CIA watchdog faults agency on 9/11  —  Agency watchdog says officials lacked comprehensive plan to stop al-Qaida  —  WASHINGTON - The CIA's top leaders failed to use their available powers, never developed a comprehensive plan to stop al-Qaida and missed crucial opportunities to thwart …

Bush to invoke Vietnam in arguing against Iraq pullout  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — As he awaits a crucial progress report on Iraq, President Bush will try to put a twist on comparisons of the war to Vietnam by invoking the historical lessons of that conflict to argue against pulling out.

A New York State of Mind  —  When I was working in television, I spent quite a bit of time in New York City.  There are lots of things about the place I like, but New York gun laws don't fall in that category.  —  Anybody who knows me knows I've always cared deeply about the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Politics Seen in Nasty Call to Spitzer's Father  —  Lawyers representing Gov. Eliot Spitzer's father, Bernard Spitzer, say a prominent political consultant who has been working for State Senate Republicans threatened the elder Mr. Spitzer this month in an anonymous, invective-laced phone message.

Book Chief: Conservatives Want Slogans  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Liberals read more books than conservatives.  The head of the book publishing industry's trade group says she knows why—and there's little flattering about conservative readers in her explanation.

France shifts its stance on the conflict in Iraq  —  PARIS: After years of shunning involvement in a war it said was wrong, France now believes it may hold the key to peace in Iraq, proposing itself as an "honest broker" between the Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions.

Norway's Moose Population in Trouble for Belching  —  The poor old Scandinavian moose is now being blamed for climate change, with researchers in Norway claiming that a grown moose can produce 2,100 kilos of methane a year — equivalent to the CO2 output resulting from a 13,000 kilometer car journey.

David Cameron: Scrap the Human Rights Act  —  David Cameron last night called for the Human Rights Act to be scrapped outright for the first time amid mounting anger that the controversial law had allowed the killer of the head teacher Philip Lawrence to escape deportation.

CAIR blames Justice for its troubles  —  The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it is suffering from a decline in membership and fundraising and blames the Justice Department for listing it as an unindicted co-conspirator in a case involving a charity accused of terrorist ties.

Arctic August: NYC Sets Record For Coldest Day  —  High Of 59 Degrees Ties Chilliest August High Set In 1911  —  Featured Slideshows:  —  (CBS) NEW YORK Don't forget to bundle up if you're headed out in New York City today.  After all, it is August 21.  —  The city along with the rest …

Wrongly Arrested Bush Protesters Talk About Their $80K Government Settlement On Hardball  —  On July 4th, 2004, Jeffery and Nicole Rank attended an public Independence Day event in Charleston, WV where President Bush was to speak.  Despite the fact that the event was open to the public …

Muslim women: My headscarf is not a threat  —  Editor's note: This is part of a series of reports CNN.com is featuring from an upcoming, six-hour television event, "God's Warriors," hosted by CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.  —  (CNN) — Last year at Christmastime …