Bush Campaign Chief and Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman: I'm Gay  —  Ken Mehlman, President Bush's campaign manager in 2004 and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, has told family and associates that he is gay.  —  Mehlman arrived at this conclusion about his identity fairly recently, he said in an interview.

Miller's lead slims; Murkowski awaits absentees  —  Joe Miller's lead over U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski slightly narrowed to 1,668 votes with all the election precincts counted Wednesday.  A stunned Murkowski said she is not giving up hope until absentee ballots are counted starting next week.

Democrats privately fear House prospects worsening  —  Top Democrats are growing markedly more pessimistic about holding the House, privately conceding that the summertime economic and political recovery they were banking on will not likely materialize by Election Day.

MSNBC's Ed Schultz goes bonkers  —  MSNBC talk show screamer Ed Schultz had a meltdown in the network's 30 Rock newsroom, shouting at staff, “I'm going to torch this [bleep]ing place.”  —  The hot-tempered anchor of “The Ed Show” lost it during a phone call in the packed studio and slammed down the phone before exploding.

Far From Ground Zero, Obscure Pastor Is Ignored No Longer  —  GAINESVILLE, Fla. — If building an Islamic center near ground zero amounts to the epitome of Muslim insensitivity, as critics of the project have claimed, what should the world make of Terry Jones, the evangelical pastor here who plans …

Rider Asks if Cabby Is Muslim, Then Stabs Him  —  It was the first fare of the cabdriver's shift.  A young man hailed him at the corner of Second Avenue and East 24th Street, wanting to go to 42nd and Second.  It was 6 p.m. on Tuesday; the traffic was dense.

Party-less Charlie Crist faces harsh reality  —  WEST MIAMI, Fla. — First, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was supposed to be the Republican nominee for Senate.  Then he seemed on track to be the de facto Democratic candidate.  Now, following Rep. Kendrick Meek's victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary …

Union leader will blast Sarah Palin, calling her rhetoric ‘poisonous’  —  In a speech Thursday, a prominent labor official will blast former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) for recent anti-union rhetoric.  —  AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, in a speech from Anchorage, Alaska …

Glenn Beck rally will be a measure of the tea party's strength  —  When Fox News and talk radio host Glenn Beck comes to Washington this weekend to headline a rally intended to “restore honor” to America, he will test the strength - and potentially expose the weaknesses …

Tea Party Group Hit With Death Threats  —  One of Washington's principal supporters of the Tea Party movement, former GOP Majority Leader Dick Armey's FreedomWorks, has been receiving death threats and profanity-laced phone calls as it gets involved in the fall elections.

Eggs and Issues: Bright's Comments about Pelosi Draw Laughter  —  U.S. Congressman Bobby Bright was heard having a little fun at U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's expense during his recent participation in the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce's Eggs and Issues.

TRENDING: New York's Bloomberg: We are all Muslims  —  Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of “God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World,” is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.  —  By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner Speak Out On Franzen Feud: HuffPost Exclusive  —  What's Your Reaction:  —  With the publication of Jonathan Franzen's fourth novel, Freedom, which was extensively covered in the New York Times while Franzen himself appeared on the cover of TIME magazine …

Is “Happy Birthday” Song Insensitive?  —  A ban on singing “Happy Birthday” lasted all of four days at Chesterfield Elementary School in Missouri after angry parents bombarded the school with complaints.  —  “Singing is not permitted due to the sensitivity of all student beliefs,” …

Government's Unwelcome Economic Distortions  —  A couple of weeks ago, David Boaz discussed the Old Testament story in which the people of Israel ask Samuel for a king to rule over them.  God's instructions to Samuel can be summed up as “tell them to be careful of what you wish for.”

Key Karzai Aide in Corruption Inquiry Is Linked to C.I.A.  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The aide to President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan at the center of a politically sensitive corruption investigation is being paid by the Central Intelligence Agency, according to Afghan and American officials.

Forget the Obama slam: Rep. Charles Rangel is now President's BFF  —  Rep. Charles Rangel calls himself one of President Obama's ‘best friends.’  —  Two days after ripping President Obama, Rep. Charles Rangel took a more respectful tone on Wednesday night, calling himself one of Obama's “best friends.”

Kim Jong-il Reportedly Absent During Carter Visit  —  SEOUL, South Korea — A special train believed to be carrying the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, entered China around midnight on Wednesday, South Korean officials said, setting off speculation over what might have compelled him to travel …

LA GOPer: November A Choice Between An Atheist Society And A Christian Nation  —  Appearing before the Republican Women of Bossier with Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) cast the November elections as a choice between godlessness and Christianity.  He also called bipartisanship impossible.

Anthem Blue Cross is allowed to move ahead with rate hikes  —  State regulators find that the firm's proposal meets the requirement that 70% of premiums go for medical care.  As a result, they can't stop the increases, which average 14%.  Blue Shield also is cleared to raise its rates.

In the Mideast, the peace process is only a mirage  —  JERUSALEM Immersion in this region's politics can convince those immersed that history is cyclical rather than linear — that it is not one thing after another but the same thing over and over.  This passes for good news because things that do change …

FACT CHECK: Stimulus assessments overly optimistic  —  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration claimed this week that $100 billion invested in innovative technologies under the economic stimulus law is “transforming the American economy” by putting the nation on track for technological breakthroughs …