Bill Maher v. Religion
Caustic comedian Bill Maher on his new movie Religulous, bargaining with God, and why Christianity is just as crazy as Scientology. —By Elizabeth Gettelman

A Setback for Nonproliferation?
The Senate greenlights the Bush administration's plan to supply nuclear technology to India, despite warnings that doing so could send the wrong signal to Iran and other atomic aspirants.  —By Bruce Falconer

Veep Debate: Ending the Palin Reality TV Show
The polls gave Biden the win, but Palin stopped her political free-fall. Now McCain can reclaim his own campaign's spotlight.  —By David Corn

The Future Behind Us
Spying on the Future: The U.S. Intelligence Community as Seers Without Sizzle.  —By Tom Engelhardt

Swift Boaters Start Your Engines
If Obama is hit with an attack ad fusillade, this secretive GOP operative will likely be behind the onslaught.  —By Stephanie Mencimer

Fireside Chat
As the financial crisis snowballs, Sarah Palin sits down to calm the nation's nerves. Donchya worry.  —By Mark Fiore

McCain Exaggerating Past with Palin?
Asked if he can rely on foreign policy advice from Palin, McCain says he has "turned to her many times in the past." But he only talked to her three times before putting her on the ticket. —By David Corn

Poker, Hookers, and Black Contracts: Or How To Make a CIA Trial Go Away
It wasn't the staff mistress that concerned Langley's spymasters when CIA official Kyle "Dusty" Foggo pled guilty to wire fraud this week. It was the 27 other charges he faced. —By Laura Rozen

Wall Street and the Return of the Repressed
With history marching forward in seven league boots, we are about to revisit a time when the Street functioned as the country's lightning rod.  —By Steve Fraser

Do Taxpayers Need Marriage Workshops?
Rabbi Stephen Baars is here from the government to help your love life.  —By Stephanie Mencimer

The Bailout Blame Game
Why did the Wall Street bailout bill collapse? Nancy Pelosi hurt our feelings, says the GOP.  —By David Corn

Why the Bailout Sells America Short
As the House says no to the Wall Street rescue package, a former Wall Streeter explains why the plan was a bad deal.  —By Nomi Prins

The Palin Fear Factor
Some voters are scared of the prospect of a black president. Can Obama convince them that they really should be petrified of a Palin vice presidency?  —By James Ridgeway

Zip It, Soldier!
More enlisted are speaking out against the Iraq War—and facing harsh consequences.  —By Justine Sharrock

Five Alternative Bailout Plans
Are there other approaches to the problem besides putting the Treasury in charge of a $700 billion fire sale? Yes. Here's a quick roundup.
 —By Nick Baumann

Reality Trumps Politics in First Debate
The first Obama-McCain face-off yielded little excitement and not much reason to pronounce a winner. —By David Corn

Two Staffers Violating McCain's Conflict Rules?
The McCain campaign says aides are banned from working with outside groups that run political ads. But two McCain officials lobby for the NRA, which has slammed Obama in TV spots. —By David Corn

Brzezinski Talks Bases
The former national security adviser on the Bush Pentagon's spending binge: "Do we really need that for our security?"  —By Michael Mechanic

The Spies Who Love Obama
Why some of Bush's intel professionals are now working for a Democrat—and how they'd reform the CIA. Part Two in a series on the candidates' national security policies. —By Laura Rozen

Flight of the Diplomats
Midlevel foreign-service officers are fleeing the US State Department in droves. Guess who's taking their place?  —By Joshua Kurlantzick

The $700 Billion Bailout Plan's Fine Print
A reformed Wall Streeter sifts through the details of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.  —By Nomi Prins

The Next Prez's Superpowers
Will a new president give back the authority that Bush and Cheney grabbed for the executive?  —By David Cole

Top Alaska GOPer Hits McCain-Palin Campaign on Troopergate
A leading Republican legislator in Alaska says she is "absolutely disgusted" by the McCain campaign's efforts to shut down an investigation into Sarah Palin. —By David Corn

Party Favors: Land Handouts Are a Gas
A late-term ploy by the Bush team and its consultants is giving oil and gas developers right-of-way on millions of acres of public land. —By Keith Kloor

McCain's 83 Wall Street Lobbyists
The GOP candidate has denounced Wall Street lobbyists. But McCain's campaign is loaded with them. —By David Corn, Jonathan Stein, and Nick Baumann