- Israelis and Palestinians agree to more peace meetings
(Reuters)
Reuters - Israeli and Palestinian leaders opened direct peace talks under U.S. auspices on Thursday and agreed to meet every two weeks to try to forge a deal within a year to end a conflict that has boiled for six decades.
- Obama Unpopular Ahead of Midterms: Will the GOP Benefit?
(Time.com)
Time.com - Nine weeks before the midterm elections, Barack Obama finds himself on the wrong side of the polls. Where did all that adoration go -- and is a Republican sweep next?
- Is the tea party becoming the new Grand Old Party?
(AP)
AP - Is the tea party the new Republican Party? The grass-roots network of fed-up conservative-libertarian voters displayed its power in its biggest triumph of the election year: the toppling of Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska's GOP primary. Political novice Joe Miller is the fifth tea party insurgent to win a GOP Senate nominating contest, an upset that few, if any, saw coming.
- Economy tops 1st Boxer, Fiorina Senate debate
(AP)
AP - Sen. Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina exchanged feisty jabs on taxes, the economy and their records in Congress and corporate America during the first debate in their Senate race.
- Some Democrats See Competitive Opportunity in Alaska
(CQPolitics.com)
CQPolitics.com - With Sen. Lisa Murkowski conceding the Alaska GOP primary Tuesday night to lawyer Joe Miller, some Democrats now believe they have a chance to pick up a seat in a state no one thought could be in play in a cycle where Democrats are facing a significant loss of seats.
- Latest distraction for CO candidate: Kansas resume
(AP)
AP - Colorado gubernatorial hopeful Dan Maes' murky past in law enforcement in neighboring Kansas has become the latest distraction in his gaffe-ridden campaign.
- Gates: Iraq outcome 'will always be clouded by how it began'
(McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - BAGHDAD — The U.S. military Wednesday marked the end of its combat mission in Iraq amid a series of conflicting messages that underscored the mixed feelings many here, both American and Iraqi, have toward a seven-and-a-half-year effort that cost tens of thousands of lives but left the political outcome undecided.
- 'Don't tread on me' flag starts disputes around the country
(The Upshot)
The Upshot - An Arizona man is in trouble with his homeowners' association over flying the Gadsden flag, which features a coiled rattlesnake and the words "Don't Tread on Me." The flag has been adopted by members of the tea party movement for its association with the American Revolution, but Andy McDonel tells the New York Times that [...]
- Dingell: 'I need your maximum contribution'
(Politico)
Politico - Veteran Michigan Democratic Rep. John Dingell is telling donors he could be in trouble in November.
- O'Donnell plays defense on radio
(Politico)
Politico - Once-supportive host grills Delaware candidate.
- More Dems buck plan to let taxes increase for rich
(AP)
AP - Congress seems increasingly reluctant to let taxes go up, even on wealthier Americans.
- Jordan's king: Terrorists want to derail talks
(AP)
AP - Jordan's King Abdullah II suggests that failure of new peace talks between Isarel and the Palestinians would be a victory for terrorists seeking to derail the process.
- 6 years on, Portugal child sex trial reaches end
(AP)
AP - A child sex abuse trial that has lasted nearly six years is drawing to a close after producing chilling testimony from dozens of alleged victims and shaking public trust in Portugal's institutions.
- Obama to hold press conference next Friday
(Reuters)
Reuters - President Barack Obama will hold a press conference on Friday, September 10, the White House said on Thursday.
- A second stimulus: Are tax cuts the answer?
(The Week)
The Week - President Obama reportedly is considering a second stimulus depending more heavily on tax cuts than the first. Will that save the economic recovery?
- GOP Committees Look to Outside Groups to Fund Fall Ground Game
(CQPolitics.com)
CQPolitics.com - Republican strategists wary of relying on a Republican National Committee beset by controversy are relying on third-party organizations to fund and manage crucial ground game operations for the midterm elections.
- Bernanke rejects notion that he could have saved Lehman
(McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke strongly rejected as "myth" suggestions that he could have saved investment bank Lehman Brothers and prevented the near collapse of the global financial system.
- Congress May Miss Chance to Fix Schools
(CQPolitics.com)
CQPolitics.com - The prospect of finally fixing America's public schools looks better now than ever, but there's still a chance that this golden economic and moral opportunity could slip away.
- GOP will take over House, political guru Sabato predicts
(McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — The Democrats are likely to lose 47 seats and control of the House of Representatives in November's elections, a top political analyst says in a new forecast Thursday.