Pataki not running-Perry talking with Trump-Romney, Bachmann staying the course-Huntsman's purple tie-Kimball: Never Quit-GOP turning on Palin  —  SCORE EXCLUSIVE - TRUMP TALKING WITH PERRY: Rick Perry has been speaking with Donald Trump by phone since wading into the presidential race, a Trump representative told Morning Score.

Tougher Questions for the Candidates  —  In my latest column, I wrote about asking our presidential candidates more questions regarding their religious beliefs.  Here's the general questionnaire I sent to the candidates:  —  1. Is it fair to question presidential candidates about details of their faith?

New York Hurricane Could Be Multibillion-Dollar Catastrophe  —  Time to think about the unthinkable.  What if a major hurricane were to pass close to New York City, as several forecasting models now suggest that Hurricane Irene might?  —  Apart from the inevitable loss of life …

‘Angry’ Mitt Romney ‘Loses His Cool’ With Voter At New Hampshire Town Hall  —  Former GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney got into a heated exchange with a voter at a New Hampshire town hall event Wednesday over his support for a balanced budget amendment, and by the mainstream media's …

IN GOPer: I Just Talked About Baseball With The Young Man I Solicited On Craigslist  —  State Rep. Phillip Hinkle, the anti-gay marriage Indiana Republican accused of offering to pay a young man he met over Craigslist for “a good time,” admits that he paid the man but contends …

Source: Pataki decides against White House run  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former New York Gov. George Pataki will not run for the Republican presidential nomination, a source close to him told CNN.  —  Pataki, who had been flirting with a White House bid for months, was scheduled to appear …

Dick Cheney book ‘In My Times’ has no apologies  —  Former vice president Dick Cheney takes quite a few shots — and makes no apologies — in his long-anticipated autobiography, “In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir,” which will be out Tuesday.  —  The book, written his daughter Liz Cheney …

Potomac Falls woman removed from son's Boy Scout troop  —  (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) |  From left, Jaden Steele, 9, Jackson Steele, 12, and mothers Denise Steele and Jackie Funk, load their plates with tacos for dinner in their Potomac Falls home.

On the Future of Libya  —  We join the Libyan people in gratefulness as we hear of Col. Gaddafi's defeat.  The fall of a tyrant and sponsor of terrorism is a great day for freedom-loving people around the world.  But the path to democracy in Libya is not complete, and we must make wise choices …

AFL-CIO president: Obama is aligned with tea party, not fixing jobs  —  Richard Trumka, president of union giant AFL-CIO, delivered a scathing review of President Barack Obama at a press breakfast Thursday morning.  He accused him of abandoning Democratic ideals and aligning himself with the conservative tea party.

Bernanke's Perry Problem  —  As I write this, investors around the world are anxiously awaiting Ben Bernanke's speech at the annual Fed gathering at Jackson Hole, Wyo. They want to know whether Mr. Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, will unveil new policies that might lift …

For Some in G.O.P., a Tax Cut Not Worth Embracing  —  WASHINGTON — It is hard to find a tax cut that Congressional Republicans dislike.  Unless it is a tax cut pushed by President Obama.  —  In a turning of the tax policy tables, Democrats are increasingly hammering on Republicans who oppose …

CERN: ‘Climate models will need to be substantially revised’  —  New atomsmasher research into cloud formation  —  CERN's 8,000 scientists may not be able to find the hypothetical Higgs boson, but they have made an important contribution to climate physics, prompting climate models to be revised.

With Hurricane Bearing Down Cantor Spox Says Disaster Relief Should Be Paid For With Spending Cuts  —  Looks like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) will extend his requirement that federal disaster relief be paid for by cutting spending elsewhere in the budget to Hurricane Irene.

Huntsman Up Close  —  This afternoon I had the opportunity to attend a journalists' Q&A with former Utah Gov. John Huntsman (R) put on by Bloomberg View.  I'll probably write about it more going forward.  But I just wanted to share some quick impressions while they are fresh in my mind.

Obama Leadership Image Takes a Hit, GOP Ratings Decline  —  Continued Dissatisfaction with Republican Field  —  OVERVIEW  —  The public is profoundly discontented with conditions in the country, its government, political leadership and several of its major institutions.

Billions Meant for Struggling Homeowners May Pay Down Deficit Instead  —  With housing prices dropping sharply, and foreclosure filings against more than 1 million properties in the first half of this year, the Obama administration is scrambling for ways to help homeowners.