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.

Jindal plummets and other notes from Louisiana  —  Three years ago in August PPP declared Bobby Jindal to be the most popular Governor in the country.  58% of voters approved of him to only 34% who disapproved.  Jindal's fortunes have seen an amazing shift since that time though …

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.

Obama Hasn't Evolved on Pot — Yet  —  President Barack Obama doesn't favor changing marijuana laws “at this point” but he also believes that federal law enforcement resources should not be focused on individual users, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday.

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 …

The anti-Clinton media — here we go again  —  Not everyone is as apparently obsessed with writing vitriol about the Clintons as Maureen Dowd, the New York Times's op-ed columnist.  For example, last Saturday, Dowd compared the Clintons to the self-destructive cartoon character Wile E. Coyote.

Statement by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Allegations of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria  —  The United States is deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of Syrian civilians have been killed in an attack by Syrian government forces, including by the use of chemical weapons, near Damascus earlier today.

The text of U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning's statement that will be sent to the president, as read by defense attorney David Coombs following Manning's sentencing Wednesday:  —  The decisions that I made in 2010 were made out of a concern for my country and the world that we live in.

Brown opts out of run for Mass. governor  —  Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) said Wednesday night he will not run for Massachusetts governor in 2014.  —  Brown said he wanted to remain in the private sector, noting that another run for public office would take a lot of “thought, analysis, money and sometimes personal sacrifice.”

GOP Strategist To MSNBC: Ted Cruz Is ‘Lying to the Voters’  —  Former John McCain campaign aide Nicolle Wallace told Morning Joe guest host Donny Deutsch that Ted Cruz was being “intellectually dishonest” in his mission to shut down the government in order to defund Obamacare …

NSA scandal looms large in German election  —  ‘Germany is not a nation of surveillance.  Germany is a nation of freedom,’ Merkel says.  AP Photo  —  Close  —  BERLIN — It's election season in Germany and there's one campaign issue that won't go away: the NSA surveillance scandal.

Sparks fly after Sen. Marble's ‘chicken’ comment in poverty hearing  —  DENVER — Democratic lawmakers couldn't believe their ears as they listened to Sen. Vicki Marble, R-Fort Collins, deliver a long soliloquy explaining that more blacks and Hispanics live in poverty, in part, because of fried chicken.

Feds running out of wildfire money  —  Running out of money to fight wildfires at the peak of the season, the U.S. Forest Service is diverting $600 million from timber, recreation and other areas to fill the gap.  —  The nation's top wildfire-fighting agency was down to $50 million …

Accepting Scalia's Offer, Arizona Sues Obama Administration On Voting Rights  —  Arizona and Kansas have taken Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's suggestion and sued the Obama administration in a continuing effort by both states to require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote.

Jeffrey Singer: The Man Who Was Treated for $17,000 Less  —  Bypassing his third-party payer, my patient avoided a high hospital ‘list price.’  —  Every so often I have an extraordinary and surprising experience with a patient—the kind that makes us both say, “Wow, we've learned something from this.”

Drive-Bys Try to Ignore Australian Student Murdered By “Bored Teens” Obsessed with Violent Rap Lyrics  —  RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, I hope — I hope — that people appreciate what a public service that we provide here at the EIB Network.  And one of the many things that we do here is keep people from being bored.

BREAKING: AG will not challenge N.M. county's same-sex marriages  —  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico Attorney General Gary King says he will not challenge a move by a Dona Ana County clerk to issue same-sex marriage licenses.  —  King told reporters Wednesday at a news conference …