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” …

Rush Limbaugh, Pastor Terry Jones Were High School Classmates  —  Terry Jones, the Florida pastor threatening to burn a Koran tomorrow on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, was a high school classmate of Rush Limbaugh.  —  The Cape Central High School (Missouri) website …

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.

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 …

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 …

Nine years after 9/11, let's stop fulfilling bin Laden's goals  —  The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, succeeded far beyond anything Osama bin Laden could possibly have envisioned.  This is not just because they resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths, nor only because they struck at the heart of American financial and military power.

Afghan Protests Against Koran Burning Turn Violent  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Numerous protests broke out in Afghanistan on Friday and two of them turned violent in response to plans by a Florida pastor to burn copies of the Koran, even after the pastor announced he had suspended those plans.

Responsible Rider  —  Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is small, stiff, and unimposing, So why is he attracting legions of fans?  Hint: it's not the motorcycle.  —  It's lunchtime at frontier Elementary School in Brookston, Ind., and Gov. Mitch Daniels, who's spent the past two hours leading …

First Living Medal of Honor Recipient from Iraq or Afghanistan Announced  —  This is an event that we have known was coming, but had to keep quiet until July out of respect for the recipient.  —  Yesterday, President Obama spoke with Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta to inform him that he will be awarded …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Exclusive: WikiLeaks Collaborating With Media Outlets on Release of Iraq Documents  —  A London-based journalism nonprofit is working with the WikiLeaks Web site and TV and print media in several countries on programs and stories based on what is described as massive cache …

Bring solar power back to the White House  —  A few of us have spent the past week carefully transporting a relic of American history down the East Coast, trying to return it to the White House, where it belongs.  —  It's not a painting spirited from the Lincoln Bedroom or an antique sideboard stolen …

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 …

Angle draws Ralston's ire after debate cancelation  —  Sharron Angle has drawn the ire of Nevada journalist Jon Ralston.  —  Washington (CNN) - Nevada's top political journalist lit into Republican Senate hopeful Sharron Angle on Thursday, saying that the Tea Party favorite had backed out of a planned debate.

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 …

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.

Sanford Bishop steered scholarships to family  —  Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) awarded three scholarships from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to his stepdaughter and wife's niece between 2003 and 2005, according to records from the non-profit group.

The Obama Heyday Is Over  —  With so many Democrats running against the president's agenda in the midterm, change will come in the next Congress, regardless of which party is in control.  —  Barack Obama hit the campaign trail this week to resurrect some of that hopey-changey stuff …

The eternal flame of Muslim outrage  —  Every blogger worth his salt knows “Islamic Rage Boy.”  He represents the professional Muslim grievance-monger, always at the ready to protest whatever manufactured insult could be exploited to curse the West.  Christopher Hitchens wrote on the futility …

Secret Tape Has Police Pressing Ticket Quotas  —  For nearly every New Yorker who has received a summons in the city — caught at a checkpoint monitoring seat-belt use, or approached by a small army of police officers descending on illegally parked cars — quotas are a maddening fact of life.

The Ruling Class Hits Christine O'Donnell  —  Breathes there a soul who doesn't love the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal?  —  Who has not been delighted by National Review and its National Review Online?  —  Well, yes, actually.  Lots of souls, undoubtedly the finest of liberals and left-wingers in America.

Beautiful fractals and ugly inequality  —  UPDATE 4pm: is there any point to this post? see end of text  —  UPDATE II: 4:30pm Critic cuts me some slack. see end of text  —  UPDATE III 11am, 9/10/10: Paul Krugman says he had the idea first (see end of text)