NSA gathered thousands of Americans' e-mails before court struck down program  —  The National Security Agency unlawfully gathered as many as tens of thousands of e-mails and other electronic communications between Americans as part of a now-discontinued collection program, according to a 2011 secret court opinion.

Poll: Louisiana GOPers Unsure If Katrina Response Was Obama's Fault  —  A significant chunk of Louisiana Republicans evidently believe that President Barack Obama is to blame for the poor response to the hurricane that ravaged their state more than three years before he took office.

Maureen Dowd: I ‘screwed up’  —  New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd says she “screwed up” by misquoting the wife of New York City mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio in her recent column and attributed the mistake to a “noisy” coffee shop.  —  “I screwed up.  The coffee shop was so noisy, my tape recorder didn't pick up everything.

Judge sentences Bradley Manning to 35 years  —  A military judge on Wednesday morning sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.  —  Manning, 25, was convicted last month of multiple charges …

White House eyes ‘gun trust’ loophole  —  The Obama administration is working to close a loophole in the nation's gun laws that allows for some machine guns and sawed-off shotguns to be sold without the buyer submitting fingerprints or photographs.  —  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco …

Wentworth Miller rejects Russian film festival invitation; ‘As a gay man, I must decline’  —  Actor and screenwriter Wentworth Miller today rejected an invitation to attend the St. Petersburg International Film Festival, citing Russia's anti-LGBT laws.  In a letter to the Festival's Director …

‘Senseless’ shooting of Australian Chris Lane sparks calls for U.S. boycott  —  (CNN) — They were younger than him, just teenagers who were driving around, apparently bored and looking for somebody to kill, according to police in Duncan, Oklahoma.  —  The indiscriminate shooting of Christopher Lane …

UPS to drop 15,000 spouses from insurance, cites Obamacare  —  United Parcel Service Inc. plans to remove thousands of spouses from its medical plan because they are eligible for coverage elsewhere.  The Atlanta-based logistics company points to the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare …

(Credit: Michael Lionstar)  —  I can vividly remember the first time I read Camille Paglia.  I was visiting New York with my mom during college and we happened across “Vamps and Tramps” at a bookstore near our hotel.  Lying in neighboring twin beds, I read passages out loud to her.

Syrian activists accuse government of deadly chemical attack near Damascus  —  BEIRUT - Syrian activists accused the government on Wednesday of launching a massive chemical weapons attack that killed scores of people in the Damascus suburbs and left makeshift hospitals packed with victims gasping for breath.

Egypt's Coptic Christians face unprecedented reprisals from the Muslim Brotherhood  —  CAIRO — Islamist mobs have torched schools and businesses owned by Christians, looted churches and even paraded captive nuns through the streets of a city south of Cairo in a display of rage unseen in Egypt's recent history.

Beau Biden in ‘great shape’ after procedure  —  (CNN) - Beau Biden, who traveled to Texas this week for medical tests, successfully underwent a procedure Tuesday and is currently in “great shape,” the White House said Wednesday.  —  The Delaware attorney general and son of Vice President Joe Biden …

Breaking news: Cheney pays $220 for fishing license ticket  —  Angus M. Thuermer Jr., Jackson Hole News&Guide  —  U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Lynne Cheney posted a $220 bond in Ninth Circuit Court in Teton County on Monday on a charge of making a false statement to procure a fishing license.

Another sex harassment accusation for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner  —  (CNN) — Another woman has come forward to accuse San Diego Mayor Bob Filner of sexual harassment.  —  Businesswoman Dianne York told CNN that Filner put his hands on her buttocks during a photo opportunity that followed a meeting three months ago.

Rep. Clyburn likens American media to Nazi propagandists  —  Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the third-ranking House Democrat, on Wednesday accused the U.S. media of spreading “manufactured controversies” that pose dangers similar to the propaganda spread by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

Fox News firing tied to Ailes book  —  The decision last month by Fox News chief Roger Ailes to fire his top communications executive, Brian Lewis, was due to a number of factors, including what the network's parent company 21st Century Fox has described as “financial irregularities” and breaches of contract.

Scott Walker's stealth 2016 strategy  —  MADISON, Wis. — He can't use the Senate soapbox to rack up media hits and political points, like Rand Paul or Marco Rubio.  He isn't poised to run up the score in his reelection campaign as a show of strength heading into 2016, as Chris Christie intends to do this November in New Jersey.

Abandoned Dogs Roam Detroit in Packs as Humans Dwindle  —  Detroit Dominated by Pitbulls as 50K Dogs Roam Free  —  As many as 50,000 stray dogs roam the streets and vacant homes of bankrupt Detroit, replacing residents, menacing humans who remain and overwhelming the city's ability to find them homes or peaceful deaths.

A Decade of Flat Wages: The Key Barrier to Shared Prosperity and a Rising Middle Class  —  The nation's economic discourse has finally shifted from talk of “grand bargain” budget deals to a focus on addressing the economic challenges of the middle class and those aspiring to join the middle class.