Rick Perry's gifts: Boots, trips, medical tests  —  Cowboy boots — 22 pairs.  Stetson hats.  Belt buckles.  Cuff links.  A TV.  Medical tests for him and his wife.  Nine hunting trips.  Dozens of tickets to sports games and concerts.  —  Rick Perry earns a $150,000 annual salary and has a blind trust.

Feingold says he won't run in 2012  —  He'll continue teaching law, working on book  —  By Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel  —  Democrat Russ Feingold has decided he will not be a candidate for political office next year, taking himself out of the running in 2012 for either U.S. senator …

Bad luck?  Bad faith?  —  “We had reversed the recession, avoided a depression, got the economy moving again. .   . .  But over the last six months, we've had a run of bad luck.”  —  Decorah, Iowa, Aug. 15  —  A troubled nation wonders: How did we get mired in 9.1 percent unemployment …

Aliens may destroy humanity to protect other civilisations, say scientists  —  Rising greenhouse emissions could tip off aliens that we are a rapidly expanding threat, warns a report  —  It may not rank as the most compelling reason to curb greenhouse gases, but reducing our emissions might …

Fewer Youths to Be Deported in New Policy  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced Thursday that it would suspend deportation proceedings against many illegal immigrants who pose no threat to national security or public safety.  —  The new policy is expected to help thousands …

Teen girl gang assaults woman in brazen daylight attack outside Philadelphia City Hall  —  An astonishing video has emerged of a vicious gang of teenage girls assaulting a female pedestrian as she walks outside a city hall in broad daylight.  —  The woman, who has not been named …

Ugh: Greta and Sarah Palin rally behind Tea Party poser Orrin Hatch  —  I just read a very bizarre blog post about entrenched incumbent Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch by Fox News anchor Greta van Susteren and then watched an equally distressing interview van Susteren conducted last night with Sarah Palin regarding Hatch.

Christine O'Donnell Hangs Up In The Middle Of Interview With Utah Radio Station (AUDIO) … WASHINGTON — Former Delaware senate candidate Christine O'Donnell abruptly ended two interviews on Wednesday when the questions she was being asked became tougher, marking a rocky day of promotion for her new book.

Another Bachmann History Flub: The American People Are Worried About ‘The Rise Of The Soviet Union’  —  Of all the candidates vying for the GOP presidential nomination, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) perhaps has the most colorful record of flubbing historical facts.

TRENDING: ‘Idiot’ jab lobbed at Perry  —  (CNN) - Former Treasury official Bruce Bartlett labeled newly-minted Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry “an idiot” Friday.  —  Bartlett, who served at Treasury under former President George H.W. Bush and as a domestic policy adviser …

Our prison walls are too high to look over, moan terror suspects  —  Suspected terrorists are complaining about a fence around the exercise yard in their high-security prison which restricts their view of the horizon.  —  The alleged extremists are locked up while the Government tries to remove them from the country.

Iraq Leader Says the Arab Spring Benefits Israel  —  BAGHDAD — While Western leaders including President Obama called on President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to step down, Iraq's prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, warned Arab leaders in a speech on Thursday that Israel would benefit the most from the Arab Spring.

Democrats' road tour strikes back at GOP's stand against raising taxes  —  SANDWICH, Ill. — On Wednesday morning, as his tinted black bus pulled into Randy Hultgren's congressional district, President Obama told residents that Republicans like Hultgren must be willing to raise taxes to reduce the deficit.

Rick Perry Spokesperson Doesn't Know That His Boss Thinks Social Security Is Unconstitutional  —  Shortly after a disastrous campaign appearance where Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) stuffed food in his mouth to avoid explaining his claim that Social Security is unconstitutional …

Court rules against Catholic Charities in foster-care case  —  A circuit court judge ruled Aug. 18 against four Catholic charities in a lawsuit against the state over the right to continue with foster care services.  —  Judge John Schmidt ruled that the state did not violate the rights …