Let the Fratricide Begin (WashPost, Dana Milbank)

"As Michael Moore threatens moderates, Democrats begin tearing each other apart over health care." (WashPost's straight news story here.)

'08 rise in NYC rich club (NY Post)

"The jump was part of a rapidly growing income gap across the country that saw middle- and low-income families get pinched more by the recession."

Mixed Data Reflect Fragility of Economic Recovery (WSJ)

Are We Poised for Another Great Bull Market? (Seeking Alpha, Babak)

Probably not. "At best, we are going through a cyclical bull market — otherwise known as a bear market rally."

Moral decay? Or deregulation? (NYT, Paul Krugman)

A big dose of fluoride squirted on David Brooks's "moral decay."

Cyber Gangs Hit Healthcare Providers (WashPost)

Yet another threat to health care that's even bigger than the Democrats' infighting: Thieves, believed to be based in Eastern Europe, defrauding U.S. nonprofits that serve the disabled, uninsured, and kids. Another health threat from overseas, but this one affecting people from overseas: "The 'keister bomb' is the newest terror threat."

MORE HEADLINES FOLLOW

Woke up, smelled the coffee: The Starbucks turnaround is going surprisingly well (Economist)

IMF Cuts Forecast for Global Losses to $3.4 Trillion (Bloomberg)

Good news? Good spin, actually, on a shaky future. Banks' losses on toxic assets will increase over the next year: "... banks that already have written down $1.3 trillion may have another $1.5 trillion in toxic debt on their books. The result will be impaired credit markets that may stifle the recovery through next year and require sustained attention from policy makers to avoid reigniting the crisis, the IMF said."

Wynn Macau IPO Raises $1.6 Billion (WSJ)

Casino mogul Steve Wynn's gamble is paying off not only for him but for the big banks: "JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley and UBS AG are joint sponsors and bookrunners on the deal. Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank AG are also bookrunners for the IPO."

Democratic Donor Gets 24-Year Term (WSJ)

Norman Hsu gets two dozen years in slammer for Ponzi scheme and illegal campaign donations. Remember his major ties to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign?

Fed Moves to Institute Curbs On Issuers of Credit Cards (WashPost)

Yes, but for a deeper analysis, also read "Fed's Plan to Meddle with Credit Card Issuers Is Deeply Unsettling."

CIT in Last-Ditch Rescue Bid (WSJ)

Huge commercial lender about to fall into the hands of its hedge-fund bondholders, delaying the looming debt that could sink it. Deal could still land it in bankruptcy court. Earlier NY Post story reporting that hedge-fund giant John Paulson was thinking of trying to merge CIT with recently resuscitated IndyMac (he has big stakes in both) are sharply denied as "way off base."

If We Were Friends With John Paulson, Part VII (New York, Jessica Pressler)

Hilarious conversation that never happened, conjured up by someone who could have been a script girl on Sex and the City.

Saving $4 Billion Interest Seen in Fannie-Freddie Debt Void (Bloomberg)

Pretty darn good news about reduced debt burden on taxpayers and corporations: Federal mortgage backers are rapidly paying down debt, pushing down yields on corporate bonds.

Morgan Stanley's Mack Proposes Single Global Bank Regulator (Bloomberg)

Good way to water down regulation of U.S. banks, because global politics would complicate everything and stall regulation measures. Mack doesn't say that, but he does say: "I think the crisis is over. What I worry about is that we lose momentum with some of the regulatory changes that we need to go through."

Climate change: Live debate (Economist)

Brought to you by Dow Chemical. Let's listen in.

Why Health Plans Should Be More Like Fire Insurance (WashPost, Steven Pearlstein)

Agree with Pearlstein or not, this is an interesting analysis with plenty of scenarios.

Fannie Mae delinquencies jump, Aug portfolio flat (Reuters)

Ugly news from the largest funder of U.S. home mortgages.

CNBC September Total Viewership Down 37% (Zero Hedge)

Screamers are actually losing listeners?

FDIC Seeks Fees to Shore Up Reserve (WashPost)

Power couple: Nicolas Sarkozy appoints a friend to run EDF, one of the world's biggest energy companies (Economist)