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AP - Tropical Storm Hermine gave a wet and windy punch to Texas on Tuesday but left only minor scrapes in the storm-weary Rio Grande Valley, which is proving resilient this hurricane season after taking a third tropical system on the chin.

AP - Mikhail Youzhny briefly slowed Spain's march through the U.S. Open bracket.

AP - Barbara Walters is feeling wonderful after heart surgery in May — and has practically no scar, she added proudly Tuesday as she returned to active duty on "The View" after taking the summer off for recovery.

Politico - Fresh ad purchases reflect the GOP’s increasing confidence about their potential gains this fall.

Reuters - A suicide bomber rammed his car into a police residential complex in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 20 people, officials said, in another blow for a country grappling with devastating floods.

Politico - After the debate, Maloney literally fled from reporters and her Democratic challenger Saujani said she may not vote in the general election if she loses, although her spokesman later walked that claim back.

The Atlantic Wire - Arizona Republican operative Steve May has found a new weapon in his fight against Democrats this fall: homeless people. In a colorfully-written election story, The New York Times spotlights May's efforts to recruit a ragtag group of "drifters" and "street people" to run on the Green Party ballot. According to the Times, May "freely admits that their candidacies may siphon some support from the Democrats":

Reuters - Civil and military leaders stepped up calls on Tuesday for an obscure U.S. pastor to drop his plans to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, as fears grew it would fan religious hatred.

Reuters - French trade unions said 2.5 million people took to the streets Tuesday to protest over pension reforms that President Nicolas Sarkozy says he is determined to implement on the way to elections in 2012.

Reuters - Iran has raised its gasoline output to attain self-sufficiency in the strategic product and foil sanctions targeting its energy needs, the state television's website reported its oil minister as saying.

Markets opened lower today amid European bank woes with the Dow shedding almost 50 points or 0.47%. The S&P (SPX) followed suit down almost seven points or 0.61% while the NASDAQ shed 7.25 points or about 0.33%.In commodity news gold rose to $1259 as silver rose to $19.97. Copper declined slightly to $3.45 and crude oil fell to $73.47.In an effort to create jobs and revitalize the US economy President Obama proposed a $50 billion infrastructure plan. Also slated is an initiative aimed at giving back an estimated $200 billion to businesses to encourage spending.In the UK legislators are at

AP - Germany's intelligence service has turned over thousands of files on top Nazi Adolf Eichmann's whereabouts after World War II to a journalist who sued for them. But with so many passages blacked out and pages missing, she's taking the matter back to court.

Reuters - Republicans in Congress showed little willingness to help President Barack Obama approve $350 billion worth of measures to boost the economy with midterm elections less than two months away.

AP - State-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos says an explosion has occurred at its Cadereyta refinery outside the northern city of Monterrey.

AP - U.S.-led NATO troops in Afghanistan should be able to start handing off responsibility for security to the Kabul government sometime next year, Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Tuesday.

As we emerge from summer today you're going to find this statement difficult to believe: As long as gold has been allowed to trade freely in the US its performance has exceeded that of equities.The rhetoric that's been drilled into your head from business school Wall Street and financial consultants has been largely uniform: The performance of gold versus stocks is pathetic for the metal whose lore pre-dates the fall of Adam and Eve. (That’s Genesis Chapter Two in case you'd like to check that reference).Gold for the Long Run focused on how much better gold has fared versus perceptions

AFP - Pakistan's devastating floods have left 10 million people without shelter, the United Nations said Tuesday, as authorities rushed to bolster river defences to save two towns from catastrophe.

I’ve been a fan of the exchange-traded fund (shortened to ETF) as an investment vehicle for a long time. In many ways it was the perfect antidote to the mutual fund. Only Congress in its infinite wisdom could have given us an investment as poorly designed as the traditional mutual fund. To create a way for the average American to invest alongside wealthy capitalists they made a product with all of the contradictions of socialism. In a mutual fund all investors are punished for the actions of the few. When assets under management are growing the consequences are minor. But

AP - The flight attendant accused of onboard antics that captured the nation's attention when he told off a passenger and slid down the plane's emergency chute with a beer will undergo a mental health evaluation with the aim of avoiding jail time in a possible plea deal.

Politico - The state party's leader confirms the senator's aides reached out even after they nixed a ballot swap.