Republicans Against Science  —  Jon Huntsman Jr., a former Utah governor and ambassador to China, isn't a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination.  And that's too bad, because Mr. Hunstman has been willing to say the unsayable about the G.O.P. — namely, that it is becoming the “anti-science party.”

A Hurricane of Hype  —  Irene fell far short of the media's dire warnings even before it was downgraded.  Howard Kurtz on the scaremongering by television and local officials.

CNN Exclusive: Lockerbie bomber comatose, near death, family says  —  Tripoli, Libya (CNN) — Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi is comatose, near death and likely to take secrets of the attack on Pan Am Flight 103 to his grave.  —  CNN found al-Megrahi under the care of his family …

George Will Slams Dick Cheney For Not Apologizing For Iraq  —  Damn it, I hate it when this happens.  I actually agree with George Will.  As I reel from worlds colliding, let's look at the astonishing admission of wrongness on behalf of a Republican to which George Will wants an apology:

Deval Patrick laments ‘tragedy,’ fails to take action  —  My guess is that Hurricane Irene is going to kill a lot fewer Americans in Massachusetts this year than illegal aliens are.  But don't tell that to Gov. Deval Patrick — he doesn't want to talk about dead Americans and the drunk Ecuadorians who killed them.

Michele Bachmann rally draws over 1,000 in Sarasota, but some prefer Rick Perry  —  SARASOTA — Hurricane Irene bypassed the state and spared Michele Bachmann's first campaign foray in Florida this weekend, but now she has to contend with Hurricane Perry.  —  Even as the Minnesota congresswoman …

Is Rick Perry dumb?  —  Another Texas governor who drops his “g's” and scorns elites is running for president and the whispers are the same: Lightweight, incurious, instinctual.  —  Strip away the euphemisms, and Rick Perry is confronting an unavoidable question: is he dumb - or just misunderestimated?

Abbas: We won't recognize Israel as Jewish state  —  Palestinian leader defiant ahead of UN statehood bid, urges international community to back off; 'Don't order us to recognize Jewish state,' he says.  Foreign Minister says world must tell Abbas state cannot come at Israel's expense  —  Elior Levy

Colin Powell undecided on 2012 choice  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says there are some “interesting” presidential candidates for the 2012 Republican nomination - but that he's not sure yet who he'll be voting for.  —  Powell, who served under former …

Va. soldier sought in 4 deaths found dead in Pa.  —  JAMISON, Pa. — An Army officer suspected of killing four people in Pennsylvania and Virginia was found dead in a wooded area Sunday after a manhunt during Tropical Storm Irene's winds and drenching rains paralyzed residents in this Philadelphia suburb.

As Fortunes Dim, Banks Confront a Leaner Future  —  Battered by a weak economy, the nation's biggest banks are cutting jobs, consolidating businesses and scrambling for new sources of income in anticipation of a fundamentally altered financial landscape requiring leaner operations.

Ugly?  You May Have a Case  —  Daniel S. Hamermesh, a professor of economics at the University of Texas, Austin, is the author of “Beauty Pays,” published this month.  —  BEING good-looking is useful in so many ways.  —  In addition to whatever personal pleasure it gives you …