for refusing to release more information about the taxes he pays on his personal fortune.

Democrats say both public and private polls suggest the double-barreled focus on taxes is giving Obama an edge in the race. The strategy also gives the president an avenue to campaign on the economy – the top issue for voters – while steering clear of talking about the nation’s high unemployment.

Three months before the election, national polls show Obama with a slight lead.

Associated Press