Jesse Benton on Mitch McConnell: “I'm sorta holding my nose for 2 years”  —  What does Mitch McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton really think about working for the Mitch McConnell re-election campaign?  —  EconomicPolicyJournal.com has obtained a recording of a phone conversation between Dennis Fusaro …

N.S.A. Said to Search Content of Messages to and From U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency is searching the contents of vast amounts of Americans' e-mail and text communications into and out of the country, hunting for people who mention information about foreigners under surveillance, according to intelligence officials.

Why I changed my mind on weed  —  (CNN) — Over the last year, I have been working on a new documentary called “Weed.”  The title “Weed” may sound cavalier, but the content is not.  —  I traveled around the world to interview medical leaders, experts, growers and patients.

Why Slate will no longer refer to Washington's NFL team as the Redskins. … - - Tweet - - … Click here to load comments.  — Flight Delays Don't Have to Ruin Your Trip.  Here's How to Game the System.  - Why Do People Love Correcting Other People's Grammar?

Dear Lawrence O'Donnell, Don't Mansplain to Me About Russia  —  Tonight, I went on Lawrence O'Donnell's show, and Lawrence O'Donnell yelled at me.  Or, rather, he O'Reilly'd at me.  That O'Donnell interrupted and harangued and mansplained and was generally an angry grandpa at me is not what I take issue with, however.

FOXNEWS SCHEDULE SHAKEUP: MEGYN IN AT 9 PM  —  FOXNEWS is set to make its first primetime schedule change in 10 years, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.  —  Superstar newswoman Megyn Kelly has landed the 9 PM slot, top sources reveal.  —  The shock announcement is set for later this month.

Why Ted Cruz Thinks the Media Gets Conservatism Wrong  —  Texas Senator Ted Cruz talks to TIME about Barack Obama, foreign policy and his spats with fellow Republicans  —  By Alex Altman @aaltman82Aug.  08, 2013  —  U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, right, talks with Republican Party …

Exclusive: Gen. Wesley Clark, 68, dating 30-year-old fashion entrepreneur Shauna Mei  —  Retired 68-year-old US Army general and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley K. Clark has won yet another esteemed decoration — he is dating 30-year-old Shauna Mei, the founder of online retailer AHAlife.com.

Al Qaeda has ‘developed liquid explosives which blow up when dry prompting US evacuation of Yemen’  —  Al Qaeda terrorists could try to bring down planes using an undetectable explosive soaked into their clothes, officials fear.  —  The organisation's bomb-makers are reportedly developing …

Pro-Hillary Clinton Efforts Whir to Life with Iowa Campaigning  —  Friday morning, as Washington slumbers through recess and public attention even in Iowa is far from presidential politics, a group of Democratic activists and office-holders will gather in Des Moines to discuss a topic …

Sydney Leathers: The Best, Only, and Last Interview With Her You Should Ever Read  —  Long story short: Sydney Leathers is a 23-year-old who happened to exchange some texts with a guy, except those texts were sexts, and the guy is now running for the mayor of New York City, one Anthony Weiner.

Friends who witnessed Tasering of Beach teen offer disturbing details  —  At just 17, Israel Hernández-Llach was already an award-winning artist, on the threshold of acclaim in Miami Beach art circles.  He was a sculptor, painter, writer and photographer whose craft was inspired …

Many Americans have no friends of another race: poll  —  (Reuters) - About 40 percent of white Americans and about 25 percent of non-white Americans are surrounded exclusively by friends of their own race, according to an ongoing Reuters/Ipsos poll.  —  The figures highlight how segregated …

One In 25 Americans Was Arrested In 2011  —  We've heard a lot of talk lately about mass incarceration, the stop-and-frisk policies in New York, reforming the drug laws, and mandatory minimum sentencing.  There's also been discussion about over-criminalization — that we have too many laws …

Picking A Losing Battle To Win the War  —  There's a fascinating column penned by Craig Shirley (one of the keepers of the Gipper's flame) and Newt Gingrich up at cnn.com that analogizes the recent state of the Republican Party to that which existed after Richard Nixon's resignation …

Republicans May Be Changing Minds on Immigration Reform  —  Immigration reform supporters protest in front of the Cannon House Office Building, August 1, 2013, in Washington.  Photo Credit: Bill Clark/Roll Call/Getty Images  —  Members of Congress have been on recess for only a few days …

Obama to honor Bill Clinton, Oprah with Presidential Medal of Freedom  —  President Obama will present former President Clinton and talk show host Oprah Winfrey with the Presidential Medial Freedom — the nation's highest civilian honor.  —  The award is given to those who made meritorious contributions to the United States.

CNN President Jeff Zucker's teenage son resigns from cushy consulting gig as ‘millennial adviser’ at Cory Booker start-up Waywire - Twitter critics blast hire as ‘gross nepotism alert’  —  He isn't even old enough to drive — but CNN President Jeff Zucker's teenage son has already resigned …

George Zimmerman's Biggest Defender: A Racist With a Criminal Past  —  Frank Taaffe, Zimmerman's unofficial media emissary, is a convicted criminal who recently appeared on The White Voice, a virulently racist podcast.  —  Frank Taaffe.  HLN  —  In April 2012, two days before George Zimmerman …

Why Seniors Are Turning Against The GOP  —  There's something going on with seniors: It is now strikingly clear that they have turned sharply against the GOP.  This is apparent in seniors' party affiliation and vote intention, in their views on the Republican Party and its leaders …

ObamaCare ‘death panel’ faces growing opposition from Dems  —  ObamaCare's cost-cutting board — memorably called a “death panel” by Sarah Palin — is facing growing opposition from Democrats who say it will harm people on Medicare.  —  Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean drew attention …

What Janet Yellen — And Everyone Else — Got Wrong  —  Don't worry, this isn't another entry in the Larry/Janet debate, where I've said my piece.  Instead, it's prompted by a nice but I think incomplete analysis by Matt O'Brien of the reasons Janet Yellen underestimated the damage …

Why Is U.S. Economic Mobility Worse in the South?  —  Americans pride themselves on their intergenerational mobility.  Our nation's exceptionalism is organized around the American dream: No matter where you come from and no matter who your parents are, you can rise to the top of the economic ladder …

THE SNOWDEN EFFECT, CONT'D  —  OK, so last night, I was sitting down with a cool one, and watching the NBC Nightly News, and Lester Holt was chatting over the events of the day, specifically the president's decision not to meet with Vladimir Putin.  And, when the name of Edward Snowden came up, this is how Holt described him:

Judge in Fort Hood military trial says Nidal Hasan can remain his own lawyer  —  The military judge presiding over the court-martial of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan ruled Thursday that he can continue to represent himself, denying a bid from his legal advisors to take over his defense amid concerns …

The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In  —  Sheilah O'Donnel tells herself that her new home, a townhouse in a development in Chevy Chase, Md., just a stone's throw from a Safeway, isn't really all that bad.  Sure, it's near a gas station.  And the front window, with its cheerily upholstered cushions, overlooks a dreary parking lot.