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.

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 …

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 …

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.

NLRB OKs new rule, faces new controversy  —  The National Labor Relations Board, already under attack from conservatives concerned about regulatory overreach, is requiring that businesses must post information in the workplace telling employees about their rights to unionize.

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?

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 …

Giant rat killed by pitchfork in Marcy Houses is believed to be Gambian pouched rat  —  It sounds like an urban legend: giant mutant-looking rats roaming a city housing project.  —  Only there's a picture.  —  A photo making the rounds shows Housing Authority worker Jose Rivera minutes …

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 …

Blast Hits U.N. Building in Nigeria  —  ABUJA, Nigeria — A huge explosion rocked the main United Nations building in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, on Friday, sending billows of smoke over the area and spreading panic among citizens.  —  News agency reports quoted witnesses as saying the blast …

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.

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 …

Ariz. sues feds over Voting Rights Act  —  The state of Arizona filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the federal government's authority to enforce part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, becoming the first state to challenge the constitutionality of sections of the federal law that bars states …

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 …

What is Debt?  - An Interview with Economic Anthropologist David Graeber  —  David Graeber currently holds the position of Reader in Social Anthropology at Goldsmiths University London.  Prior to this he was an associate professor of anthropology at Yale University.

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.

Apology  —  I have an apology to make for “The awful, necessary truth about Palestinian terror,” which I posted here and on Facebook on Sunday.  I didn't mean to say anything “good” about Palestinian terror against Israelis - I see nothing good in it whatsoever, and I thought I made that clear, but I see now that I didn't.