No endorsement in U.S. Senate race  —  Californians are left with a deeply unsatisfying choice for the U.S. Senate this year.  The incumbent, Democrat Barbara Boxer, has failed to distinguish herself during her 18 years in office.  There is no reason to believe that another six-year term …

UN to appoint Earth contact for aliens  —  THE United Nations was set today to appoint an obscure Malaysian astrophysicist to act as EarthÂ's first contact for any aliens that may come visiting.  —  Mazlan Othman, the head of the UN's little-known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa) …

Ann Coulter At Homocon: 'Marriage Is Not A Civil Right.  You're Not Black.'  —  Ann Coulter doesn't mince words.  And even when speaking to a gay conservative organization, GOProud, at their inaugural Homocon party on Saturday night, she apparently wasn't willing to start.

What the Rich Don't Need  —  WANT to give affluent households a present worth $700 billion over the next decade?  In a period of high unemployment and fiscal austerity, this idea may seem laughable.  Amazingly, though, it is getting traction in Washington.

Is the ‘Pledge to America’ a worthy successor to the ‘Contract With America’?  —  The men and women were so angry that they were actually spitting on me as they barked out their complaints — “sickening government spending” and “lobbyist legislation” and “repulsive corruption” and the “whole stinking mess.”

Exchequer vs. Economist  —  Some fellow at The Economist has taken me to task for my description of socialism and communism: “The difference between communism and socialism: Under communism, politics begins with a gun in your face; under socialism, politics ends with a gun in your face.”

Candidate trips on birther issue  —  Tim Walberg, the former GOP congressman running to win back his Michigan seat from freshman Democratic Rep. Mark Schauer, says he doesn't know whether President Obama was born in America or if he is a Muslim.  —  Asked on a local call-in radio show whether …

Democrats Unleash Ads Focusing on Rivals' Pasts  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic candidates across the country are opening a fierce offensive of negative advertisements against Republicans, using lawsuits, tax filings, reports from the Better Business Bureau and even divorce proceedings to try …

A'jad monster's ball  —  Tweet  —  It was a strange week for the loony strongman from Iran.  —  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's six nights in New York featured a secret sit-down with militant minister Louis Farrakhan, heckling in a hotel bar, and a fear of being rubbed out that bordered on paranoia.

Counter Islamophobia, Muslim nations urged  —  Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu urged members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to work with Western leaders to dispel misconceptions about their faith.  They met on the edge of the UN General Assembly.  —  Ihsanoglu said on Saturday …

Their Moon Shot and Ours  —  China is doing moon shots.  Yes, that's plural.  When I say “moon shots” I mean big, multibillion-dollar, 25-year-horizon, game-changing investments.  China has at least four going now: one is building a network of ultramodern airports; another is building a web …

Boehner: Tax cuts punt ‘most irresponsible thing I have seen’  —  House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called Congress' expected adjournment before acting on the Bush-era tax cuts the “most irresponsible thing that I have seen since I have been in Washington, D.C.  —  “And I've been here a while,” he added.

Poll finds Perry has the numbers, but White has a shot  —  wslater@dallasnews.com  —  AUSTIN - Rick Perry has a solid but not insurmountable lead over Democrat Bill White in a new poll that indicates the Republican governor has yet to win over a majority of Texas voters.

Rove Returns, With Team, Planning G.O.P. Push  —  WASHINGTON — In 2004, the Republican master strategist Karl Rove led weekly sessions at his Washington residence where, over big plates of his butter-smothered “eggies” and bacon slabs, he planned the re-election of President George W. Bush …

‘This Week’ Transcript: Axelrod, McConnell and Queen Rania  —  Plus, the ‘This Week’ roundtable.  —  AMANPOUR: Hello again.  And this week, the recession was finally declared over.  It officially ended June 2009, but the recovery has been slow and the voters have been losing patience.

The First Kennedy-Nixon Debate: Are We Better Off than 50 Years Ago?  —  Fifty years ago in Chicago, on Sept. 26, 1960, an enervated and emaciated Richard Nixon spent the day in seclusion in his suite at the Pick-Congress Hotel.  The GOP presidential nominee's contact with the outside world …