Obama announces proposals to reform NSA surveillance  —  President Obama announced plans Friday to pursue reforms that would open the legal proceedings surrounding the National Security Agency's surveillance programs to greater scrutiny, the administration's most concerted response yet to a series of national security disclosures.

TRANSCRIPT: President Obama's August 9, 2013, news conference at the White House  —  By Washington Post Staff,  —  President Obama took questions from reporters at the White House on Aug. 9, 2013.  —  PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Good afternoon, everybody.  Please have a seat.

Chief of Staff Lee Burdick says Mayor Bob Filner entered therapy a week early, completed program  —  SAN DIEGO - San Diego Mayor Bob Filner's chief of staff confirmed to 10News that the mayor began his therapy a week early and has already completed the program.

LePage in fighter jet simulator: ‘I want to find the Press Herald building and blow it up’  —  NORTH BERWICK, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage — who earlier this summer told his commissioners to stop speaking to reporters from the Portland Press Herald and its two sister papers after he objected …

Jay Leno's Last ‘Tonight Show’ to Air Feb. 6  —  NBC to pull latenight host on the eve of Olympics coverage  —  Jay Leno's last “Tonight Show” on NBC will air Feb. 6, sources confirm to Variety.  —  “Tonight Show” exec producer Debbie Vickers made the announcement today to employees of the show …

A Poll I'd Like To See  —  Jonathan Chait finds Rand Paul talking about the evils of “running a trillion-dollar deficit every year” — which, as it happens, is not at all what we're doing; the deficit is at around $600 billion and falling fast.  This follows on Eric Cantor's talk about …

Reid raises race in discussing GOP opposition to Obama's agenda  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Friday said he hoped GOP opposition to President Obama was not based on his race.  —  Reid made the comments in response to a question during a radio interview.

The Bourne Hypocrisy: Matt Damon's Peculiar School Choice  —  The movie star's explanation for sending his four daughters to private school is disingenuous.  —  Oscar winner Matt Damon has earned millions successfully playing a super spy, tortured genius, rugby icon, and poker player.

How Dumb Is Immigration Debate?  This Dumb.  —  Everything you know about immigration, particularly unauthorized immigration, is wrong.  —  So says Princeton University's Doug Massey, anyway.  Massey is one of the nation's preeminent immigration scholars.

Social Security Payments Limited To Same-Sex Married Couples Living In States That Recognize Marriage Equality  —  For a same-sex couple legally married in Massachusetts, who live in Texas and “meet all other factors of entitlement,” the Social Security Administration told employees Friday, “Hold the claim.”

Labour must shout louder or risk election defeat, warns Andy Burnham  —  Shadow health secretary says time is running out for coherent Labour challenge to the coalition  —  Labour's leadership must put its cards on the table before next spring and produce a set of policies which define …

Ken Cuccinelli slams Terry McAuliffe at forum  —  MANASSAS, Va. — Republican Ken Cuccinelli threw the kitchen sink at his Democratic opponent Friday, using a forum here to unload the most blisteringly negative and far-reaching attacks yet of an already nasty governor's race.

Cantor: ‘No One Is Advocating a Government Shutdown’  —  As the fall's fiscal drama nears, a group of conservative lawmakers are urging Republican leaders to use Obamacare as a bargaining chip.  Behind the scenes, they're warning Speaker John Boehner and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell …