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 …

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.

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 …

Eric Cantor weighs in on Rick Perry's ‘Ponzi’ rhetoric  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Thursday offered Texas Gov. Rick Perry a softer way to describe Social Security, instead of calling it a Ponzi scheme.  —  The Virginia Republican, speaking to a group of reporters at a lunch organized …

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.

‘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.

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.

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.

Why liberals fear the ‘Lochner’ decision  —  Liberal certitudes continue to dissolve, the most recent solvent being a robust new defense of a 1905 Supreme Court decision that liberals have long reviled — and misrepresented.  To understand why the court correctly decided Lochner v. New York …

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.

Holder Denies Prior Knowledge of ‘Fast and Furious’  —  The head of the U.S. Justice Department launched his strongest personal defense yet in the growing furor over Operation Fast and Furious, the controversial sting targeting Mexican drug cartels and American gunrunners.

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 …

Amazon cuts deal on California sales taxes  —  Legislative leaders agree to let the online retailer delay collecting taxes for a year, while it would drop its battle to overturn the state law.  Gov. Jerry Brown has not said if he will support the plan.  —  “It's a safe harbor for up to a year …