Bachmann won't take Fox host's apology  —  Via POLITICO's Jennifer Epstein, Michele Bachmann isn't accepting an apology from Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace for asking her yesterday, “Are you a flake?”  —  ABC News' Jon Karl, who's been getting face-time with Bachmann in Waterloo in advance …

Gay Marriage: Where's Mr. Obama?  —  On Thursday night, when same-sex marriage in New York State was teetering on a razor's edge, President Obama had a perfect opportunity to show the results of his supposed evolution on gay marriage.  —  Unfortunately, he did not take it, keeping his own views in the shadows.

Putting defense spending on the table  —  One of the many problems with the debt-reduction talks is the narrow scope of what Republicans consider acceptable.  They are, or at least claim to be, desperate to cut spending and reduce the deficit in a hurry, but they're also quick to reject …

U.S. Plans Stealth Survey on Access to Doctors  —  WASHINGTON — Alarmed by a shortage of primary care doctors, Obama administration officials are recruiting a team of “mystery shoppers” to pose as patients, call doctors' offices and request appointments to see how difficult it is for people to get care when they need it.

Inside Nancy Pelosi's drive to win the House majority back for Democrats  —  View Photo Gallery —  It has been almost six months since the California congresswoman relinquished the speakership of the House.  Now, as minority leader, she is focused on winning back Democratic control.

Disgraced former pol Anthony Weiner, ‘miserable’ wife Huma Abedin spotted dining in Chelsea  —  Sexting ex-pol Anthony Weiner and wife Huma Abedin stroll up Fifth Ave.  Saturday after brunch with a couple of cones from a pit stop at Baskin Robbins.  Below, they head off hand-in-hand.

LI man busted for ‘pretending’ to be soldier to get first-class upgrade  —  This GI Joe wannabe got a hero's welcome just by dressing the part.  —  A Long Island man was arrested for donning an Army uniform and brazenly posing as a soldier so he'd get bumped up to first class on a flight …

In Response To Prosser Choking Allegations, Fox's Van Susteren Calls On Female Chief Justice To Resign  —  Over the weekend, the Wisconsin State Journal reported that Justice David Prosser “grabbed fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley around the neck in an argument in her chambers last week …

Perry's Predicament: Does He Have Time to Build a National Campaign?  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry is still weeks away from a decision on joining the 2012 Republican presidential race, but his camp has already made some key decisions about how he would run if he does, according to his top political adviser.

Several States Forbid Abortion After 20 Weeks  —  Dozens of new restrictions passed by states this year have chipped away at the right to abortion by requiring women to view ultrasounds, imposing waiting periods or cutting funds for clinics.  But a new kind of law has gone beyond such restrictions …

TSA stands by officers after pat-down of elderly woman in Florida  —  (CNN) — The Transportation Security Administration stood by its security officers Sunday after a Florida woman complained that her cancer-stricken, 95-year-old mother was patted down and forced to remove her adult diaper while going through security.

160 Million and Counting  —  In 1990, the economist Amartya Sen published an essay in The New York Review of Books with a bombshell title: “More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing.”  His subject was the wildly off-kilter sex ratios in India, China and elsewhere in the developing world.