SPB News for Wednesday.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:
For release at 9:00 p.m. EDT — The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday, with the full support of the Treasury Department, authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to lend up to $85 billion to the American International Group (AIG) under section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act.

Pool reports from Tuesday's Obama event and Streisand fundraiser
Here's what the pool reporters filed from Beverly Hills for the traveling national media and the locals.

Palin fires back in Troopergate, releases memos showing insubordination

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's former chief of staff turned down a plea deal Monday. The aide, Christine Beatty, is at the center of the Kilpatrick scandal due to their affair and the ensuing text messages. Beatty is charged with lying under oath about her relationship with Kilpatrick. Kwame Kilpatrick resigned as part of a plea deal earlier this month and will leave office Thursday. (New York Times)

Anchorage mayor and Sen. Ted Stevens challenger Mark Begich (D-AK) has run into trouble for omitting items on his state financial disclosure statement. The Alaska Public Offices Commission is considering a recommendation that Begich pay a $1,420 fine for the error. Alaska Republican Party spokesman McHugh Pierre filed a compliant to the commission earlier this summer. (Anchorage Daily News)

CBS's Couric To Interview Palin Next Week

Clinton to women: fight for fair pay

Dear press: Stop lying to the public

McCain and Palin are laughing at the press — and it's the press' fault — Chris Matthews was steamed. — As John McCain's manufactured “lipstick on a pig” story was taking flight last week, Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball, kicked off the hour by teeing up the story.

Critics Question Palin's Record on "Epidemic" Rape, Domestic Violence in Alaska --Effort to Tackle Sex Violence Stalled by Palin's Office, Sources Say Evangelicals and social conservatives have embraced McCain's vice presidential pick for what they call her "pro-family," "pro-woman" values. But in Alaska, critics say Gov. Sarah Palin has not addressed the rampant sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence and murder that make her state one of the most dangerous places in the country for women and children.

US drones prowl as Pakistan Army bombs Taliban positions --10 killed as helicopter gunships, fighter jets fire shells in Bajaur Ten Taliban were killed and several others injured on Tuesday as Pakistan Army helicopter gunships and fighter jets fired shells at militant hideouts in Bajaur Agency as United States’ drones prowled the sky over another Taliban sanctuary on the Afghan border.

Palin's Project List Totals $453 Million Last week, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain said his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, hadn't sought earmarks or special-interest spending from Congress, presenting her as a fiscal conservative. But state records show Gov. Palin has asked U.S. taxpayers to fund $453 million in specific Alaska projects over the past two years.

Palin's Favorability Ratings Begin to Falter Since Sept. 13, Sarah Palin's unfavorables have climbed from 30 percent to 36 percent. Meanwhile, her favorables have slipped from 52 percent to 48 percent. That's a three-day net swing of -10 points, and it leaves her in the Sept. 15 Diageo/Hotline tracking poll tied for the smallest favorability split (+12) of any of the Final Four. Over the course of a single weekend, in other words, Palin went from being the most popular White House hopeful to the least.