BREAKING: Rick Sanchez Fired From CNN  —  CNN released this statement today:  —  “Rick Sanchez is no longer with the company.  We thank Rick for his years of service and we wish him well.”  —  They will broadcast CNN Newsroom from 3-5pm for the foreseeable future.  —  Here's more from the story earlier today:

Palin jousts with Rouse  —  (CNN) - Pete Rouse was just installed as White House chief of staff on Friday, but he's already been facing fire from Sarah Palin for over a week.  —  Now White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is hitting back, calling the former Alaska governor's accusations “fairly silly.”

Guv signs marijuana decriminalization bill  —  (10-01) 16:49 PDT Sacramento — Citing the need to reduce spending on prosecution and courts, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a measure that makes marijuana possession an infraction, on par with traffic and littering tickets.

Paladino switches gears and course-corrects (Updated)  —  Carl Paladino, in interviews with the Buffalo News and NY1, says he wasn't alleging Andrew Cuomo had affairs in his interview with me on Tuesday, and also that he wasn't suggesting that he had evidence to release on the topic.

Eco-fascism jumps the shark: massive, epic fail!  —  I predicted this morning that No Pressure - Richard Curtis's spectacularly ill-judged eco-propaganda movie for the 10:10 campaign - would prove a disastrous own goal for the green movement.  —  But what I could never have imagined …

Whitman within law, immigration lawyers say  —  (10-01) 04:00 PDT Washington - —  Whether or not Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman received a letter from the Social Security Administration saying her former housekeeper's false documents did not match its records …

Al Gore fails to mention President Barack Obama during Democratic rally in Florida  —  Al Gore failed to mention President Barack Obama at a campaign rally in Florida as Democrats extended their new tactic for next month's elections - ignoring the man who so inspired them in 2008.

Christine O'Donnell: After Witchcraft I Tried to Be A Hare Krishna — But Liked Meatballs Too Much (VIDEO)  —  In 1999 Christine O'Donnell told Bill Maher that she'd briefly tried Buddhism, and that she'd tried to be a Hare Krishna but couldn't take the vegetarianism.

NOT A BAD RETURN ON A COSTLY INVESTMENT.... Whether one approves of 2008's financial industry bailout or considers it the worst piece of legislation in American history, there's one thing we can all be very glad about: its price tag. … Two years ago, the assumption among many was that these hundreds …

Insurer Cuts Health Plans as New Law Takes Hold  —  The Principal Financial Group announced on Thursday that it planned to stop selling health insurance, another sign of upheaval emerging among insurers as the new federal health law starts to take effect.  —  The company, based in Iowa …

U.S. Officials: Bin Laden Believed to Be Involved in European Plot  —  Senior Al Qaeda leaders, including Usama Bin Laden, are believed to be behind efforts to mount a Mumbai-style attack on Westerners in European cities, a senior U.S. intelligence official told Fox News …

Lone $4.1 Billion Sale Led to ‘Flash Crash’ in May  —  It was a stock market mystery that had everyone guessing for months: just what caused that harrowing flash crash last May?  —  On Friday, after months of investigation and speculation, federal authorities finally provided the answer …

Blago gives Levi good news  —  Levi Johnston's reign as the most unpopular person PPP had ever polled on in any individual state didn't last very long.  Rod Blagojevich assumes that dubious crown after we found that 83% of voters in Illinois have an unfavorable opinion of him to only 8% who see him positively.

Liberals hope rally rivals Beck's  —  The rally liberal groups are staging at the National Mall on Saturday hasn't received nearly the media buzz of Glenn Beck's Aug. 28 rally, but organizers insist that their numbers will rival Beck's, which drew tens of thousands - or hundreds of thousands, depending on whose estimates you believe.

Exercise and Weight Loss  —  Ta-Nehisi Coates writes some about losing weight: … I think that's largely true.  The biggest gym-related thing I've done to lose weight is that I did some sessions with a personal trainer who warned me up front that you can't really lose weight in the gym—you need to eat less food.