Exclusive: John McCain Slips Across Border Into Syria, Meets With Rebels  —  The leaders of the Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army told the senator they want the U.S. to provide arms, a no-fly zone, and strikes on Hezbollah.  Josh Rogin reports.

Tensions on streets after slaughter of British soldier: War memorials defaced and mosque firebombed as EDL march on Westminster  —  Two of Britain's most celebrated war memorials have been defaced, apparently with the word ‘Islam’ scrawled across them and inscriptions scrubbed out with red paint.

Poll: Do you support or oppose the health care law?  —  Washington (CNN) - A majority of Americans still oppose the nation's new health care measure, three years after it became law, according to a new survey.  —  But a CNN/ORC International poll released Monday also indicates …

Nonprofit Applicants Chafing at I.R.S. Tested Political Limits  —  When CVFC, a conservative veterans' group in California, applied for tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service, its biggest expenditure that year was several thousand dollars in radio ads backing a Republican candidate for Congress.

Trump researching 2016 run  —  Donald Trump has spent more than $1 million on electoral research for a potential presidential run in 2016.  —  Sources said the tough-talking “Celebrity Apprentice” host is increasingly being asked to speak at Republican events, and he appeared …

Stupid  —  “You're stupid,” is not something even his most severe critics usually say to President Barack Obama.  But on Friday morning I picked up the Wall Street Journal and learned that the president had given a speech about the war on terror saying, “This war, like all wars, must end.”

Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Chastain among the front-runners to play Hillary Clinton in Rodham  —  Upcoming film expected to hit cinemas in time for the next presidential election  —  Scarlett Johansson and Reese Witherspoon are among actresses being considered to portray …

A White House counsel known for her shoes  —  It may say more about Washington than White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler that she's known in the West Wing for her fabulous shoes.  —  Ruemmler first attracted attention for her glam heels as a Justice Department prosecutor trying Enron executives Ken Lay …

Marines punished for sexist, threatening posts  —  Incident comes at a time when top military officers say they are facing a crisis of sexual harassment and abuse within the ranks.  —  Federal law enforcement officials are investigating a former Marine and several active-duty Marines …

Warning lands Batavia teacher in hot water  —  A Batavia High School teacher's fans are rallying to support him as he faces possible discipline for advising students of their Constitutional rights before taking a school survey on their behavior.  —  They've been collecting signatures on an online petition …

Michele Bachmann faces existential threat in 2014  —  Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann may be the congresswoman with nine lives.  But 2014 could be the gravest threat to her political career yet.  —  The bomb-throwing conservative and onetime Republican presidential candidate is girding …

House lawmakers press on with IRS investigation over recess  —  Lawmakers may be out of Washington this week, but congressional staffers will be working to ensure that the IRS controversy is teed up for them when they return.  —  Both Democrats and Republicans left the recent string …

The Obama riddle  —  You wonder if President Obama sometimes finds himself singing a variant on Kermit the Frog's anthem about the burdens of being green: It's not easy being Barack Obama.  —  This is not simply or even primarily a matter of color, although the president's racial background …

Met Office admits claims of significant temperature rise untenable  —  This is a guest post by Doug Keenan.  —  It has been widely claimed that the increase in global temperatures since the late 1800s is too large to be reasonably attributed to natural random variation.

Views in U.S. That Gov't Is Too Powerful Show Little Change  —  Republicans much more likely to perceive that government has too much power  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Fifty-four percent of Americans say the federal government today has too much power.  Despite the recent controversies facing federal agencies …