In S.F., Rick Perry compares homosexuality to alcoholism  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry, speaking in San Francisco on Wednesday night, said the U.S. would better serve its diverse population by letting the states handle many economic and social policies, a point he perhaps inadvertently drove home …

U.S. Said to Rebuff Iraqi Request to Strike Militants  —  WASHINGTON — As the threat from Sunni militants in western Iraq escalated last month, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki secretly asked the Obama administration to consider carrying out airstrikes against extremist staging areas, according to Iraqi and American officials.

Political Polarization in the American Public  —  How Increasing Ideological Uniformity and Partisan Antipathy Affect Politics, Compromise and Everyday Life  —  Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines - and partisan antipathy is deeper and more extensive - than at any point in the last two decades.

Solar Flares Disrupt Communications on Earth, Could Send Shockwave on Friday the 13th  —  The sun has had three major solar flares on its surface in the past two days that have affected communications on Earth and could send a shockwave through Earth this Friday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Iraqi Drama Catches U.S. Off Guard  —  The quickly unfolding drama prompted a White House meeting Wednesday of top policy makers and military leaders who were caught off guard by the swift collapse of Iraqi security forces.

Bergdahl's writings reveal a fragile young man  —  Before he became a Taliban prisoner, before he wrote in his journal “I am the lone wolf of deadly nothingness,” before he ever joined the Army, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard for psychological reasons …

US spy agencies heard Benghazi attackers using State Dept. cell phones to call terrorist leaders  —  Sept. 11, 2012: The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames during a terrorist attack.Reuters  —  The terrorists who attacked the U.S. consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi on September 11 …

Oklahoma GOP Candidate OK With Stoning Gay People To Death  —  A Republican candidate for the Oklahoma state House who boasts that he's looking forward to “applying Biblical principles to Oklahoma law” is okay with gay people being stoned to death — even if he won't legislate the practice himself.