The Pope must die, says Muslim  —  A notorious Muslim extremist told a demonstration in London yesterday that the Pope should face execution.  —  Anjem Choudary said those who insulted Islam would be "subject to capital punishment".  —  His remarks came during a protest outside Westminster Cathedral …

Head-in-the-Sand Liberals  —  Western civilization really is at risk from Muslim extremists.  —  TWO YEARS AGO I published a book highly critical of religion, "The End of Faith."  In it, I argued that the world's major religions are genuinely incompatible, inevitably cause conflict …

Rhode Island Senate: Chafee Trailing By 8  —  Whitehouse (D) 51% Chafee (R) 43%  —  The GOP establishment forcefully backed Republican Lincoln Chafee in the primary over a more conservative and arguably less-electable Republican.  But, perhaps damaged by having to struggle so long for the nomination …

Support for Electronic Filing of Senate Candidates' Campaign-Finance Records Gains Momentum  —  In the next few weeks leading up to Election Day, money will pour into candidates' coffers and voters will be able to see which lobby groups are trying hardest to buy their lawmakers' favor.

Report from the Steak Fry  —  The Tom Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, IA yesterday was Barack Obama's coming out party as a national candidate for higher office.  Whether that campaign is for President or Vice President in 2008 or 2012 is still up in the air — but there's no doubt …

What's Really Propping Up The Economy  —  Since 2001, the health-care industry has added 1.7 million jobs.  The rest of the private sector?  None  —  If you really want to understand what makes the U.S. economy tick these days, don't go to Silicon Valley, Wall Street, or Washington.

BREAKING/Exclusive: Why FBI Raided Largest U.S. Islamic Charity Today  —  I've been writing about LIFE for Relief and Development for years, and I think my columns (especially this one, a shorter version of which appeared in the New York Post), have finally made a difference.

Republicans gain in midterm polls  —  Republicans appear to be gaining on the Democrats in the 2006 midterm campaign because of growing confidence in the economy, falling gas prices and President Bush's sustained political offensive on the terrorist threat, according to pollsters and campaign strategists.

Compromise Called Possible on Interrogations  —  President Bush's national security adviser signaled on Sunday that he was seeking a compromise with the Republican senators who are rebelling against the administration's proposal to explicitly permit certain severe interrogation practices against terrorism suspects.

Major State Union Switches To Lamont  —  AFSCME Council 4 Drops Lieberman, Citing Movement Toward Bush Policies  —  One of the state's largest labor unions has dropped its endorsement of U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman and switched its support to Democratic primary winner Ned Lamont.

Jew!  —  A Virginia Senate campaign fought largely in Youtube got its newest Youtube moment today — courtesy the unlikeliest of sources, a reporter.  —  9News Now reporter Peggy Fox probably wouldn't have been booed at Nuremberg.  But that's the treatment she got inside the Hilton McLean Ballroom …

When Atheists and Secularists Quote Scripture  —  I probably shouldn't wade into this, but it does dovetail with something I've been pondering lately.  Namely, that an essentially post-Christian West comes to the battle with Islamism, Islamofascism, caliphascism, or whatever you want to call …

Klobuchar keeps big lead over Kennedy  —  A charged-up DFL base and disapproval of Bush play a role in the margin, similar to a July poll's.  —  DFL U.S. Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar continues to hold a dominant lead over GOP rival Mark Kennedy, 56 to 32 percent, in the latest Minnesota Poll …

Give him another week  —  Almost 50 years ago, a reporter asked President Dwight Eisenhower what major contributions his vice president, Richard M. Nixon, had made to the Eisenhower administration.  Ike's response was telling and hilarious.  He said, "If you give me a week, I might think of one."

Time for a Time-Out?  —  Will the GOP learn its lesson on pork?  —  If Republicans lose big in November, one reason will be their tardy response to public outrage over profligate spending.  The guilty pleas of former GOP Rep. Duke Cunningham and lobbyist Jack Abramoff prompted demands …

In Politics, Aim for the Heart, Not the Head  —  In 1935, researchers from Columbia University fanned out around the city of Allentown, Pa., and handed out leaflets ahead of local and state elections.  What residents did not know was that they were part of an experiment in political persuasion …

The Trap  —  There is now a clear and live contrast between Bush and the Democrats on an important issue in the war on terror.  —  Too bad.  It will be.  On September 6, 2006, President Bush set the trap.  He spoke in the East Room of the White House on the war on terror.

A Show That Trumpeted History but Led to Confusion  —  It's little wonder that ABC's mini-series "The Path to 9/11" drew stinging criticism earlier this month for its invented scenes, fabricated dialogue and unsubstantiated accounts of how the Clinton and Bush administrations conducted themselves …

Murdered nun asked forgiveness for killers as she lay dying, colleagues say  —  NAIROBI, Kenya Sister Leonella, a nun who devoted her life to helping the sick in volatile regions of Africa, used to joke that there was a bullet with her name engraved on it in Somalia.