Obama's job approval  —  President Obama's job approval rating is 50% or higher in 16 states and D.C. Roll over each state to see how each rated Obama.  The darker the shade of the state, the higher his overall approval rating.  —  Source: Gallup  —  WASHINGTON — Another “wave” …

Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday  —  Rick Perry intends to use a speech in South Carolina Saturday to make clear that he's running for president, POLITICO has learned.  —  According to two sources familiar with the plan, the Texas governor will remove any doubt …

Ben Adler  —  It is clear from Standard & Poor's statement downgrading the federal government's credit rating that it places the blame squarely on Republican actions and policies.  Two of S&P's biggest concerns about whether the United States will pay off its debt are whether Republicans …

Michael Moore to Obama: ‘Show some guts,’ arrest S&P head  —  Liberal firebrand Michael Moore called on President Obama to respond to the U.S. credit downgrade by arresting the leaders of the credit-ratings agencies.  —  On his Twitter feed Monday, the Oscar-winning film director also blamed …

Who ‘made $10bn on 10/1 bet that U.S. credit rating would be downgraded’?  —  A mystery investor or hedge fund reportedly made a bet of almost $1billion at odds of 10/1 last month that the U.S. would lose its AAA credit rating.  —  Now questions are being asked of whether the trader …

Obama says he inherited economic problems  —  (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Monday he inherited many of the country's problems with high debt and deficits when he entered the White House, sounding a theme likely to dominate his 2012 re-election campaign.

British riots spread on third night of violence  —  * Rioting, looting spread across British capital  —  * Youths laugh, hurl bottles at police  —  * Looting breaks out in three other cities  —  Rioting and looting spread across and beyond London on Monday as hooded youths set fire …

Did a New Taliban Weapon Kill a Chopper Full of Navy SEALs?  —  Updated 8:36 a.m. EDT.  —  The passengers and crew of the twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook helicopter probably never saw the rocket hurtling towards them.  The explosion and fiery crash in Wardak province in eastern Afghanistan early …

Bachmann attends church service denouncing homosexuality  —  WAUKEE, IA — Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann yesterday attended a church here in Iowa, where the pastor called homosexuality “immoral” and “unnatural,” and later showed a testimonial video from a man who claimed …

Obama's horrifyingly bad speech  —  He was a half hour late.  His head turned from side to side as if he were attending a tennis match.  He practically never looked in the camera, as if he were averting our gaze.  And those were the strong parts of President Obama's disastrous speech.

House leaders end page program  —  House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced they were ending the House page program.  —  As of Aug. 31, the program — which employs nearly 70 high school students to serve as messengers and couriers …

Conquering the Storm  —  In the coming days we'll sort through the repercussions of S&P's downgrade of our credit rating, including concerns about the impact a potential interest rate increase would have on our ability to service our suffocating $14.5 trillion debt.

Who has got the margin call?  —  Bronte Capital tends - as this blog has said many times - to be long large cap and relatively liquid companies at 10-16 PE ratios.  —  And we are short the wildest range of frauds, fads and failures you can imagine.  —  Our shorts are small and relatively illiquid.

Dog Helps Young Rape Victim Testify  —  POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Rosie, the first judicially approved courtroom dog in New York, was in the witness box here nuzzling a 15-year-old girl who was testifying that her father had raped and impregnated her.  Rosie sat by the teenager's feet.

What to expect when you're expecting recalls: A guide to state legislative recalls  —  While the political arguments surrounding tomorrow's Wisconsin recall elections are well covered elsewhere, I'd like to draw attention to the many issues and history surrounding the use of the recall - both in Wisconsin and the rest of the nation.

Hillary Told You So  —  As Democratic disgust with Obama's debt fumbling spreads, Clinton supporters recall her ‘3 a.m. phone call’ warnings—and angry, frustrated liberals are muttering that she should mount a 2012 challenge.  —  At a New York political event last week …