Republicans take 4 of 6 in recall elections, hold Senate  —  Both sides see victories in hard-fought contests  —  By Tom Tolan and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Democrats won two state Senate seats in Tuesday's historic recall elections, but failed to capture a third seat …

New CNN Poll: Majority want tax increase for wealthy and deep spending cuts  —  Washington (CNN) - Most Americans want a special congressional committee tasked with drafting a long-term solution to the nation's mounting federal deficits to include tax hikes for the wealthy and businesses …

The Day Our Leaders Got Unstuck  —  This is a scary economic moment.  The response we need is not easy, but it is totally obvious.  We need a Grand Bargain between America's two parties — and we need it right now.  Until you read the following news article, we'll be stuck in a world of hurt.

Santorum: Perry marriage stance ‘destructive’  —  Rick Santorum's identified a new way to boost his presidential prospects: attack Rick Perry for his position on gay marriage.  —  “When someone who is a serious candidate for president is doing things that will be destructive …

Jon Huntsman for President  —  In 2008, Florida and the presidency went to Barack Obama because he offered hope.  To defeat the President in 2012, we need a candidate who will offer solutions.  That man is Jon Huntsman.  —  Today at 11:15 a.m. at Scotty's Landing in Miami …

U.S. Says Strike Killed Taliban Who Downed Copter  —  WASHINGTON — An American airstrike has killed the Taliban fighters believed responsible for shooting down a Chinook helicopter, killing 38 people including 30 American military personnel, the senior commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday.

Michele Bachmann Repeatedly Sought Stimulus, EPA, Other Government Funds … WASHINGTON — Few candidates in the Republican presidential primary field have decried the federal government with as much gusto as Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.).  The three-term congresswoman has belittled the stimulus package …

How to make the best of the long malaise  —  The only good thing about the continuing barrage of bad economic news is that it could have been worse: all three rating agencies could have downgraded the US, stock markets could have fallen further and the US could have defaulted on its debt.

Poll surprise: Weiner seat in play  —  New York Democrat David Weprin holds a surprisingly narrow lead over Republican Bob Turner in the Sept. 13 special election to replace former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, according to a new Siena Research Institute poll.

A New Strategy for Economic Growth  —  Growth is not just about economics.  Growth unleashes human potential.  —  As the economy continues to struggle, we are reminded of a course offered at Yale University titled “Grand Strategy.”  Drawing on a weighty curriculum of history and philosophy …

Pay Television Faces ‘Toxic Mix’ as Subscribers Cancel in Record Numbers  —  The six largest publicly traded U.S. cable and satellite-TV providers combined to lose about 580,000 customers in the second quarter, the biggest such decline in history, according to company and Bloomberg data.

Tucsonans give McCain earful  —  If U.S. Sen. John McCain's town hall on Tuesday had a theme, it's that Greater Tucson has been dipped in a big vat of angry.  —  And the heat isn't just the domain of the tea party any more, with progressives showing up in force, just as torqued as their conservative counterparts.

The Secret History of Guns  —  The Ku Klux Klan, Ronald Reagan, and, for most of its history, the NRA all worked to control guns.  The Founding Fathers?  They required gun ownership—and regulated it.  And no group has more fiercely advocated the right to bear loaded weapons in public …

Madoff's immoral fabric  —  You'd think they'd know better than to trust their valuables to Bernie Madoff.  —  Wall Street bankers are investing in iPad cases made from sweaters and pants once worn by the fraudster that were snapped up by an enterprising businessman.

Withholder in Chief  —  Even the Butter Cow at the Iowa State Fair is not enough to sweeten the mood.  —  Three years ago, Barack Obama's unlikely presidential dream was given wings by rapturous Iowans — young, old and in-between — who saw in the fresh-faced, silky-voiced black senator …

Boehner : No S&P downgrade if GOP budget had passed  —  House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) blamed President Obama and the Democrats Tuesday for the recent downgrading of the U.S. credit rating, saying that if Democrats had joined with Republicans in passing the GOP budget …

A Test for Obama's View of a One-Term Presidency  —  WASHINGTON — It was a year and a half ago when President Obama told Diane Sawyer of ABC News in an interview that he would rather be a good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president.  —  Now, coming off one of his worst weeks …

Pop Quiz: Why Are Tuitions So High?  —  College students and their families have struggled to pay for the rising cost of tuition, a cost that has been driven in part by swelling administrative expenses.  —  Over a 20-year period, the growth in administrative personnel at institutions …