A New York Hurricane Could Be a 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 potential loss of life …

President Rick Perry?  —  A few weeks ago it was possible to believe that Mitt Romney would win the New Hampshire primary and cruise easily to the Republican nomination.  It's harder to see that now.  —  There have been a slew of polls showing Gov. Rick Perry of Texas surging to double-digit national leads.

The Near- and Longer-Term Prospects for the U.S. Economy  —  Good morning.  As always, thanks are due to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City for organizing this conference.  This year's topic, long-term economic growth, is indeed pertinent—as has so often been the case at this symposium in past years.

Guitar Frets: Environmental Enforcement Leaves Musicians in Fear  —  Federal agents swooped in on Gibson Guitar Wednesday, raiding factories and offices in Memphis and Nashville, seizing several pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars.  The Feds are keeping mum, but in a statement …

Republican Politician Naked, Bending Over on Gay Sex Site  —  Puerto Rico's Anthony Weiner is much more thrilling than ours: Last week, images from Puerto Rican senator and GOP cheerleader Roberto Arango's alleged profile on gay hook-up app Grindr surfaced.  When a Puerto Rican TV show confronted him …

ESPN ‘reminds’ Azinger to lay off tweets about President Obama  —  UPDATE: ESPN is coming down on Paul Azinger for mocking President Barack Obama on Twitter.  The golf analyst tweeted Friday that the Commander-in-chief plays more golf than he does — and that Azinger has created more jobs this month than Obama has.

Fear, Inc.  —  The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America  —  Anti-Muslim graffiti defaces a Shi'ite mosque at the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan.  —  SOURCE: Getty Images/Bill Pugliano  —  Download individual chapters of the report (pdf):

U.S. Offers Key Support to Canadian Pipeline  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration gave a crucial green light on Friday to a proposed 1,711-mile pipeline that would carry heavy oil from Canada across the Great Plains to terminals in Oklahoma and the Gulf Coast, saying the project …

About Jonathan Alter  —  You Think Obama's Been a Bad President?  Prove It: Jonathan Alter  —  Tell me again why Barack Obama has been such a bad president?  I'm not talking here about him as a tactician and communicator.  We can agree that he has played some bad poker with Congress.

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 …

Indiana College Bans “Too Violent” National Anthem  —  First it banned the words, now the whole song  —  The National Anthem is a tradition at sporting events, but it is banned at Goshen College.  —  Tiny Goshen College in Indiana has banned the “The Star Spangled Banner …

Report: U.S. warns Palestinians it will halt aid  —  The United States has warned it will take “punitive measures” if the Palestinians move forward on their statehood bid, a top Palestinian official said Friday.  —  Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat released a statement quoting U.S. Consul General …

Gadafy daughter who ‘died’ in 1986 alive  —  The adopted daughter of Muammar Gadafy, whom he claimed died as an infant in the 1986 US bombing of his Tripoli compound, appears to be alive and worked as a doctor in the Libyan capital, documents discovered by The Irish Times indicate.