Poll finds Obama losing ground to Republicans  —  WASHINGTON — Look out President Barack Obama.  Even Sarah Palin's gaining on you.  —  A new McClatchy-Marist poll finds that Obama looks increasingly vulnerable in next year's election, with a majority of voters believing he'll lose to any Republican …

Full Text: Republicans' Letter to Bernanke Questioning More Fed Action  —  The top four congressional Republicans sent the following letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Monday ahead of the central bank's two-day meeting that began today:  —  Dear Chairman Bernanke,

Rick Santorum contacted Google, says company spreads ‘filth’  —  A Google search for Santorum has generated some inappropriate results since gay columnist Dan Savage organized an online campaign to link graphic sexual terms to the socially conservative senator's name.

Marine Recruiters Visit Gay Center in Oklahoma  —  TULSA, Okla. — Master Sgt. Anthony Henry, a top Marine recruiting trainer for the southwestern United States, pulled up to Tulsa's biggest gay community center on Tuesday morning and left his Chevy where he could make a fast getaway.

Obama's Push to Stop Palestine Statehood Bid  —  Scrambling to head off a diplomatic clash, President Barack Obama will publicly push for the Palestinians to drop a statehood bid when he addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.  —  Obama will follow up his speech with separate meetings …

Gary Johnson's Big Breakthrough  —  The former New Mexico governor has just landed a spot in the next presidential debate Thursday night.  Howard Kurtz on why that could take the heat off Perry and Romney.

Barack Obama joins Open Government Partnership for group photo  —  U.S. President Barack Obama waves while standing with other leaders during the Open Government Partnership event at the United Nations September 20 in New York City.  The United Nations General Assembly kicks off September 21 …

Recounting the Dead  —  Even as Civil War history has gone through several cycles of revision, one thing has remained fixed: the number of dead.  Since about 1900, historians and the general public have assumed that 618,222 men died on both sides.  That number is probably a significant undercount, however.

American hikers freed in Iran  —  Tehran, Iran (CNN) — Two American hikers imprisoned as spies in Iran for more than two years were released on bail Wednesday, Iranian and U.S. officials said.  —  The news of their release comes a day before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due …

U.S. assembling secret drone bases in Africa, Arabian Peninsula, officials say  —  The Obama administration is assembling a constellation of secret drone bases for counterterrorism operations in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as part of a newly aggressive campaign …

Dan Choi re-enlisting  —  More than two years after former infantry officer Daniel Choi came out on a talk show as a gay service member - an event that led to his discharge - the Iraq war veteran says he will re-enlist in the U.S. Army following Tuesday's repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Rep. Ryan: Rick Perry is right on Social Security  —  The Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee on Tuesday drew fire from Democrats for backing Texas Gov. Rick Perry's description of Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme.”  —  Social Security fits the technical definition of a Ponzi scheme …

Chart of the Day: ‘Buffett Rule’ Wouldn't Bring In Much Revenue  —  This week, President Obama announced a new way for the government to make more money: put a floor on the tax rates that millionaires face.  He coined the idea the “Buffett Rule,” after billionaire investor Warren Buffett …

Poll: Economic pessimism deepens, and more blame Obama  —  WASHINGTON - Americans' pessimism about the economy and its future is deepening, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, and they are increasingly willing to hold President Obama responsible for hard times.  —  Eight of 10 say the economy …

Apple's Next Event to Be Held on October 4, Starring Its New CEO  —  That's the day Apple is currently expected to hold its next big media event, according to sources close to the situation, where the tech giant will unveil the next iteration of its popular iPhone.

UN Ambassador Susan Rice Fires Back at Mitt Romney and Rick Perry: Don't ‘Play Politics’ with Diplomacy  —  President Obama faces a diplomatic thicket at the UN this week, and it's drawing fire from the Republicans who want to replace him.  This morning on “GMA,” Obama's UN Ambassador fired back.