FULL AUDIO: Dr. Laura Schlessinger's N-word rant  —  On August 10, Dr. Laura Schlessinger launched into a racially charged rant, during which Schlessinger — in her own words — “articulated the ‘n’ word all the way out — more than one time.”  Among other things, Schlessinger also told …

U.S. SENATE CAMPAIGN: Angle, Reid race still tight  —  More voters picking sides as senator's clout comes into play  —  Locked in a dead heat, both U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and Sharron Angle picked up support in the past two weeks, according to a poll for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and 8NewsNow …

Legislator resigns after ‘dead Palin’ comment  —  State Rep. Timothy Horrigan made the remarks Wednesday night in a thread discussing the Alaska plane crash that killed former Sen. Ted Stevens.  —  “Well a dead Palin wd be even more dangerous than a live one...she is all about her myth …

Defense chief Gates orders review of Marines' role  —  Acknowledging concerns among current and former Marines that the Corps has evolved into another ground combat force, the Defense secretary aims to define the service's future path.  —  Reporting from San Francisco …

‘Professional left’ not ready to back an Obama primary challenger in '12  —  As angry as they might be, the professional left isn't ready to back a primary challenger to President Obama just yet.  —  Two high-profile liberals on Thursday said they are not interested in running against the president in 2012 …

OUR DAUGHTER ISN'T A SELFISH BRAT; YOUR SON JUST HASN'T READ  —  ATLAS SHRUGGED.  —  I'd like to start by saying that I don't get into belligerent shouting matches at the playground very often.  The Tot Lot, by its very nature, can be an extremely volatile place—a veritable powder keg …

Op-Ed Columnist: Paralysis at the Federal Reserve  —  Ten years ago, one of America's leading economists delivered a stinging critique of the Bank of Japan, Japan's equivalent of the Federal Reserve, titled “Japanese Monetary Policy: A Case of Self-Induced Paralysis?”

Disappointed, down, despondent  —  And not about to rush to the polls in November, either  —  WHY, asks a Democrat leading a training session for fellow activists, doesn't “Yes we can” work as a slogan any more?  “Because we haven't,” a jaded participant responds.

Elizabeth Warren, likely to head new consumer agency, provokes strong feelings  —  Somewhere along the line, Elizabeth Warren became a symbol.  —  She's either the plain-spoken, supremely smart crusader for middle-class families that her supporters adore, or she's the power-hungry headline seeker …

Sacrilege at Ground Zero  —  A place is made sacred by a widespread belief that it was visited by the miraculous or the transcendent (Lourdes, the Temple Mount), by the presence there once of great nobility and sacrifice (Gettysburg), or by the blood of martyrs and the indescribable suffering of the innocent (Auschwitz).

Are We At War With All Of Islam?  Right Wingers Think So  —  Nearly every oath of service in this nation includes the phrase “Defend and protect the Constitution of the United States of America” in some form or the other.  Not having a King we needed an object of loyalty, something bigger than the individual to focus our loyalty on.

San Francisco proposal would limit toys in kids' meals  —  A serious move is afoot to force fast-food giants to make kids meals more nutritionally viable if they want to sell them with kid-luring toys.  —  In San Francisco, newly proposed legislation would ban toys from most kids meals sold at McDonald's …

WikiLeaks preparing to release more Afghan files  —  LONDON — WikiLeaks spokesman Julian Assange said Thursday his organization is preparing to release the rest of the secret Afghan war documents it has on file.  The Pentagon warned that would be more damaging to security and risk more lives …

CBS 5 Poll: Fiorina Widens Lead Over Boxer  —  Dead Heats In Governor, Lt. Governor Races; Marijuana Prop.  16 Passing  —  SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ― California Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina has increased her lead over Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer …

The “Neutral Story Line” and How The Media Uses It To Justify Its Perpetual Game of “Guess That Party!”  —  Several months ago I wrote one of my better-received pieces.  If you've read that you can skim and get to the new stuff; if not, I think (IMHO) it's worth reading.  Excerpts below:

The Anti-Obama Democrats  —  Democrats in deep-red states who voted against health reform and higher spending may yet survive the midterm.  —  It's 81 days to the election.  Expect many of them to be filled with the explanations Democrats are now serving up as to why Nov. 2 is likely to be a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.

Rare Sharing of Data Leads to Progress on Alzheimer's  —  In 2003, a group of scientists and executives from the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the drug and medical-imaging industries, universities and nonprofit groups joined in a project that experts say had no precedent …

Democratic Seats Vulnerable on Jobs  —  ALBION, Mich.—Michelle Rena Jones cheered when candidates Barack Obama and Joe Biden visited south-central Michigan in 2008.  She supported Mr. Obama that November along with a slate of Democrats, including Mark Schauer in the 7th congressional district.

Can Ken Buck buck the system?  —  Ken Buck is congratulated by a supporter after winning the Republican Senate nomination.  AP  —  DENVER — Among political candidates, there has always been a familiar type: the white-hot ambitious prosecutor with an Ivy League degree …

Turkey Accused of Using Chemical Weapons against PKK  —  German experts have confirmed the authenticity of photographs that purport to show PKK fighters killed by chemical weapons.  The evidence puts increasing pressure on the Turkish government, which has long been suspected of using such weapons against Kurdish rebels.

Brief Post on Immigration  —  The Pew Research Center has a new report on the children of unauthorized immigrants: … I've noticed that defenders of the birthright citizenship status quo are emphasizing that unauthorized immigrants can't immediately obtain citizenship by virtue of giving birth …

Gallup: Spending slumps lower than 2009 levels in Recovery Summer  —  The advance retail numbers for July will come out tomorrow from the Commerce Department, but Gallup's survey of consumer spending gives a pretty good indication that the report won't boost the notion of Recovery Summer.

Inside the World's MOST EXCLUSIVE (and Most Accessible) CLUB with SPECIAL GUESTS including  —  The other day, I got an email from a new friend.  The subject line read “Are you a TED talk person?”  —  It linked to an 18-minute video of MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely talking about the bugs in our moral codes.

Kristol group's game plan: Make it politically toxic for Dems to criticize Israel  —  Bill Kristol's hawkish, pro-Israel group, which has been running ads blasting Dems as anti-Israel, is now making it explicit: It is targeting Dems with paid media for the express purpose of making it politically toxic for them to criticize Israel.

The difficulty of opposing gay marriage  —  When we talk about gay marriage, we should first be clear about what we're discussing: State-sanctioned marriage is a central element in American life.  It includes both legal and substantial, important cultural benefits.