Kucinich: Syria strike would turn US into 'al Qaeda's air force'  —  Air strikes on Syria would turn the U.S. military into “al Qaeda's air force,” former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) told The Hill.  —  The outspoken anti-war activist said any such action would plunge the United States …

Ben Bradlee's daughter-in-law reveals (almost) all on Facebook  —  Ben Bradlee, one of the great men of American journalism, celebrated his 92nd birthday yesterday, and his daughter-in-law paid tribute by posting a photo of them and saying “it is a dream to be part of his family.”

Why are Feminists Judging Miley Cyrus?  —  RUSH: This Miley Cyrus incident from Sunday night, “twerking” on the MTV Music Awards, continues to be discussed.  I ran across something today I really want to share with you about the curriculum at many (one particularly, but I'm sure at many other) universities and colleges in this country.

Robertson: Gay People Deliberately Spread HIV/AIDS By Cutting People With Special Rings  —  Today on the 700 Club, Pat Robertson told co-host Terry Meeuwsen that gay men in cities like San Francisco attempt to spread HIV/AIDS to others by cutting them with a special ring when shaking hands.

August 2013 Ratings: MSNBC Down Double Digits  —  MSNBC continued its rough 2013 in the ratings, continuing to lose significant audience from 2012.  The problems were particularly prevalent in primetime, with some shows losing close to -50% of viewers.  —  The ratings for August 2013 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data):

Teens face ethnic intimidation charges after brutally beating woman in North Side  —  PITTSBURGH —  Three teenage girls are facing several charges, including ethnic intimidation, after police said they brutally beat a 32-year-old woman Sunday in Pittsburgh's North Side.

Behind the Scenes of The Hunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev  —  All photographs by Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Sean Murphy  —  It was likely the most terrifying manhunt in Boston history.  With the city under lockdown and armored vehicles rolling through Watertown, the alleged Boston …

People Don't Fear Climate Change Enough  —  With respect to the science of climate change, many experts regard the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as the world's authoritative institution.  A draft summary of its forthcoming report was leaked last week.

New Jersey's Cory Booker: A perfect senator for ‘This Town’?  —  “That's really a phenomenon of the last two years,” Booker acknowledges, “when people started projecting me, not as this guy working in the inner city, but maybe as somebody who was going somewhere.”

Rape victim, 93, bravely speaks out after she was ‘attacked by 17-year-old boy who kicked in back door of her home as she slept’  —  A 17-year-old boy has been charged with rape following a sickening assault on a 93-year-old woman.  —  Iquise Taylor of Anderson, Indiana …

Michaud leads in Maine Gubernatorial race  —  Mike Michaud is the new leader in the Maine Governor's race, benefiting from the continued unpopularity of incumbent Paul LePage and declining support for independent Eliot Cutler over the last seven months.  Michaud is at 39% to 35% for LePage and 18% for Cutler.

Michigan Medicaid Expansion In Legislative Limbo  —  A Michigan bill to expand Medicaid under Obamacare is currently in legislative purgatory after a state senator refused to cast a vote, therefore stymying its passage.  —  The bill needs 20 votes out of the 38-member Senate to pass.

Brian Lewis Speaks Out: Roger Ailes and Fox News Should Fear Him  —  Brian Lewis's attorney Judd Burstein just provided this statement to Gawker: … Fox News President Roger Ailes fired Lewis in late July following accusations of “financial irregularities” and “multiple, material and significant breaches of his employment contract.”

Former Senior High teacher gets 30 days for rape of student  —  A Yellowstone County district judge Monday ordered a former Senior High teacher convicted of raping a 14-year-old female student who later committed suicide to spend 30 days in jail.  —  Judge G. Todd Baugh sentenced Stacey Dean Rambold …

Obama Taps Former Aides for Intel Review Panel  —  President Barack Obama on Tuesday named the members of a new intelligence review panel aimed at boosting public confidence in U.S. surveillance programs, tapping a group of former White House officials and academics with close current and past ties to his administration.

Al Jazeera America Launch Ratings  —  Al Jazeera America launched last week, and we have the ratings from Nielsen for its first few days.  —  Not surprisingly given the low-rated channel it replaced (Current TV), and the fact that it lost a few million homes from AT&T before launch …

Bubonic plague outbreak feared in central Asia  —  Health officials on alert after teenager who ate infected barbecued marmot dies and three others are admitted to hospital  —  Health officials fear an outbreak of bubonic plague in central Asia after a teenage boy died from the disease …

Wal-Mart will offer health coverage to workers' partners starting in 2014  —  The largest private employer in the United States will provide health insurance to the domestic partners of its U.S. workers starting next year in a major victory for gay rights activists.