In Today's Times:
- Thousands of young illegal immigrants lined up Wednesday for information sessions about applying for deportation deferrals under a new Obama administration policy, overwhelming immigration officials who expected a strong response but were still surprised by the turnout, Julia Preston reports.
- The selection of Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin as Mitt Romney's running mate has shifted the subject in the presidential race from the economy to ideology, trying to appeal to Republicans intent on pushing President Obama out of office, Jeff Zeleny writes.
- Mr. Obama jumped into the fray over Medicare in Iowa on Wednesday, drawing a distinction between his approach and his opponents' approach to the budget, Helene Cooper reports. Meanwhile, Mr. Ryan hit back in Ohio, telling people their taxes would go toward paying for the president's health care law.
- < li>In a direct attack on one of President Obama's political strengths, a group of former special operations and C.I.A. officers have accused Mr. Obama of recklessly leaking information about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and other security matters to gain political advantage. Scott Shane reports on the effort, which the Obama campaign immediately compared to the “Swift Boat†advertisements against Senator John Kerry in the 2004 presidential campaign.
- Liberal groups are planning to appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after a judge declined to block a state law requiring voters to present specific kinds of identification, Ethan Bronner reports.
Washington Happenings:
- Mr. Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will have lunch together Thursday, as well as meet with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and then Timothy F. Geithner, the treasury secretary.
- The Labor Department will release its num bers on weekly jobless claims.
- The Commerce Department will put out housing data for July.
