Obama Rules Out Large Reduction in Afghan Force  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama told Congressional leaders on Tuesday that he would not substantially reduce American forces in Afghanistan or shift the mission to just hunting terrorists there, but he indicated that he remained undecided …

Bill Ayers No Dream  —  There I was, sitting in Reagan National Monday morning, sipping a Starbucks by the United counter before going through security.  I had a little time, so I was browsing through the news.  Some military guys had borrowed a chair from my table.

Approval of U.S. Congress Falls to 21%, Driven by Democrats  —  Lowest rating for Congress since January  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' approval of the job Congress is doing is at 21% this month, down significantly from last month's 31% and from the recent high of 39% in March.

White House Gets Republican Backing for Bipartisan Reform  —  Urged by the White House, Republicans Speak Up for Bipartisan Health Fix  —  Seeking to provide fresh evidence of bipartisan support for health-care reform, the White House is orchestrating a series of endorsements from GOP heavyweights around the country.

State-Run Health Plans Garner Support  —  WASHINGTON — Some influential centrist Democrats in the Senate are warming to a compromise that envisions health-insurance plans run by state governments, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger added his voice Tuesday to a small group …

Fed Frets Over Commercial Real Estate  —  With Banks Slow to Take Losses, Fears of a Residential-Bust Repeat; ‘More Pain Likely Lies Ahead’  —  Banks in the U.S. “are slow” to take losses on their commercial real-estate loans being battered by slumping property values and rental payments …

First on the Ticker: Obama enlists Hollywood in new ad  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama is turning to a handful of Hollywood stars to judge a contest that asks grassroots supporters to create a television commercial promoting health care reform.  —  Musician Will.I.Am, actor John Cho …

Chicago Violence Haunts Obama as Gun-Control Backers Left Cold  —  Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) — At least 47 school-age children in Chicago have been killed in homicides, mostly by guns, since the month President Barack Obama took office.  —  The latest youth homicide in his adopted hometown …

Dem: House GOP is “80 percent male, 100 percent white”  —  The National Republican Congressional Committee is urging Gen. Stanley McChrystal to put House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “in her place” for weighing in on Afghanistan — prompting one female Pelosi ally to blast the House GOP as …

Deeds points finger at Washington  —  Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds said in an interview that he was lagging in the polls entering the final weeks of the campaign in part because of voter concerns over his national party's agenda.  —  “Frankly, a lot of what's …

Pawlenty to Iowa  —  Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) will headline an Iowa Republican party event this fall, a trip that will mark his visit to the politically crucial state since he has made clear his interest in pursuing a presidential bid in 2012.  —  Pawlenty will be the featured guest at the …

Durbin's office blacklists STARadio stations  —  A spokesman for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) says the senator's office will no longer send media information to Quincy's oldest radio station because the station decided to let the public know he was coming to town.

Should Gen. McChrystal stop speaking publicly about Afghan war strategy?  —  Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. commander in Afghanistan, set off the rumbles of a political storm last week by saying publicly, during a speech in London, that a more limited strategy than the one he's proposing …

The criticism that Ralph Lauren doesn't want you to see!  —  Last month, Xeni blogged about the photoshop disaster that is this Ralph Lauren advertisement, in which a model's proportions appear to have been altered to give her an impossibly skinny body ("Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis").

The Beauty of Artificial Virginity  —  If you're a woman in a conservative Muslim country, you had better bleed on your wedding night.  If you don't, your husband or his family will know you aren't a virgin.  For that, you could be beaten or killed.  —  If you're a man, on the other hand …

Working hard or hardly working?  —  Like most Americans, members of the House are expected to report promptly — no excuses — when summoned by their bosses for the start of another workweek.  One difference: For lawmakers, starting time doesn't come until about 6:30 Tuesday evening.

Terror-Free Afghanistan Is Worth American Blood, U.S. Voters Tell Quinnipiac University National Poll; But Only 38 Percent Want To Send More Troops  —  By a 65 - 28 percent majority, American voters are willing to have American soldiers “fight and possibly die” to eliminate the threat …

Democratic Money Mandarins Meet In D.C.  —  The Mandarin Oriental plays host to the Democracy Alliance today, the gathering of philanthropic Democrats whose pooled money helped to catalyze the party's recent renaissance.  The members of the Alliance, all wealthy donors, will hear from organizations and individuals who want their money.

Charlie sneaks $3M in pork for CCNY  —  WASHINGTON — Two years after creating a center in his own name at City College, Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel has come through with a $3 million defense grant for the school — for a project the Pentagon doesn't even want, The Post has learned.