Police Decision to Shoot in Midtown Left 9 Wounded  —  As the two officers confronted a gunman in front of the Empire State Building on a busy Friday morning, they had to make a snap decision: Do they open fire in the middle of Midtown?  —  From a distance of less than 10 feet, the officers …

Anti-Obama Movie Stuns Hollywood For #4; Other Newcomers & Holdovers Weak Friday; Only 'The Expendables 2′ Can Break $10M  —  SATURDAY AM, 3RD UPDATE: Because of Friday's very weak box office, there was finally clarity for the Top 10 film rankings this morning.

Poll shows Akin's slide in Missouri Senate race  —  U.S. Senate challenger Todd Akin's support in Missouri has plummeted since his remarks a week ago about “legitimate rape” and pregnancy, putting him 9 points behind Sen. Claire McCaskill in a race he was previously winning, according to a new Post-Dispatch/News 4 poll.

Republican Women For Obama?  —  It happens all the time in talk radio: a caller will say that he is a lifelong Republican, and will recall fondly how he voted for Ronald Reagan.  Then he says that today's Republicans have gone too far, and for the first time ever he is voting for a Democrat!

Biden cancels Tampa trip due to storm  —  Vice President Joe Biden is postponing his trip to Tampa on Monday so local officials can devote their resources to Tropical Storm Isaac, the Obama Campaign announced Friday night.  —  Campaign officials said they were postponing Biden's visit to Tampa …

Romney says “birther” joke wasn't a swipe at Obama  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  (CBS News) In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley on Friday, Mitt Romney played down the remarks he made about President Obama's origins, arguing that they amounted to a joke and not a “swipe” at the president.

AP Interview: Obama on Romney's ‘extreme’ views  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Mitt Romney has locked himself into “extreme positions” on economic and social issues and would surely impose them if elected, trying to discredit his Republican rival at the biggest political moment of his life.

Christians victims of rising ‘hostility’ from gov't and secular groups, report says  —  Christians rally to show support of the Bald Knob Cross of Peace near Alto Pass, Ill. Atheists objected to the use of taxpayer money to pay for rehabbing the 11-foot cross.  (AP)

The End of the Line  —  Al and Tipper Gore at a rally in Boston after a presidential debate in October 2000.  The toll of the campaign was difficult for the family but ultimately set the stage for a reinvention.  More Photos »  —  AL GORE lives alone now, in a 10,000-square-foot colonial …

Peggy Noonan Is Responsible For Mitt Romney's Awkward Ethnic Japery  —  Ronald Reagan's official dirty limerick writer and sodden Irish niece Peggy Noonan was just being helpful when she started giving advice to balky word-saying machine Mitt Romney in an effort to help him in his quest to become America's Cool Dad father figure.

Planned Parenthood's Action Fund planning revenge on Mitt Romney  —  Planned Parenthood's Action Fund plans to spend more than $3 million in Ohio and Virginia against Mitt Romney in the wake of his pledge to “get rid” of the women's health advocacy group.  —  The group is one of several …

Why Isn't Romney Running Away With This Election?  —  Charlie Cook, the venerable elections and polling guru whose Cook Report is a must read for political junkies, posted an interesting article today headlined “It Shouldn't Be Close.”  In it, Cook argues that based on the economic …

Sanford Engaged to Former Argentinian Mistress  —  Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) has proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Maria Belen Chapur, according to a Argentinian newspaper, Clarin, The State reports.  —  Sanford was divorced two years ago after the scandal of his affair became public.

Hollywood bailing on President Obama and the Democratic National Convention  —  LOS ANGELES - President Obama recently praised Hollywood superstar George Clooney, calling him a “wonderful guy” and good friend.  But even in the wake of the headline-grabbing compliments …

UVA Declines Obama Campaign Request  —  A University of Virginia spokeswoman says President Barack Obama will not be at the university when he comes to Charlottesville on Wednesday.  In a statement released Friday, it was confirmed that the university declined the president's request to speak at UVA.