Republican Women For Obama?  [UPDATED: Another Fake “Republican” Exposed]  —  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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82: NBC  —  (Reuters) - Former U.S. astronaut, Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, has died at the age of 82, U.S. media reported on Saturday.  —  Armstrong underwent a heart-bypass surgery earlier this month, just two days after his birthday on August 5 …

Success and Risk as The Times Transforms  —  “WHY on earth would you want this job?”  —  Two years ago, I set out to answer this question in my inaugural public editor column — if only because so many people at The New York Times had asked it.  Now, as I complete my term and hand the baton …

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.

Biden Visits For Fundraiser, Says Election Is Choice Of ‘Fundamentally Different Paths’  —  Almost four years to the day since President Barack Obama picked him as his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden spoke to supporters at a fundraiser for the president in Bridgehampton on Friday afternoon.

Scott Brown surges ahead of Martha Coakley  —  No, that's not a typo or some psychological slip.  —  It's what I believe to reflect a sea change in how people view the Scott Brown - Elizabeth Warren match-up.  —  Earlier this week PPP released a poll showing Brown ahead by 5 points, and people were stunned particularly on the left.

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.

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.

Kid Rock shares the stage with Paul Ryan  —  PONTIAC, Mich. - Kid Rock, who will play at the GOP convention in Tampa and is the artist behind Mitt Romney's campaign song “Born Free,” made an appearance at Paul Ryan's fundraiser here in Michigan Friday.  —  According to a pool report …

Learning to Like Mitt  —  Andrew Ferguson, reluctant Romneyite  —  Now that he's officially the Republican nominee for president and has an excellent chance of becoming the most powerful man in the world, I feel free to admit, in the full knowledge that nobody cares, that I never liked Mitt Romney.

Why the Weak Economy Doesn't Doom Obama  —  Why isn't Mitt Romney doing better in his quest for the presidency?  That's the question a lot of pundits, left, right and center, are asking.  Given the weak economic recovery and the president's tepid approval ratings, one might expect Romney to run away with this.

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)

Romney: 'No One's Ever Asked To See My Birth Certificate'  —  Mitt Romney joked about the right-wing conspiracy theory claiming that President Obama was born in Kenya, during a rally in Commerce, Michigan on Thursday afternoon.  —  “No one's ever asked to see my birth certificate.