It's 80 miles south of Vermillion Bay in the Gulf Mexico. Early reports called it an explosion, but later reports call it a fire. Robert Gibbs announced at the White House press briefing that the Mariner Energy platform was "not in active production" and the depth of the water at the site is about 340 feet.

The Coast Guard reports that all 13 of the platforms workers are accounted for and one is injured.

Nate Silver and Jonathan Chait disagree with my recent assessment that the health care law has been a factor in the political decline of the Democrats. Both of them make essentially the same point: you can't prove it! Well...yeah!

Well that was quick. Just last week Matthew Futterman wrote in the Wall Street Journal that "as the U.S. Open begins on Monday, Andy Roddick will be celebrating his 28th birthday. He will also be facing what could be his last realistic shot at glory." Then suddenly, Roddick, ranked 9th, was ousted in last night's second round match by 44th-ranked Janko Tipsarevic, a colorful character from Serbia who sports an arm tattoo that reads, "Beauty will save the world."

As usual, incisive explanation and analysis from the Taiwanese media outfit, NMA World Edition. This time the subject's the Ground Zero mosque controversy: 

In this episode of "Better Know Your Democratic Governor," longtime Obama ally (and speech donor) Deval Patrick seems to commit a Kinsleyan gaffe when asked about the Glenn Beck rally held on the Mall August 28.

Christina Romer's full farewell speech.

Christinia Romer, between the lines: Yeah, the stimulus didn't work.

Yay: Ladies' night ruled constitutional.

Beijing

The question everyone here is asking is why—having been to China just this past May—the reclusive Great Leader and dictator of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong-Il, would return last week.

Welcome. This is a regular feature I'll be offering every weekday, first thing in the morning. Basically, what I'll do is flag the most notable stories of the 2010 midterm campaign, and provide my two cents on what's really happening. 

Last week House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio delivered a stinging critique of the Obama administration’s economic policies. But the White House’s swift and tart reaction to Boehner was both illuminating and sadly predictable.

Ground Zero mosque organizer Feisel Abdul Rauf's thoughts on Israel and Iran.

Lee Smith reviews The Arab Lobby.

Victor Davis Hanson provides commentary on Obama's Iraq address.

Alaska's soon-to-be-former senator Lisa Murkowski only won election in 2004 with 49 percent of the vote. Still, given the fact that 2010 seems to be a much stronger year for Republicans than 2004, you might think Joe Miller would poll better than 50% to 44% against Democratic nominee Scott McAdams (whose name the DNC's spokesman didn't know last week).

Just a few days ago, German defense minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg presented five different reform proposals to restructure the country’s armed forces.

Great breaking news from Silver Spring, MD, where a several-hour stand-off with a gunman holding hostages has ended with the hostages safe and the gunman shot and in custody.

He was wearing an explosive of some kind on his chest, but the chief of police said it smoked instead of exploding. Police are sweeping the building for other suspicious packages or dangers.

From now to September 15, and between September 26 and December 15, passengers on the Amtrak Cardinal can enjoy a 20 percent discount. And if you depart mid-September, you'll most likely arrive at your destination by mid-December. Seriously, if you leave New York's Penn Station at 6:45 am on a Wednesday, you should get into Chicago at 10:05 am—the following day. Yes, it takes more than 27 hours to get from Manhattan to the Windy City. (A plane ride from Newark to O'Hare lasts all of two and a half hours.) As my colleague Jonathan V. Last noted in a Casual from a few years back, "In 1938, you could travel from New York to Chicago by train in 16 hours."

Police and media are now identifying the gunman holding hostages at the Discovery Channel corporate headquarters as James Jay Lee.

A Google search reveals Lee's grudge against Discovery has been longstanding. He's also a devotee of environmentalist and sustainability author Daniel Quinn. His preoccupation with overpopulation and Quinn are obvious in his manifesto, which WUSA Channel 9 first reported this morning.