Rick Santelli to Tom Friedman: 'You're idiotic'  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican presidential candidate, stuck to his claim that Social Security in its current form is a so-called Ponzi scheme during last night's presidential debate.  The media are getting a lot of mileage out of sound bite.

Ron Paul Debate: Rick Perry Physically Grabs Him, Points at His Face  —  During the Sept. 7 Republican debate, Ron Paul clashed with fellow Texan Rick Perry once again.  —  This time, things got physical.  —  During a commercial break, Perry walked up to Paul's podium, physically grabbed Paul's wrist …

Why They Cheered  —  Capital punishment brings out the worst in the liberal elite.  —  (Note: We're working on an assignment, so today's column is abbreviated.  We return tomorrow at the usual length.)  —  Perhaps the most striking statement at last night's Republican presidential debate came …

Court rejects health law challenges  —  A federal appeals court on Thursday threw out two challenges to President Barack Obama's health care overhaul on procedural grounds.  —  Delivering a two-pronged win to the Obama administration, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals said Virginia has no right …

Longshoremen storm Wash. state port, damage RR  —  LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — Hundreds of Longshoremen stormed the Port of Longview early Thursday, overpowered and held security guards, damaged railroad cars, and dumped grain that is the center of a labor dispute, said Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha.

A big, bold jobs plan  —  With President Barack Obama preparing to address a joint session of Congress about our unemployment crisis Thursday night, our message to him - as his reliable supporters and political allies — is simple: Think big and act boldly.  —  Americans expect and deserve nothing less.

FBI serves search warrants at Solyndra  —  (09-08) 09:35 PDT FREMONT — FBI agents served search warrants this morning at Solyndra, the Fremont solar company that abruptly closed last week, two years after receiving more than $500 million in federal stimulus money, an agency official said.

Obama brings guests to jobs speech  —  This is turning into a State of the Union-like event.  —  The White House has announced that nearly two-dozen guests will sit with first lady Michelle Obama to watch President Obama deliver his jobs speech to a joint session of Congress.

DCCC Drops A Half-Million To Save Weiner Seat  —  From National Journal:  —  PICTURES: Pols and Wonks Who Went to Hollywood  —  INSIDERS POLL: Dems Hold on to Hope  —  Perry: Powerful but Unpolished  —  Democrats are showing the clearest sign yet of concern ahead of next Tuesday's special election …

‘Reason To Believe’: Joe Scarborough Releases Powerful Antiwar Song … For all the similarities between America's war in Vietnam and those in Iraq and Afghanistan, this past decade's wars have not yielded the singular pop-cultural response that the earlier quagmire did.

The U.S. Economic Outlook  —  Good afternoon.  I am delighted to be in the Twin Cities and would like to thank the Economic Club of Minnesota for inviting me to kick off its 2011-2012 speaker series.  Today I will provide a brief overview of the U.S. economic outlook and conclude …

Rep. Bachmann fills vacuum, announces rebuttal to president's jobs speech  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), struggling to maintain visibility as a Republican presidential candidate, will rebut President Obama's jobs speech to Congress on Thursday, her congressional office said.

White House releases talking points to liberals ahead of speech  —  The teleprompter script for tonight's speech by President Barack Obama is still a secret, but the White House's script for spinning reporters, bloggers, and their audiences has been leaked to The Daily Caller.

The Obama Presidency by the Numbers  —  The president constantly reminds us that he was dealt a difficult hand.  But the evidence is overwhelming that he played it poorly.  —  When it comes to the economy, presidents, like quarterbacks, often get more credit or blame than they deserve.

Turkish warships will escort aid vessels to Gaza: Erdogan  —  (Reuters) - Turkey said on Thursday it would escort aid ships to Gaza and would not allow a repetition of last year's Israeli raid that killed nine Turks, setting the stage for a potential naval confrontation with its former ally.

Rising Fears of Recession  —  If history is a guide, the odds that the American economy is falling into a double-dip recession have risen sharply in recent weeks and may even have reached 50 percent.  —  Economies have a strong self-reinforcing nature.  When people are optimistic, they spend …

The check may never be in the mail again  —  It may be the perfect metaphor for America, 2011: The US Postal Service — one of the few government agencies actually authorized by the Constitution — is about to go bankrupt.  —  The USPS traces its roots back to 1692 but has seen …