“Mitt Romney doesn’t get it,” said San Antonio Mayor ++Julián Castro++ [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/04/can-julian-castro-democrats-keynote-speaker-out-obama-obama.html] in his keynote speech Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention. “But Barack Obama gets it.” The rising Democratic Party star attacked Romney for not understanding what it means to pull yourself up by your bootstraps—as Castro and his twin brother, Texas state representative Joaquín, do. He blasted Romney for saying “no” to immigrants’ rights and same-sex marriage and for flip-flopping on health care: “Mitt Romney has undergone an extreme makeover, and it ain’t pretty.” As Charlotte cheered, Castro credited Obama with saving the country from a depression and investing in Americans. “It’s a choice between a politician who rewards companies that ship American jobs overseas ... or a leader who brings jobs back home.” He concluded: “Que Dios los bendiga. May God bless you, and may God bless America.”

“We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.” That’s how first lady Michelle Obama began her convention speech Tuesday, which focused on her family’s roots as average Americans who struggled to achieve the “American Dream.” She recalled dating Barack when his “only pair of decent shoes was a half size too small” and the “simple joys” of family life before her husband ran for president. Four years after the election, she said she’s “seen firsthand that being president doesn’t change who you are—it reveals who you are.” She said her husband is a man who understands the necessity of financial aid, that women are capable of making choices about their bodies and health care, and that when you’re presented with the “doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you."

Shots were fired and a bomb went off as Pauline Marois accepted the position as Quebec premier on Tuesday night, forcing Marois to be rushed off stage. Montreal police later reportedly took a man into custody. Marois, the leader of Parti Québécois, will become the province’s first female premier. According to Montreal police, two people were wounded and the convention center was evacuated.

This is a record that no one wanted broken. The gross debt of the United States exceeded $16 trillion for the first time Tuesday, a milestone that was expected—though Democrats are likely wishing that wasn’t reached on the first day of their national convention. Republicans are seizing on the news as opportunity to criticize President Obama’s economic performance. “Today’s news is a sad reminder of President Obama’s broken promise to cut the deficit in half,” said House Speaker John Boehner. Mitt Romney’s spokesperson said “the next generation has been saddled with enormous debt because of President Obama’s policies.”

Israel can’t take Iran on its own. That’s what former CIA director Michael Hayden told an Israeli newspaper Monday, saying that Israel can’t sustain attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites without help from the U.S. “I do not underestimate the Israeli talent, but geometry and physics tell us that Iran’s nuclear program would pose a difficult challenge to any military,” Hayden told Haaretz. “Israel’s resources are more limited than those of the U.S.” There is still time, Hayden said, before the U.S. must make a decision about whether to strike.

With the crack of Debbie Wasserman-Schultz's gavel, the Democratic National Convention is officially underway. The party's chairwoman declared that this week's gathering will be "the most open and accessible political convention in history" and noted that it will be "streamed simultaneously in Spanish," eliciting excitement from the crowd. 

Bad news for the POTUS: an ABC News/Washington Post poll (PDF) Tuesday reveal that Barack Obama will lead off his nomination for a second term with his ‘personal popularity rating’ at 47 percent, a number in the negatives for the first time since February. That’s the lowest pre-convention popularity rating for a current president since the 1980s. Down 7 percent from his recent high in April, the decline in favorability springs from women voters exclusively. In a small glimmer of hope for the GOP, Romney’s numbers showed a small increase post-convention, rising 5 percent in the past week.

She’s been called the “Queen of Cocaine,” the “Black Widow,” and La Madrina—“The Godmother.” Now Griselda Blanco, the woman credited with turning Miami into a murder capital in the ‘80s as a pioneer in the modern illicit drug industry, is dead, killed by assassins on motorcycles in Colombia at the age of 69. She was suspected in over 40 drug-related murders—though she was never tried—and deported in 2004. “It’s surprising to all of us that she had not been killed sooner because she made a lot of enemies,” says an ex-Miami homicide detective.

Note to bloggers: hackers may force you to wear a tutu. In a statement released Tuesday evening, the FBI denied claims made hours earlier by hacker group Antisec bragging that they had successfully stolen the unique ID numbers for 12 million Apple devices. The FBI insisted there is “no evidence” that an FBI laptop had been compromised. In Antisec’s press release, they said they would not speak to any journalists until Gawker writer Adrien Chen is featured on the homepage in a tutu. By 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Gawker featured the photo of Chen on its homepage and Chen wrote that it would stay up until 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

After sitting behind the editor’s desk for six years at Marie Claire, Joanna Coles is set to put her hand to the helm at Cosmopolitan when current editor Katie White steps down. White, who has been editor of the women’s magazine for 14 years, told executives at Hearst Magazines earlier this year of her decision to retire. “I’m incredibly excited about the global footprint,” Coles said on Tuesday. “It’s big because it talks about things that are really important to women. It’s such an iconic logo.” Cosmo has continued to build circulation despite an industry downturn in recent years, and had more than 3 million subscribers in early 2012. Marie Claire's former executive editor Anne Fulenwider has been named the magazine's editor-in-chief in Coles's place. 

President Obama won’t have to worry about Kanye interrupting his speech on Thursday night. MTV announced Monday that it will move up the start of its annual Video Music Awards one hour so that it won’t conflict with President Obama’s speech Thursday at the Democratic National Convention. The MTV awards show, which this year will feature performances from Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Green Day, was scheduled to air from 9 to 11 p.m., while Obama is scheduled to speak at 10 p.m. Now, the VMAs will begin at 8 p.m., with an expected 10 p.m. end time—just in time for Obama’s remarks.

Dirty Harry’s story gets… dirtier. Carrie Reichert, the first woman to speak-out about Prince Harry’s naked extravaganza in Las Vegas may have lost some credibility—if she ever had any. In an interview with Celebuzz Tuesday, Reichert’s ex-husband Paul blew her cover, “It’s sad. I’m sure she did it to make a few bucks.” The British beauty’s former husband didn’t stop there, “She’s definitely not 32.” How old is she then? Sources online this week report 40. While the Palace denies that the two even met, Reichert claims they shared a naked “drunken fumble.” England may have a royal cougar on its hands.

Could it be that Nicki Minaj is supporting Mitt Romney for president? Minaj’s contribution to Lil Wayne’s latest release, Dedication 4, includes a shout out for the GOP nominee though it’s not clear whether she’s endorsing Romney or just trying to be provocative. "I'm a Republican voting for Mitt Romney/You lazy b---hes is f--king up the economy/Out in Miami, I be chillin' with a zombie," she raps. Minaj wouldn’t be the first musician to support the Romney campaign, which has been endorsed by Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down.

Wall Street loves hot tech companies and emerging-market growth stories. But sometimes a nice hot bowl of U.S.-made chicken soup hits the spot. Campbell’s reported that quarterly earnings were up 27 percent from the year before and suggested 2013 would be even better. The main reason: U.S. consumers increased consumption of canned soup by 9 percent.

Michael Clarke Duncan, the towering actor best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in The Green Mile, died Monday morning. He was 54. Duncan had been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack on July 13. In addition to his memorable turn opposite Tom Hanks in the 1999 drama, Duncan starred in Armageddon, Sin City, and last season’s Fox drama series The Finder. According to IMDb, the actor has two more completed projects set for release: In the Hive and The Challenger.

Some minor signs that North Korea may be paying attention to its devastated economy could signal change in the secretive nation. Diplomats and defectors from the authoritarian regime say that leader Kim Jong-un has made changes to the country’s agricultural policies that will now allow farmers to retain some of the produce with the option to sell some of it on the private market—minor and tentative developments that nevertheless hint to capitalism. The country, which has been led by the same family for three generations, has in the past funneled more of its resources toward its military and nuclear ambitions than toward addressing the dire conditions faced by its citizens.

If Israel strikes its nuclear bases, Iran will retaliate. That was the message from the leader of Lebanon’s Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah Monday. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that Iran could strike U.S. bases in the Middle East if Israel decides to attack any of its nuclear facilities. “A decision has been taken to respond and the response will be very great,” Nasrallah said. "The response will not be just inside the Israeli entity—American bases in the whole region could be Iranian targets. If Israel targets Iran, America bears responsibility."

As the controversy surrounding the shooting of 34 miners at a South African platinum mine continues to unfold, four people were wounded by police Monday at a separate gold mine in the country. Twelve thousand workers are on strike at the mine, owned in part by President Jacob Zuma’s nephew, and the four people were wounded after police and security guards opened fire with rubber bullets and tear gas during a protest. Gold One International, the company that owns the mine, contends that the workers “continue to engage in an unlawful and unprotected strike,” according to company spokesman Sven Lunsche.

A cofounder of the file-sharing website Pirate Bay will be deported from Cambodia after being sentenced to prison time in Sweden, according to Cambodian police officials. Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, 27, was arrested in Phnom Penh, but Cambodian officials said they were not immediately certain whether they would be sending him to Sweden or to another country. Sweden has already sentenced three people to prison time for their involvement in the Pirate Bay site, which was founded in 2003 to facilitate the sharing of files between computers. The site quickly drew the attention—and legal resources—of major film and music companies.

Hundreds of flights will be kept on the ground in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich on Tuesday after employees of Deutsche Lufthansa struck for better pay. “It’s difficult for the company to cushion the impact,” said company spokesman Klaus Walther of the protest, which follows a walkout by employees on Friday. “We cannot just get new flight attendants, and the personnel buffer is limited.” The union that represents the majority of Lufthansa’s cabin crew workers called for the Tuesday strikes, and is demanding a 5 percent increase in pay as well as job-protection measures for flight crews.

African elephants are being killed in record numbers, and activists fear that members of the military may be involved in the unprecedented slaughter. Twenty-two elephants were killed in a single raid on a savanna in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo—a spate of illegal killings that park guards say they now have reason to suspect was perpetrated by members of the Ugandan military hunting from a helicopter. “They even shot the babies,” said chief ranger Paul Onyango. Tens of thousands of elephants are being killed every year in Africa, conservationists say, as poachers kill them for nothing other than their tusks.

The grandson of the founder of Red Bull was arrested in Thailand after a hit-and-run accident that cost a police officer his life. Vorayuth Yoovidhya, 27, drew the suspicions of police after they traced a charcoal gray Ferrari allegedly involved in the accident to the Yoovidhya family compound in Bangkok. The young man faces charges for evading arrest and causing death by reckless driving in connection with the case, but was released on bail of about $16,000. The case is now being managed by one of Bangkok’s top cops after a local police official tried to hush up the incident by reportedly attempting to pin the crime on another man.

The United States will trim $1 billion from Egypt’s debt to help stimulate democracy in the country, officials in the Obama administration said. The debt agreement comes as the U.S. jostles with other nations, including China, to gain a hand in Egypt’s future, even as political turmoil within the country continues to cause uncertainty. America promised aid for Egypt’s economy nearly a year and a half ago, and the country is seen as an important bulwark against instability in the region, particularly in countries like Syria. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has denounced Bashar al-Assad’s violent putdown of a 17-month popular uprising.

Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan took up a new position as Kelly Ripa’s co-host on Live! With Kelly on Tuesday, ending a nearly year-long search for someone to take Regis Philbin’s place in the hot seat. Strahan has been thought the most likely choice for the job for the last two weeks, but his selection was only confirmed Tuesday morning. A total of 59 guest co-hosts kept the chair warm during the 10-month search for a replacement, and singer Josh Groban and SNL funnyman Seth Meyers were among those reportedly considered for the slot. “I’m speechless,” Strahan said after being introduced as Ripa’s new sideman.

In a bid to reinvigorate his wilting government, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced a round of changes to his cabinet on Tuesday. Education Secretary Michael Gove retained his position as did Duncan Smith, Work and Pensions secretary. Cameron appointed a new leader of the House of Commons, Andrew Lansely, and made Chris Grayling the new Justice secretary. The next parliamentary elections will be held in 2015, and Cameron seems to want to improve the profile of his governing coalition before then. The coalition between Cameron’s Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats has seen a dip in popular opinion as the British economy continues to struggle.

Twenty-five Afghan civilians were killed and 30 more wounded on Tuesday after a suicide bomber struck a funeral in a remote village. No group immediately claimed responsibility for carrying out the attack, though it came in an area of the country where there has been frequent fighting with the Taliban. The bombing may have been directed against Hamisha Gul, a local official who was attending the funeral but survived the attack. Several hundred people were reportedly attending the funeral, and the Taliban often targets such gatherings for the officials they attract. Local Afghans recently rose up against the Taliban in the area.

McDonald’s will try to increase its presence in India when the fast-food chain opens its first and only meat-free location in the north of the country. The Golden Arches, which has almost 33,000 outlets worldwide, has only 271 scattered across the Indian subcontinent—and the world’s most ubiquitous purveyor of burgers and fries hopes to up that quotient by ditching the red-meat formula that worked so well in America and going whole-hog vegetarian. Most McDonald’s franchises in India already serve a menu that is about half made up of fruits, vegetables, and other things that don't have parents. The new outlet will open near a Sikh temple in the city of Amritsar next year.

We’re not out of the woods yet. Despite good economic news in recent weeks, two reports Tuesday showed that both the construction and manufacturing sectors are contracting. According to the Census Bureau, construction spending declined 0.9 percent in July, while the Institute for Supply Management reported that the manufacturing sector is shrinking for the third straight month. One problem is that housing—which has shown signs of recovery—isn’t the sum total of the construction market. Public-sector building is still falling short. And when it comes to manufacturing, factories are getting fewer new orders due to global uncertainty.

Paul Ryan’s Secret Service code name is “Bowhunter,” a Romney-Ryan campaign official revealed to GQ. The Republican vice-presidential candidate is an avid outdoorsman, known for his prowess with a bow and arrow—he’s on the cover of an upcoming issue of Deer and Deer Hunting magazine—and is an able noodler, a form of fishing in which sportsmen grab catfish with their bare hands. Ryan’s wife, Janna, was given the code name “Buttercup.” A spokesperson for the Secret Service declined to comment to GQ.       

Obama’s optics will be just right on Thursday night, advisers have said. Organizers for the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina have arranged to bus in college students and other spectators for the president’s appearance on the final night of the party’s rally in Charlotte, all in an attempt to ensure the Republicans won’t be able to point out a single empty spot in the 74,000-seat Bank of America Stadium. Incumbent Obama has failed to draw the same feverish enthusiasm that was common during his 2008 campaign, but Democrats remain united in their campaign to defeat Republicans this November.

The number of people who likely were victims of phone hacking by Murdoch media entities has swollen to more than 1,000, according to police in the United Kingdom. The number of people considered likely to have been targeted was previously thought to be around 600. Meanwhile, the number of people who could potentially have been tapped by reporters in search of a scoop grew by 3,706, police said on Tuesday. A number of people who have been implicated in the still-expanding scandal, including former Fleet Street editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, are due to appear in court Sept. 26.

A lot of predictions are being made about what, exactly, Michelle Obama will say in her speech at the DNC tonight, but President Obama's own prediction is probably the most adorable. Obama said he plans to watch his wife speak on TV at home with his daughters and wouldn't be surprised if he cried during it. "When Michelle starts talking, I start getting all misty," he told rally-goes in Norfolk, Virginia.

The United Nations reported that 100,000 Syrians fled the country over the past month. The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday, a spokeswoman said. Red Cross chief Peter Maurer met with the Syrian leader as part of his three-day visit to the embattled nation, a trip during which Maurer would address the “rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation,” the international aid group said. August was reported to be the bloodiest month yet in the more than 17-month popular uprising against the Syrian regime, with more than 5,000 deaths reported.

Popular Newark, N.J., mayor—not to mention pedestrian superhero—Cory Booker may not have been given a primetime speaking slot Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention, but his speech was met with enthusiastic cheers. “Being asked to pay your fair share isn’t class warfare, it’s patriotism,” Booker told the crowd in Charlotte, who responded with cheers of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” After hearing his closing line, “this generation of Americans will expand beyond the hope, the dream, the promise of America,” the crowd altered their chant: “Cory! Cory! Cory!”

The economy may be puttering along in a low gear, but the auto industry is shifting up. Car dealers reported their best August in five years, selling 1.285 million cars. The strength was across the board, as U.S. automakers notched double-digit gains. Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Honda, reported bigger increases as they recovered from the after-effects of the tsunami. That’s good news, since cars represent America’s largest manufacturing and retail sector.

Tammy Duckworth, Iraq War veteran and Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives from Illinois, gave a rousing speech on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, focusing on her parents' struggle to support their family. Because her father, a Vietnam veteran, could not find work, when Duckworth was 15 she was the only one in her family with a job, using food stamps, Pell grants, and public education to get herself through high school and college and move on to the Army. "Barack Obama will never ignore our troops. He will fight for them," said Duckworth, who lost her legs during her first tour as an assault-helicopter pilot.

“That was the change we believed in. That was the change we fought for. That was the change President Obama delivered.” That was the chorus of former Obama chief of staff and current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s speech Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention. Actor Kal Penn, who in addition to playing a stoner in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle served as Obama’s liaison to young Americans, followed Emanuel with a speech appealing to youth voters. He encouraged them to register to vote—“You don’t even have to put pants on”—and thanked his former boss, the “man in the invisible chair,” for “being cool with all of us getting gay-married.”