Opinion

WASHINGTON, DC - With significant Republican pickups all but assured in Tuesday's congressional elections, analysts are asking how President Obama can best cope with the sudden shift in power. Democrats are forecast to lose their majority in House and possibly the Senate, and while this might not be an apocalyptic scenario for Obama, most people think he'll have to make some changes as a result. Here's a look at some of the advice and strategies on the table. Full Story »

WASHINGTON, DC - At a stump speech for Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal in Connecticut, President Obama was interrupted by activists who have followed him from stop to stop on the campaign trail demanding that the U.S. keep its promise to fund international AIDS initiatives. "Fund global AIDS! Fund global AIDS" they chanted as the president spoke about increasing economic inequality and joblessness under Republicans' watch. As the shouting increased in volume, Obama turned to that section of the crowd, said "Excuse me, excuse me young people," and scolded the protesters directly: Full Story »

WASHINGTON, DC - 'Tis the season for horror movies. The Fine Bros have uploaded a 5-minute clip with spoilers for 100 of the most famous horror movies. For the faint of heart, this is the perfect way to maintain a grasp of horror movie plots without having to endure the films: Full Story »

WASHINGTON, DC - This weekend sees the release of Saw 3D, the seventh and reportedly final installment in the Saw movie series. Though it's true that the Jigsaw Killer--the moralizing baddie and primary antagonist of the franchise, played by Tobin Bell--was killed off in Saw III, subsequent films have explored his legacy of successors who agree that the best way to get through to someone is to force them to dive into a vat of liquefied pig corpses. Saw 3D hasn't been received kindly by film critics, who agree, by and large, that it's time to put Billy the Puppet out to pasture. Full Story »

WASHINGTON, DC - "I’ve written dozens of Halloween books for children, and I try to capture those memories and that feeling of liberation. So it was alarming to think that adults were taking the holiday away from kids. Was it really happening?... I saw a Halloween costume store. Yes, you guessed it — there were no princess costumes with sparkling tiaras, no duck costumes with fuzzy tails. I saw a lot of flimsy negligees as well as studded black leather outfits with handcuffs and whips. A popular item seemed to be fakeblack, curly chest hair for men."--R.L. Stine, author of popular horror books for children, in a Halloween column for The New York Times. (Don't worry: Stine concludes that despite the predations of grown-ups, children still have the holiday to tap into their "own special and private world.") Full Story »

WASHINGTON, DC - On Election Eve, House Democrats are preparing to meet their death panel. The party's future looks even more grim than in the bleak predictions forecast months ago. Last week it was shocking that Democrats could lose more than 50 seats; now, some are predicting a 70-seat massacre. Poll after poll shows Republicans have a strong advantage among likely voters, and only four of their House seats are truly competitive. If the GOP nets more than 50 seats, Democrats' gains from 2006 and 2008 will be wiped out. Full Story »

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New York - Republicans are expected to regain a majority in the House. But just how big will their night be? Full Story »

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LEWISTON, Maine -- Almost finished. Just a few days to go. The clatter and clutter of an American election -- a vitally important, perhaps historic midterm election -- are about to end. Nobody, except perhaps the odd candidate on a pre-election surge, wishes this campaign were even a day longer. Full Story »

WASHINGTON -- In 2000, Hollywood released a critically acclaimed and (I thought) important movie, "Traffic," about the futility of the so-called war on drugs. I was naive enough to believe it would spark a national conversation about the stupidity of our generations-long policy of drug prohibition. Full Story »

WASHINGTON, DC - Authorities are hunting for 10 to 20 packages mailed from a UPS office in Sanna, Yemen, in a terror plot reportedly orchestrated by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Two suspicious packages containing toner cartridges with wires and powder--similar to the device used by the Underwear Bomber--were found on UPS cargo planes in the United Kingdom and Dubai, and were destined for American synagogues, CNN reports. One flight was headed to Chicago, and made a routine stop at England's East Midlands Airport. Planes in Philadelphia and Newark were searched for bombs, but nothing suspicious was found. Full Story »

WASHINGTON, DC - The Jon Stewart Rally to Restore Sanity story has finally entered the penultimate stage of the media cycle—the backlash against the backlash. (Scheduled for tomorrow: acceptance. The Earth will keep spinning, everyone will be OK.) Stewart and Stephen Colbert will blend sincerity and irony, politics and entertainment, activism and commerce, Annie Groer writes at Politics Daily, offering "civil discourse, with a side of hucksterism." Full Story »

New York - A look back at what commentators got right (and wrong) about the anti-government movement back when it first came on the scene in 2009 Full Story »

Washington - Speaking last week at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast with journalists, Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remarked that he hoped to avoid “massive cuts” in defense, which “would be dangerous now, given the national security requirements that we have.” Yet cutting the baseline defense budget, which is now even higher than it was at the height of the Reagan buildup, may ironically be one of the best tools we have to meet our national security needs. Full Story »

WASHINGTON, DC - For months, U.S. pundits have wondered if the long-held U.S.-Pakistan partnership is in trouble, even asking if Pakistan is still really our ally. Now, eight days after Pakistan began blocking a crucial U.S. supply route into Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal reports that Pakistan's spy service is pushing the Taliban to keep fighting, telling them, in the words of one Taliban commander, "to kill everyone—policemen, soldiers, engineers, teachers, civilians—just to intimidate people." In response, some U.S. observers are throwing up their hands, arguing that the U.S. should disengage with Pakistan. Here's what they have to say. Full Story »

WASHINGTON, DC - The Federal Reserve may be moving toward new action to help the economy, according to several reporters' readings of newly released Fed meeting minutes. With joblessness and foreclosures still high more than 18 months after Congress enacted the stimulus, many economists and liberal pundits have long insisted that more intervention is needed. In September, President Barack Obama announced a plan for $150 billion in tax credits and infrastructure spending, which some observers termed a second stimulus. It's not clear what course of action the Fed would pursue if it ultimately decides on additional economic stimulus. Here's what we know and what Fed-watchers are saying. Full Story »

New York - Obama will be flying to India just two days after the midterm elections — leading some bloggers to conclude he's eager to avoid the fallout from a "Democratic bloodbath" Full Story »