UN to appoint Earth contact for aliens  —  THE United Nations was set today to appoint an obscure Malaysian astrophysicist to act as EarthÂ's first contact for any aliens that may come visiting.  —  Mazlan Othman, the head of the UN's little-known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa) …

Citizens' Group Helps Uncover Alleged Rampant Voter Fraud in Houston  —  Voter selects candidate for U.S president in voting booth, Nov. 4, 2008.  —  When Catherine Engelbrecht and her friends sat down and started talking politics several years ago, they soon agreed that talking wasn't enough.

Democrats Unleash Ads Focusing on Rivals' Pasts  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic candidates across the country are opening a fierce offensive of negative advertisements against Republicans, using lawsuits, tax filings, reports from the Better Business Bureau and even divorce proceedings to try …

CNN Poll: Nearly three-fourths say recession not over  —  Washington (CNN) - Economic experts may believe the recession is over, but try telling that to the public.  —  Seventy-four percent of Americans believe the economy is still in a recession, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

Boehner's Top Aide Is Little Known  —  WASHINGTON — Representative John A. Boehner and Barry Jackson cut an odd figure.  —  Mr. Jackson, the chief of staff to Mr. Boehner, the House Republican leader from Ohio, is shaggy-haired and dough-faced, pale to Mr. Boehner's preternatural tan.

What the Rich Don't Need  —  WANT to give affluent households a present worth $700 billion over the next decade?  In a period of high unemployment and fiscal austerity, this idea may seem laughable.  Amazingly, though, it is getting traction in Washington.

New Alan Grayson ad: My draft-dodging GOP opponent doesn't love America like I do  —  I hope this is the sleaziest ad of the year because, if it isn't, I don't want to see the one that is.  Where to begin?  Well, for starters, the photo of Teacups with the elderly man in the Marine Corps League hat suggests …

They're gay, conservative and proud  —  NEW YORK — Even among the gays, the right is on the rise.  —  The broad surge in the conservative grassroots made it as far as PayPal founder Peter Thiel's grand apartment overlooking New York's Union Square Tuesday night, where about 150 backers …

New Proof Wall Street Knew Its Mortgage Securities Were Subpar: Clayton Execs Testify  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  During a little-noticed hearing this week in Sacramento, Calif., a firm hired by Wall Street to analyze mortgages given to borrowers with poor credit, which were then packaged …

Slouching Toward Washington  —  Holy Roddy McDowall.  —  Christine O'Donnell doesn't understand why monkeys can't turn into people right before her eyes.  —  Bill Maher continued his video torment of O'Donnell by releasing another old clip of her on his HBO show on Friday night …

Boehner: Tax cuts punt ‘most irresponsible thing I have seen’  —  House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called Congress' expected adjournment before acting on the Bush-era tax cuts the “most irresponsible thing that I have seen since I have been in Washington, D.C.  —  “And I've been here a while,” he added.

Invasion of stink bugs has homeowners, farmers seeking relief  —  Shaped like shields and armed with an odor, dime-size brown bugs are crawling into area homes over windowsills, through door crevices and between attic vents in such numbers that homeowners talk about drowning them in jars of soapy water …

Rove Returns, With Team, Planning G.O.P. Push  —  WASHINGTON — In 2004, the Republican master strategist Karl Rove led weekly sessions at his Washington residence where, over big plates of his butter-smothered “eggies” and bacon slabs, he planned the re-election of President George W. Bush …