Brian Naylor

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Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin was going to face trouble no matter what. But it's Akin's fate that he also faces a deadline today.

GREENE: If he should withdraw from the U.S. Senate race by 5:00 Central Time this afternoon, it will be easy for party officials to name a replacement. And he is under pressure not to miss this opportunity.

Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin is apologizing for comments he made yesterday about rape that touched off bi-partisan criticism and outrage. Akin, who is running for the Senate seat in Missouri held by Democrat Claire McCaskill, told a television interviewer this weekend that women's bodies are able to prevent pregnancy caused by what he termed legitimate rape. Akin now says he made a mistake, but that he wont drop out of the race. Still, republicans from Mitt Romney on down are distancing themselves from him.

Four years ago in Denver, Artur Davis took the podium at the Democratic National Convention to speak up for Barack Obama.

"I am honored to second the nomination of the man whose victory tonight takes us closer to becoming what we know America can be," he said.

But now, as President Obama seeks re-election, Davis is on the list of scheduled speakers for the Republican National Convention.

The former Democratic congressman from Alabama, who tried and failed to become the state's first black governor, is now a Republican resident of Virginia.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, has staked out a reputation in Congress as a fiscal conservative. He has spoken out against President Obama's efforts to jump-start the economy with the stimulus law and, after a conversion a few years ago, now opposes earmarks. But when it comes to helping out his district in southern Wisconsin, Ryan's principles have been flexible.

An analysis by USA Today says this Congress may be the least productive since the end of World War II. Sixty-one bills became law so far this year, 90 bills last year. So it's not surprising that Congress' approval rating is 10 percent.

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan stopped off in Ryan's home state of Wisconsin Sunday. Ryan has represented Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District for 14 years. In that time, he's gained national attention for proposing sweeping changes to the way government works while also watching out for his constituents.

In Norfolk, Va. on Saturday, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney announced that his running mate is Rep. Paul Ryan, a Republican congressman from Wisconsin. What does Ryan bring to the table, and will it be enough?

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MITT ROMNEY: It's an honor to announce my running mate and the next vice president of the United States, Paul Ryan.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

U.S. Representative Todd Akin pulled an upset victory on Tuesday in the Missouri GOP primary. His win may have given incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill her best shot at re-election for a highly contested seat. Akin is a six-term House member from the St. Louis suburbs, and known as an ultra-conservative. He came from behind to beat a businessman who spent more than $7 million of his own money and a former state treasurer backed by Sarah Palin.

Job creation in July was better than in the previous months and better than expected. But Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney focused on the still-high unemployment rate in responding to the report today. President Obama said the report was a sign of progress in the economy.