Glenn Beck becomes damaged goods  —  Editor's note: This is Part 2 in a three-part series on Glenn Beck's roots.  Read Part 1 here.  —  Glenn Beck, foreground.  In the background, the scene in Tripoli, Libya, on April 15, 1986, after an American attack.  —  Sept. 22, 2009 |

Obama Is Considering Strategy Shift in Afghan War  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama is exploring alternatives to a major troop increase in Afghanistan, including a plan advocated by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to scale back American forces and focus more on rooting out Al Qaeda there and in Pakistan, officials said Tuesday.

Whoops: Anti-ACORN Bill Ropes In Defense Contractors, Others Charged With Fraud  —  Going after ACORN may be like shooting fish in a barrel lately — but jumpy lawmakers used a bazooka to do it last week and may have blown up some of their longtime allies in the process.

Pelosi backs away from deal with Blue Dogs  —  Speaker Pelosi is backing away from a deal she cut with centrists to advance health reform, said a source familiar with talks.  —  Pelosi's decision to move away from the agreement that was made with a group of Blue Dogs to get the bill …

Conservatives Turn Their Sights On Health Care Reform's Most Obvious Provision  —  Democrats are bracing themselves for a new line of conservative attack against a provision in the health care legislation once considered so non-controversial that it was endorsed by several major Republican officials.

PM: Israel, PA agreed to begin talks without preconditions  —  Article's topics: Binyamin Netanyahu, Barack Obama, Mahmoud Abbas  —  Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to relaunch peace negotiations without any preconditions, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday.

NBC/WSJ: OBAMA HEALTH #S INCH UP  —  From NBC's Mark Murray  —  Here's another tease of our new NBC/WSJ poll: According to the poll, the president's health-care numbers have slightly increased, although that increase remains within the margin of error.  Thirty-nine percent believe Obama's …

Justice Dept. Plans to Limit Use of State Secrets Privilege  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is preparing to impose new limits on the government assertion of the state secrets privilege used to block lawsuits for national security reasons.  The practice was a major flashpoint …

Protect Insurance Companies PSA  —  Credits: Will Ferrell, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Masi Oka, Jordana Spiro, Linda Cardellini, Donald Faison  —  Produced by Chris Bruss, Lauren Palmigiano & MoveOn.org

Why Is Soda So Expensive in Europe?  —  I'm one of those “drinks a ton of Diet Coke” people, and thus every time I come to Europe I find myself dismayed at the cost of soda over here.  Does anyone have a good explanation of why it's so much more expensive than in the US?

Even Obama ‘vulnerable’ to Clinton's charms  —  President Obama, speaking now at former President Bill Clinton's Clinton Global Initiative, opened with a tribute to his Democratic predecessor's raw political talent.  —  “Now, I think everyone knows what it's like when Bill Clinton asks you to make a commitment,” he said.

Cantor To Uninsured Woman With Growing Tumors: Get ‘An Existing Government Program’ Or Find Charity  —  At the Richmond Times-Dispatch “public square” forum yesterday, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) fielded open questions from his constituents on the health reform debate for the first time this summer.

Union Boss Campaigns for Obama, Runs Union... from his Federal Office  —  It seems that no matter where you turn, there are federal government workers pushing a partisan agenda with taxpayer dollars: from the NEA, to ACORN, to union bosses campaigning for Barack Obama while on the job:

Delayed Foreclosures Stalk Market  —  Debra and Arthur Scriven were served notice in June 2008 that their mortgage lender, a unit of Citigroup Inc., was preparing to foreclose on their home.  Fifteen months later, the Scrivens are still in their home near Columbia, S.C., and battling to stay there …

U.S. closes Mexico border crossing after shootout  —  TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - U.S. authorities closed the world's busiest land border crossing on Tuesday after a shootout between suspected Mexican human traffickers and U.S. agents, U.S. officials said.  —  “The port is closed …

Senate passes successor bill  —  The state Senate passed a bill this afternoon that would allow Governor Deval Patrick to name an interim successor to Edward M. Kennedy, potentially paving the way for appointment of a new US senator later this week.  —  The Senate approved the measure by a 24-16 vote …

MEDICARE ISSUES NEW GUIDANCE TO INSURANCE COMPANIES ON MEDICARE MAILINGS  —  GUIDANCE COMES AFTER HUMANA DISTRIBUTED POTENTIALLY MISLEADING MATERIALS  —  Medicare today called on Medicare-contracted health insurance and prescription drug plans to suspend potentially misleading mailings …

Polk undercover drug investigators play Wii during raid  —  With guns drawn and flashlights cutting through darkened rooms, Polk County undercover drug investigators stormed the home of convicted drug dealer Michael Difalco near Lakeland in March.  —  As investigators searched the home for drugs …

After ‘Inappropriate’ NEA Conference Call, White House Pushes New Guidelines  —  An August 10, 2009 National Endowment for the Arts conference call in which artists were asked to help support President Obama's agenda — a call that at least one good government group called “inappropriate” …

Administration Silences Medicare Advantage Critics—So AARP Can Collect More “Kickbacks”  —  “There's an inherent conflict of interest....They're ending up becoming very dependent on sources of income.”  — Former AARP Executive Marilyn Moon, quoted in Bloomberg article

Survey: One Quarter of Americans Could Claim ‘No Religion’ in 20 Years  —  If current trends continue, a quarter of Americans are likely to claim “no religion” in 20 years, according to a survey out today by Trinity College.  Americans who identify with no religious tradition currently comprise 15 percent …

Condi: The should-be face of the GOP  —  She's smart.  She's experienced.  She's worldly.  Republican strategists worried about their party's future should take heed.