NPR Ends Analyst's Contract After Comments on Muslims  —  NPR has terminated its contract with Juan Williams, one of its senior news analysts, after he made comments about Muslims on the Fox News Channel.  —  NPR said in a statement that it gave Mr. Williams notice of his termination on Wednesday night.

Obama's Approval Rating at New Low in Most Recent Quarter  —  His favorable rating and re-elect figures are also at new lows  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama averaged 44.7% job approval during the seventh quarter of his presidency.  His average approval rating has declined each quarter since …

It's not Ginni Thomas who deserves an apology  —  As a wife, I understand where Ginni Thomas is coming from.  —  In particular, as the wife of a husband who endured a far less bruising confirmation process and is now, as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, far less the target of criticism, I feel her anger.

Sarah Palin is wreaking havoc on the campaign trail, GOP sources say  —  According to a source familiar with the situation, she backed out of planned interviews with conservative talk-show hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin the morning she was scheduled to talk to them.

Sestak Closes Gap In Pennsylvania Senate Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; But Voters Want Their Senator To Oppose Obama  —  The race for Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate seat is now a statistical dead heat with Republican Pat Toomey getting 48 percent of likely voters to 46 percent …

ABC News Exclusive: Christine O'Donnell Stands Her Ground on First Amendment Statement, Blames Media for Distortions  —  The Delaware Senate Hopeful Regrets Her 'I'm Not a Witch' Ad, Says She'll Win in November  —  In an exclusive and far-ranging interview with ABC News …

Even if Democrats win, Pelosi faces opposition to remain as speaker  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's mathematical grip on political power is getting slippery.  —  With House Democrats already bracing for steep losses in the midterm elections, at least five of Pelosi's colleagues have announced …

Climate Change Doubt Is Tea Party Article of Faith  —  JASPER, Ind. — At a candidate forum here last week, Representative Baron P. Hill, a threatened Democratic incumbent in a largely conservative southern Indiana district, was endeavoring to explain his unpopular vote for the House cap-and-trade energy bill.

Niche Lawyers Spawned Housing Fracas  —  The paperwork mess muddying home foreclosures erupted last month.  But the legal strategy behind it traces to a lawyer's gambit in 2006 that has helped keep one couple in their home six years beyond their last mortgage payment.

Majority says no ‘change’ under Obama, or change for the worse  —  A majority of voters in key battleground races say President Obama has either brought no change to Washington or has brought change for the worse.  —  In 10 competitive House districts, 41 percent of likely voters say Obama …

DADT Conflict Explained: Why Obama Administration Lawyers Fight For A DADT Policy Obama Opposes  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama opposes the Pentagon's “don't ask, don't tell” policy on gays in the military, so why are Obama administration lawyers in court fighting to save it?

BREAKING: Ninth Circuit Stays DADT Injunction  —  A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has issued a temporary stay of U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips's Oct. 12 order in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States halting all enforcement of the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy.

Coalition Forces Routing Taliban in Key Afghan Region  —  ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan — American and Afghan forces have been routing the Taliban in much of Kandahar Province in recent weeks, forcing many hardened fighters, faced with the buildup of American forces, to flee strongholds they have held for years …

Google 2.4% Rate Shows How $60 Billion Lost to Tax Loopholes  —  Google Inc. cut its taxes by $3.1 billion in the last three years using a technique that moves most of its foreign profits through Ireland and the Netherlands to Bermuda.  —  Google's income shifting — involving strategies known …