Jon Huntsman Comes Out Swinging  —  ABC News' Jake Tapper reports:  —  In an interview to air on THIS WEEK Sunday, former Utah Governor and US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman came out swinging against his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.  —  Some excerpts:

Iran jails U.S. “hikers” as spies for 8 years  —  (Reuters) - Two Americans held in Iran for more than two years have been convicted as spies and sentenced to eight years' jail, Iranian TV reported on Saturday, a verdict that will further strain already very poor relations with Washington.

Rove: Palin will run  —  Former Bush advisor Karl Rove says he believes former Alaska governor Sarah Palin will enter the Republican presidential race sometime around Labor Day.  Appearing on Fox News Saturday morning, Rove said Palin “has a schedule next week that looks like that of a candidate, not a celebrity.”

Obama's Beach Reading  —  VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. - It's here... President Obama's summer vacation reading list, and it's heavy on fiction. … Mr. Obama, who is vacationing on Martha's Vineyard, picked up a couple of books during an outing Friday with his daughters, Sasha and Malia.

Dismal poll numbers for Obama in PA  —  Economy drags down approval numbers in Pennsylvania, a state the president would likely need to win a second term.  —  U.S. President Obama holds a baby after landing in Buzzard's Bay before boarding Marine One to take him to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts (August 18, 2011)

Gov. Christie admits climate change is a real problem, that human activity plays a role  —  TRENTON — In case anyone had any doubts on where Gov. Chris Christie stands on climate change, he made his position crystal clear this afternoon: It's real and it's a problem.

If You Read One ‘Serious’ Newspaper Article This Weekend ...  ... well, that's not bad for mid-August.  But please let it be this one, by Jackie Calmes in today's New York Times, about the economic and political consequences of the House GOP's anti-deficit push.

CWA, IBEW REACH AGREEMENT ON BARGAINING WITH VERIZON; MEMBERS TO RETURN TO WORK TUESDAY, AUGUST 23  —  Following is a statement by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers:  —  For release 1 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011

Verizon Union Worker Hospitalized After Altercation in Riverhead  —  A Verizon union worker was hospitalized after a physical altercation with a non-union Verizon manager Thursday in Riverhead.  —  Dennis Dunn was taken to the hospital following a squabble with George Googe, an out-of-state Verizon manager.

Explosions and gunfire rock besieged Tripoli  —  Residents say they could hear shooting from several locations and there were anti-Gaddafi protesters in the streets.  —  Explosions and gunfire rocked Tripoli on Saturday night, after days of battlefield defeats left Muammar Gaddafi's government …

The Imperial Presidency  —  Rick Perry, governor of Texas, has only been in the presidential race for 20 minutes, but he's already delivered one of the best lines in the campaign:  —  “I'll work every day to try to make Washington, D.C., as inconsequential in your life as I can.”

GM says bankruptcy excuses it from Impala repairs  —  * Suspension problem said to cause excessive tire wear  —  General Motors Co (GM.N) is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit over a suspension problem on more than 400,000 Chevrolet Impalas from the 2007 and 2008 model years …

Has Japan Gone The Way Of Japan?  —  Something I've sporadically wondered about since the US fell into its funk and people started wondering if we would go the way of Japan is whether Japan has actually gone the way of Japan.  Like consider the unemployment rate:  —  That's not so bad.

Our Politics Are Sick  —  We have a tendency to elect presidents who seem like the antitheses of their immediate predecessors — randy young Kennedy the un-Eisenhower, earnest truth-telling Carter the un-Nixon, charismatic Reagan the un-Carter, randy young Clinton the un-H.W. Bush, cool and cerebral Obama the un-W.

Obama dangerously close to a ‘Killer Rabbit’ moment  —  President heads for Martha's Vineyard vacation as unemployment lines grow  —  Is President Barack Obama on the verge of being attacked by a bunny wabbit?  —  Absolutely.  —  All the signs suggest that Obama is in immediate danger of a rabbit attack.

Lawyer for Strauss-Kahn's Accuser Expects Charges to Be Dropped  —  Manhattan prosecutors will meet with the woman who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault on the eve of a court appearance in which they are expected to announce whether they will proceed with the case.