Judge declares U.S. military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy openly banning gay service members unconstitutional [updated]  —  A federal judge in Riverside declared the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members unconstitutional Thursday, saying the “don't ask, don't tell” …

Pastor cancels Quran-burning, then reconsiders  —  GAINESVILLE, Fla. - An anti-Islamic preacher backed off and then threatened to reconsider burning the Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, angrily accusing a Muslim leader of lying to him Thursday with a promise to move an Islamic center …

Top Adviser to Lead Panel on Economy  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama on Friday will promote a longtime economic adviser, Austan D. Goolsbee, to chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers, signaling continuity even as a high unemployment rate has left much of the public dissatisfied with administration policies.

Pentagon Plan: Buying Books to Keep Secrets  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Department officials are negotiating to buy and destroy all 10,000 copies of the first printing of an Afghan war memoir they say contains intelligence secrets, according to two people familiar with the dispute.

Dart, Meeks take top two in first Chicago mayor poll  —  But all 9 in statistical dead heat; 'don't know' leads with 35%  —  It's Chicago's first open-seat mayoral election in more than 60 years, and the field is wide open.  —  Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and state Sen. James Meeks might …

Massive Cache of Iraq War Docs to Be Published by WikiLeaks  —  A massive cache of previously unpublished classified U.S. military documents from the Iraq War is being readied for publication by WikiLeaks, a new report has confirmed.  —  The documents constitute the “biggest leak of military intelligence” …

Americans OK Allowing Tax Cuts for Wealthy to Expire  —  One in three favor keeping tax cuts for all taxpayers  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A majority of Americans favor letting the tax cuts enacted during the Bush administration expire for the wealthy.  While 37% support keeping the tax cuts for all Americans …

If Obama names Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic base erupts like a volcano and votes  —  Within hours and possibly minutes I expect the president will name Elizabeth Warren to lead the new consumer protection agency, and if he does, the Democratic base will erupt and turn out to vote …

Obama uses Bush plan for terror war  —  Includes tactics he had criticized  —  As the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, much of President Obama's counterterrorism policies and his understanding of executive power closely hew to the last administration, which he criticized as a candidate for the White House.

41 Obama White House aides owe the IRS $831,000 in back taxes — and they're not alone  —  Over the years a lot of suspicion has built up across the country about Washington and its population of opportunistic transients coming to see themselves as a special kind of person …

An Invisible Chief Justice  —  The Pew Research Center asked people this summer to identify the current chief justice of the United States from among four possibilities: John Roberts, Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens and Harry Reid.  Only 28 percent correctly picked Chief Justice Roberts.

Things Could Be Worse  —  “Japan's problems now are the same as they were in the 1990s, when you were writing about them.  It's depressing.”  So declared one economist I spoke to here.  “But the Japanese don't seem all that depressed,” objected another.  Both were right …

Science scorned … The anti-science strain pervading the right wing in the United States is the last thing the country needs in a time of economic challenge. … “The four corners of deceit: government, academia, science and media.  Those institutions are now corrupt and exist by virtue of deceit.

9/11: Emotional, Political Flashpoint Nine Years After Attacks  —  Former New York Gov. George Pataki, Sept. 11 Victims' Families Lament Politicization of Tragedy  —  Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck will rendezvous in Alaska Saturday for what Palin calls a gathering of “patriots who will ‘never forget’” the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Obama to face hungry press corps  —  With his presidency at a crossroads, President Obama will face the media Friday at his first press conference since the spring.  —  As an increasing number of political analysts predict that Republicans will win the House this fall …

China's UN diplomat in drunken rant against Americans  —  China's top-ranking UN diplomat embarked on a drunken rant against the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, telling his boss he'd “never liked” him, and adding for good measure that he didn't like Americans either.