The Point of No Return  —  For the Obama administration, the prospect of a nuclearized Iran is dismal to contemplate— it would create major new national-security challenges and crush the president's dream of ending nuclear proliferation.  But the view from Jerusalem is still more dire …

Handel concedes GOP nomination for governor to Deal  —  Yesterday, Karen Handel called Nathan Deal a “corrupt relic of Washington.”  Today, however, Handel said she is endorsing him as the GOP nominee for governor.  —  In a statement just released from the Handel campaign …

Primary night yields good news for President Obama and Democrats  —  The headline victory of the primaries belonged to Sen. Michael Bennet, who gallops to a surprisingly wide nine-point victory over challenger Andrew Romanoff.  AP  —  President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party …

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll  —  The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 26% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president.  Forty-five percent (45%) Strongly Disapprove …

NYT On The So-Called Ground Zero Mosque.  —  The New York Times has a new piece up on Faisal Rauf and Daisy Khan, the couple behind the proposed Islamic community center near Ground Zero that has brought rank Islamophobia into the Republican mainstream:

Kerry: McMahon ‘roid rage attacks’ need to be stopped  —  Connecticut Senate nominee Linda McMahon's “GOP/WWE roid rage attacks” need to be stopped, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said Wednesday.  —  Kerry took a shot at McMahon's past as CEO of the wrestling outfit a day after she won …

RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN: Reid courts Hispanics  —  GOP blocking immigration reform, senator tells Latinos  —  U.S. Sen. Harry Reid on Tuesday slammed Republicans for blocking comprehensive immigration reform and told Hispanics they shouldn't be treated differently because “their skin's a tone darker” …

For Those With Jobs, a Recession With Some Benefits  —  One of the distinctive features of the Great Recession has been the enormous number of people who have been out of work for months on end.  Almost 45 percent of today's unemployed workers have been without a job for at least 27 weeks.

Giant Mecca clock seeks to call time on Greenwich  —  For more than a century, a point on the top of a hill in south-east London has been recognised as the centre of world time and the official starting point of each new day.  —  But now the supremacy of Greenwich Mean Time is being challenged …

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater emerges from jail, basks in new status as celebrity  —  Fired-up flight attendant Steven Slater was walking on air as he emerged from jail Tuesday night as a folk hero.  —  “I knew there was a brouhaha about this, but while I was on the inside …

Study Looks at Tax Cut Lapse for Rich  —  WASHINGTON — As debate heats up over President Obama's proposal to let the Bush tax cuts expire for the wealthy but to extend them for everyone else, a nonpartisan Congressional analysis circulated on Capitol Hill on Tuesday provides a look at the impact …

Does The 2012 GOP Convention Logo Include A Minaret?  —  The RNC's 2012 convention logo features the Tampa Bay skyline and one of the buildings apparently represented in the logo is what was formerly the Old Tampa Bay Hotel, a prominent feature of the Florida city's skyline.

Feds rethink policies that encourage home ownership  —  Just how much should Uncle Sam do to help Americans buy their own homes?  —  For 70 years — and for the last 15 in particular — the answer has been: Whatever it takes.  —  Now, policymakers are pausing to reconsider.

Low Approval of Congress Not Budging, Now 19%  —  Democrats' approval is up slightly to 38%; Republicans' hits record-low 5%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Congress' job rating from the American people in August remains near the historical lows seen in recent months.

Why the GOP really wants to alter the 14th Amendment  —  As Lindsey Graham and his fellow Republicans explain it, their sudden turn against conferring citizenship on anyone born in the United States was prompted by the mortal threat of “anchor babies” — the children of foreigners who scurry …

NC: PHB exclusive video of NOM's Brian Brown at Raleigh rally - plus I am mistaken for a fundie (!)  —  My high-quality vid is still uploading, but I have this lower-res version for those excited to see the flopsweat on Brian Brown's brow ASAP.  So the background first — I did this on my lunch hour …

Rangel's rambling floor speech has House Dems wishing they didn't recognize him  —  The Democrats, at long last, had strung together a good day.  They forced House Republicans to return, grumbling, from summer vacation for votes that allowed Democrats to show support for teachers, cops and strong borders.

Elite Isolation  —  It seems to me that this chart is the key to understanding today's political economy:  —  Virtually every single member of congress, every senator, every Capitol Hill staffer, every White House advisor, every Fed governor, and every major political reporter is a college graduate.

Obama: ‘I know how to politick pretty good’  —  President Obama has been raising campaign money for awhile now, but yesterday in Texas he seemed to officially declare open campaign season.  —  The announcement came as Obama accused the Republicans of playing politics with his agenda during his entire term.