Millionaire owner of Segway firm dies in freak accident after riding one of his two-wheel machines off a cliff  —  The multi-millionaire owner of the Segway company died in a freak accident yesterday when he rode one of the high-tech two-wheel machines off a cliff and into a river.

Poll: Bill O'Reilly is popular, but Rachel Maddow is unknown to likely voters  —  More people are getting their news about the upcoming election from cable television than any other source, and from Fox News more than any other cable channel, according to a POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll released Monday.

U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet  —  WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” …

The Seduction of the Tea Partiers  —  On the surface, the Pledge to America that House Republicans unveiled last week, in obvious imitation of Newt Gingrich's famous Contract With America, feels like a triumph for the Tea Party.  —  Whereas the Gingrich-era contract was a terse …

Structure of Excuses  —  What can be done about mass unemployment?  All the wise heads agree: there are no quick or easy answers.  There is work to be done, but workers aren't ready to do it — they're in the wrong places, or they have the wrong skills.  Our problems are “structural,” and will take many years to solve.

Senate Democrats not backing down on push for filibuster reform  —  Despite expected losses this fall, Senate Democrats are not backing down on their commitment to filibuster reform.  —  In the wake of two failed procedural votes last week, some Democrats in the upper chamber say reform is necessary.

Weekend at Fidel's  —  Jeffrey Goldberg is not the first American journalist to cuddle up to Castro.  —  At most marine parks in the world the animals provide the entertainment.  But at the Havana aquarium last month, Fidel Castro had a couple of humans eating out of his hand and clapping like trained seals.

What's Eating David Axelrod?  —  The disillusionment of Obama's guru.  —  Among the many distinctions David Axelrod has achieved in his career, there is one that requires special elaboration: He is, it turns out, one of the few customers to have ever run a tab at Manny's, the Chicago cafeteria and deli.

Report: Fla. adds 2 seats, N.Y. loses  —  A new estimate of House reapportionment gains and losses resulting from this year's Census reveals a larger-than-expected impact on Florida and New York.  According to Washington-based Election Data Services, which reviewed new Census data …

Liberal Groups Planning to Rally on National Mall  —  Hoping to overshadow last month's rally led by Glenn Beck that drew thousands of Tea Party advocates and other conservatives, a coalition of liberal groups plan to descend on Washington on Saturday to make the case that they …

Military thwarted president seeking choice in Afghanistan  —  The first of three articles adapted from “Obama's Wars” by Bob Woodward.  —  President Obama was on edge.  —  For two exhausting months, he had been asking military advisers to give him a range of options for the war in Afghanistan.

Obama looks to reenergize youth vote, get late Democratic surge for midterms  —  MADISON, WIS. - President Obama will swoop into the heartland this week in a high-stakes bid to boost enthusiasm for Democrats by reigniting the coalition of young and minority voters who were critical to his success two years ago.

US: Inverted Philippine flag was ‘honest mistake’  —  MANILA, Philippines - The U.S. government said Sunday it made an “honest mistake” when it displayed an inverted Philippine flag — which wrongfully signified that the Southeast Asian nation was in a state of war — in a meeting hosted by President Barack Obama.

WHEN TECHNOLOGY MAKES HEADLINES  —  THE MEDIA'S DOUBLE VISION ABOUT THE DIGITAL AGE  —  The mainstream news media have offered the American public a divided view of how information technology influences society, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Obama Justice Department Rocked  —  The former head of the Justice Department's New Black Panther trial team, Chris Coates, testified Friday before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.  See here and here and here (subscription required).  Before Coates broke his silence, the commission's critics …

Alan Grayson Opponent Challenged By Local Media On Opposition To Abortion Rights For Rape Victims (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Republicans have a strong wind at their back heading into November, but one weakness the party must overcome is that, in many House and Senate races …