(CNN) - As chatter amplifies surrounding Mitt Romney's choice for running mate, one potential pick confirmed Monday he had spoken with the Romney aides responsible for leading the all-important search.

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota confirmed with The Hill that he had traveled to Boston to meet with Beth Myers, who is leading Romney's search for a vice presidential pick, along with other senior advisers at the presumptive GOP nominee's headquarters.
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(CNN) – President Barack Obama heads to the crucial battleground state of Ohio Monday to tell voters that Republican challenger Mitt Romney's tax proposals would send American jobs to countries overseas, including China.

The Romney campaign responds that the new allegation from the Obama campaign is "another dishonest attack."
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(CNN) - Restore our Future, the super PAC backing presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, brought in $20 million in June, the group said Monday.

That marks a major jump from last month, when Restore our Future reported bringing in $4.6 million. The spike is not a surprise, however, since the group received a $10 million donation from Sheldon and Miriam Adelson in June.
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(CNN) - Mitt Romney's campaign rolled out a new attack on President Barack Obama Monday, hitting the Democrat for making governing decisions that lined the pockets of contributors to his political campaign.

Romney himself hit Obama for what he described as a record of political cronyism in an interview Monday morning, and his campaign followed suit with a conference call and a web video following similar lines of attack.
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Washington (CNN) – Mitt Romney has steadfastly refused to release more than two years of tax returns despite mounting pressure from the Obama campaign and even some fellow Republicans, who are beginning to grumble both publicly and privately that Romney should disclose more details about his income and put the nagging issue behind him.

Romney says that two years of tax returns are sufficient, and that he's fully complied with the law by revealing his full 2010 return and an estimate of 2011 tax information (he plans to make the full return public once it's finalized).
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(CNN) – Mitt Romney remained steadfast in his pledge to release only two years of his personal income tax returns Monday following a weekend of increased pressure from Democrats and some Republicans to disclose more of his financial information.

Romney, appearing on Fox News, said his rivals wanted to "make a mountain" out of an issue he regards as inconsequential compared to problems facing many Americans.
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(CNN) - Both candidates are back on the campaign trail Monday. Mitt Romney heads to Louisiana for a fund-raiser, and President Barack Obama goes back to Ohio for campaign events in Cincinnati. Sen. Rob Portman, speculated to be a potential vice presidential choice for Romney, will counter Obama with his own event in nearby Lebanon.

See the full schedule after the jump.
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(CNN) – Three times as many Asian-Americans have been running for Congress in 2012 than in the past two elections, a nonpartisan political group says, and it's a development that portends greater changes in demographic trends and reflects the recent political awakening of a minority group long confined to the margins of American society.

"It's extremely exciting," says Gloria Chan, president and CEO of the Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies. "We could really stand to gain seats and affect the balance of power in Congress."

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click on the headlines for more.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL:

CNN: With surging numbers, Asian-Americans look for congressional gains
Three times as many Asian-Americans have been running for Congress in 2012 than in the past two elections, a nonpartisan political group says, and it's a development that portends greater changes in demographic trends and reflects the recent political awakening of a minority group long confined to the margins of American society.

CNN: Democrats to Romney: 'Stop whining' over felony remark
The suggestion this week from a top Obama campaign official that Mitt Romney may have committed a felony by listing himself as CEO of Bain Capital after leaving the firm was picked apart Sunday, with Republicans decrying the remark as the worst type of divisive politics and Obama's team urging its rivals to "stop whining."

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(CNN) – Republican House Speaker John Boehner has helped pull in nearly $80 million since assuming his post in 2010, his political team announced Sunday.

In total, Boehner's has raised $79,220,330 through his political committees, along with the National Republican Congressional Committee and events held by Republican members of Congress at events the House speaker headlined. Boehner's team said he had headlined more than 100 such events.
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