CIA watchdog faults agency on 9/11  —  Agency watchdog says officials lacked comprehensive plan to stop al-Qaida  —  WASHINGTON - The CIA's top leaders failed to use their available powers, never developed a comprehensive plan to stop al-Qaida and missed crucial opportunities to thwart …

A New York State of Mind  —  When I was working in television, I spent quite a bit of time in New York City.  There are lots of things about the place I like, but New York gun laws don't fall in that category.  —  Anybody who knows me knows I've always cared deeply about the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Congress Approval Rating Matches Historical Low  —  Just 18% approve of job Congress is doing  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds Congress' approval rating the lowest it has been since Gallup first tracked public opinion of Congress with this measure in 1974.

Politics Seen in Nasty Call to Spitzer's Father  —  Lawyers representing Gov. Eliot Spitzer's father, Bernard Spitzer, say a prominent political consultant who has been working for State Senate Republicans threatened the elder Mr. Spitzer this month in an anonymous, invective-laced phone message.

Book Chief: Conservatives Want Slogans  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Liberals read more books than conservatives.  The head of the book publishing industry's trade group says she knows why—and there's little flattering about conservative readers in her explanation.

CAIR blames Justice for its troubles  —  The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it is suffering from a decline in membership and fundraising and blames the Justice Department for listing it as an unindicted co-conspirator in a case involving a charity accused of terrorist ties.

Pentagon to shut controversial database  —  Anti-terror program criticized for storing information on peaceful protesters  —  WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said Tuesday that it will shut down an anti-terror database that has been criticized for improperly storing information on peace activists and others whose actions posed no threat.

Bush Admits 'Frustration' With Iraqi Leader  —  President Bush today acknowledged "a certain level of frustration with the leadership" in Iraq, and for at least the third time this summer declined to offer an endorsement of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, the man he once called "the right guy for Iraq."

Norway's Moose Population in Trouble for Belching  —  The poor old Scandinavian moose is now being blamed for climate change, with researchers in Norway claiming that a grown moose can produce 2,100 kilos of methane a year — equivalent to the CO2 output resulting from a 13,000 kilometer car journey.

Can the GOP Make a Comeback?  —  The recipe for Republicans is to stop acting like, well, Republicans—that is, Republicans of recent vintage.  —  It's not particularly visible at the moment, but there is a road to political recovery for Republicans.  Chances are they won't get far enough …

How to Spy in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD - American soldiers arrived in Iraq in 2003 with not much of a plan and little idea what to expect.  The Iraqi government, military, and police were overthrown and disbanded under de-Baathification.  Most Iraqis who knew how to run the country were either sent home or imprisoned.

Arctic August: NYC Sets Record For Coldest Day  —  High Of 59 Degrees Ties Chilliest August High Set In 1911  —  Featured Slideshows:  —  (CBS) NEW YORK Don't forget to bundle up if you're headed out in New York City today.  After all, it is August 21.  —  The city along with the rest …

Bloomberg says won't run for president  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he cannot win the U.S. presidency and won't run, the strongest statement to date about his intentions for the 2008 presidential race.  —  Bloomberg previously had said he had no plans to run …