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WASHINGTON - Latino voters are likely to turn out in record numbers in November, according to experts, and in some states will determine who wins.

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials predicted that 12.2 million Latinos will vote this year, a 25.6 percent increase from 2008.

WASHINGTON - Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue admitted Thursday that he, personally, has experienced "the horrible thing" Americans endure when the federal government falsely declares them dead.

WASHINGTON - Rep. Scott DesJarlais says what you eat or drink is a personal decision that should be left up to you and possibly your doctor -- but not the federal government.

WASHINGTON - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is predicting that Democrats will recapture the House in November, a move that could open the possibility of the San Francisco Democrat regaining the speakership and becoming the first politician to return to that office after a defeat since Texas Democrat Sam Rayburn in 1955.

WASHINGTON - Methamphetamine usage, which appeared to be decreasing after a national crackdown five years ago, now appears to be on the upswing again as a result of increased activity among Mexican drug cartels and small-time domestic producers.

WASHINGTON - The United States isn't the only country facing a contentious presidential election this year.

Mexico will elect a new president in July, and some experts think the National Action Party (PAN) will be ousted from office by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which held power for 71 years before the PAN took over in 2000.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Defense has waged war on two fronts in the Middle East, kept complicated fighter, bomber and transport aircraft flying all over the world and schooled troops in high-level intelligence gathering, but it hasn't won the battle of the balance sheet after more than 20 years of engagement.

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency, charged with the monumental task of keeping the air pure and the streams clear, is under persistent attack this campaign season for contributing to the nation's economic woes through what one would-be president characterized as a "regulatory reign of terror."

WASHINGTON - To the Pentagon, they're "equipment." But to the U.S. troops who have served with the military's working dogs, they are the unsung heroes of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

WASHINGTON - Texas Gov. Rick Perry's retreat Thursday from the race for the Republican presidential nomination is likely to be a permanent exit from the 2012 race.