Rich Material

As Fred Thompson officially gets into the presidential race and all of Washington seems to await the Petraeus report, New York Times columnist Frank Rich offers his cutting take on national politics. It's the first day of the new school year; we take a look at the power of principals, and new math test results. We get an update on the continuing Deutsche Bank fire scandal, and take your calls with advice for college freshmen new to the city. Also, is American popular culture drowning in “quirk”?