Fox News and Mercury Radio Arts Announce New Agreement; Beck to ‘Transition Off’ Daily TV Program  —  Editor's note: After a great deal of speculation about Glenn Beck's future on television, here is the freshly-inked news release.  There will be a couple of key headlines out of this …

Paul Ryan's Multiple Unicorns  —  Gosh.  For a plan that supposedly sets a new standard of seriousness, Paul Ryan's vision (pdf) depends an awful lot on unicorn sightings — belief in the impossible.  Let me review the top three unicorns.  —  First, the plan assumes that tax cuts will set off a literally unprecedented boom.

Supreme Court race too close to call; Kloppenburg has narrow lead over Prosser  —  At left, Justice David Prosser speaks to supporters in Hartland.  At right, Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg speaks to supporters in Madison.  —  By Patrick Marley, Larry Sandler and Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel

Boehner, Obama budget call lasts three minutes  —  President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) had a brief phone call Wednesday as a government shutdown loomed, and Boehner told the president he is “hopeful” a spending deal can be reached, the Speaker's office said.

Bachmann: Why I'm qualified to be president  —  Michele Bachmann, after Bill O'Reilly asks her if she has the frame of reference to be the leader of the free world.

Teen Finds Campaign Worker At Back Door At 3AM  —  ANKENY, Iowa — A 15-year-old girl found a campaign worker from Alabama banging on her Ankeny family's back door early Wednesday morning.  —  Chloe Steward told KCCI she heard her dog barking around 3 a.m. and went to investigate.

New Faces of Childhood  —  Census Shows Hispanic and Asian Children Surging as Whites, Blacks Shrink  —  America's child population grew more far diverse over the past decade as a decline in the ranks of white children was offset by surging growth of Asians and Hispanics.

West Wing briefing: Obama headed out of D.C. as shutdown looms  —  A fiery President Obama insisted Tuesday that if he and congressional leaders couldn't reach a deal to avert a government shutdown, “I want a meeting again tomorrow here at the White House.”  —  “I will invite the same folks that we invited today,” he added.

Man With Anti-Obama Sign Attacked In San Francisco  —  SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/ BCN) — A man who set up a table with political literature and a sign opposing President Barack Obama was attacked in San Francisco's North Panhandle neighborhood, police and witnesses said Tuesday.

Is Palin the hot new baby name?  —  Met any baby Palins lately?  No, this isn't some new political joke — “Palin” gained some traction as a girl name in 2009.  But naming your child after a living politician is a tricky business these days, one naming expert explains.  —  By Sue Kidd

The Right to Offend  —  When I wrote over the weekend about the trial of Australia's most prominent columnist for expressing his opinions, I did not expect it to be quite so immediately relevant to the United States.  But perhaps what's most disturbing about Lindsey Graham's dismal defense …