Compiled by ABC News' Jayce Henderson, Amanda VanAllen, Carrie Halperin and Ben Waldron

PAUL RYAN ABC News' Shushannah Walshe: " Ryan Criticizes Obama on Defense Cuts, Remains Silent on Special Ops Criticizing President" At a defense roundtable in the town that's home to Fort Bragg, Paul Ryan spoke out against the looming $500 billion defense cuts, saying the president needed to explain how automatic, across-the-board cuts to the defense budget would affect military jobs and defense contracts. But when a question arose about the former special operations and intelligence members who are attracting headlines by actively criticizing the president for alleged security leaks and what they see as politicizing the killing of Osama Bin Laden, Ryan was silent, deferring to his spokesperson." LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Mitchell Landsberg: " Paul Ryan keeps up attack on Obama's welfare policies" Expanding his attack on President Obama's welfare policies, Rep. Paul D. Ryan charged Thursday that Obama "just wants to do away" with the work requirements mandated by a law President Clinton signed in 1996. "President Obama passed this new waiver the other day to strip out all the welfare reform work requirements," Ryan said at a fundraiser in Springfield, Mo., repeating a dubious claim that he and Mitt Romney have made for the last week. LINK

HEALTHCARE The Hills' Elise Vieback: " Romney defends his Mass. healthcare law as better than Obama's" Mitt Romney on Thursday defended the healthcare overhaul he oversaw in Massachusetts as better than the federal law it inspired. "My healthcare plan I put in place in my state has everyone insured," Romney told a CBS affiliate in Denver on Thursday, "but we didn't go out and raise taxes on people and have a unelected board tell people what kind of healthcare they can have." LINK

MITT ROMNEY The New York Times' Eric Lipton and Clifford Krauss: " Giving Reins to the States Over Drilling" By proposing to end a century of federal control over oil and gas drilling and coal mining on government lands, Mitt Romney is making a bid for anti-Washington voters in key Western states while dangling the promise of a big reward to major campaign supporters from the energy industry. LINK

The Washington Post's Philip Rucker: " Mitt Romney team of 'Mad Men' creates ads to sell nation on candidate" Now that Mitt Romney has amassed a couple hundred million dollars, it's largely up to an eclectic crew of self-described "Mad Men" to make good use of it. A colorful team of advertising gurus - including a onetime "Wheel of Fortune" contestant, a guy nicknamed for a "Super Mario" character and a burly Texan who came up with the "Beef, it's what's for dinner" slogan - have converged on the campaign's drab headquarters here to dream up the ads they hope will propel Romney to the White House. LINK

USA Today's Susan Page: " Romney's to-do list in Tampa starts with 'Hi, I'm Mitt'" Mitt Romney's to-do list at the Republican National Convention in Tampa next week starts with re-introducing himself to voters and ends with what could be his most critical hour of the campaign ahead: the speech. For four days (the threat of Tropical Storm Isaacnotwithstanding) Romney and the Republicans hope to repair damage from months of negative TV attacks, move on from this week's furor over "legitimate rape" and abortion, find footing in the economic issues that they'd prefer to talk about and leave with a head of steam that helps propel them through the campaign's final nine weeks. LINK

The Wall Street Journal's Monica Langley and Sara Murray: " Romney Prepares for His Hard Sell" Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney strides into a hotel suite in Columbus, Ohio, where a couch awaits. He waves at it and quips: "People would like me to lie down and let it all out." As he soon makes clear, Mr. Romney sees no reason to do that in the campaign's final stretch, which begins with his party's nominating convention next week. LINK

Bloomberg's Jim Snyder and Kasia Klimasinska: " Oil Donors Fete Romney Days Before Unveiling Energy Plan" While the presidential election isn't until November, it's already clear that Mitt Romney has won over America's oil and gas industry. Days removed from fundraisers attended by Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM)'s Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson and Continental Resources Inc. (CLR) Chairman Harold Hamm, Romney called for the aggressive development of fossil fuels to make the U.S. an "energy superpower" in a 21-page plan released yesterday. LINK

RON PAUL Politico's James Hohmann: " No Ron Paul revolution at convention" The Republican establishment has quelled theRon Paul Revolution, at least for 2012. Using a mix of charm and procedural hardball, Mitt Romney's campaign and his allies who control the Republican National Committee have ensured that the Texas congressman will neither speak nor be formally nominated at next week's convention. It's a significant victory for Romney, who could have been faced with a raucous rebellion from the Paul crowd if he hadn't extended an early, and diplomatic, olive branch to what's become a key constituency. LINK

Politico's James Hohmann: " No Ron Paul revolution at convention" The Republican establishment has quelled the Ron Paul Revolution, at least for 2012. Using a mix of charm and procedural hardball, Mitt Romeny's campaign and his allies who control the Republican National Committee have ensured that the Texas congressman will neither speak nor be formally nominated at next week's convention. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS " Inside the Mormon Church" LINK

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