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Nancy Pelosi the hawk tells Barack Obama to act on Syria — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi pressed top administration officials Thursday night to take military action to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad in response to reports that he used chemical weapons in his nation's ongoing civil war.
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CNN, Weekly Standard, Hit & Run, Guardian, Hullabaloo, The PJ Tatler, Weasel Zippers, Goppers and Reuters
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Obama Set for Limited Strike on Syria as British Vote No — WASHINGTON — President Obama is prepared to move ahead with a limited military strike on Syria, administration officials said Thursday, despite a stinging rejection of such action on Thursday by America's stalwart ally Britain and mounting questions from Congress.
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Politico, Firedoglake, Guardian, NPR, BBC, The Plum Line, The Strata-Sphere, Booman Tribune, Global Grind, CNN, Associated Press, News Desk, The Daily Caller, McClatchy Washington Bureau, Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, Bloomberg, BuzzFeed, The Week, CANNONFIRE, Taylor Marsh, WJLA-TV, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Wall Street Journal, Lawfare, Reuters, Ed Driscoll, Weasel Zippers, Scared Monkeys, Telegraph, Daily Kos, National Review and Balloon Juice

U.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of a U.S. strike on Syria — The Obama administration's plan to launch a military strike against Syria is being received with serious reservations by many in the U.S. military, which is coping with the scars of two lengthy wars …
Discussion:
Post Politics, The PJ Tatler, Sense of Events, Weasel Zippers and Israel Matzav

Unclassified Syria briefing exposes rifts among key lawmakers — Thursday night's briefing by top Obama administration officials exposed divisions among key lawmakers on what to do in Syria. — Lawmakers on the unclassified conference call said the officials made it clear that President Obama …
Discussion:
Politico

NBC poll: Americans skeptical of U.S. intervention in Syria — Fifty percent of Americans say they oppose the United States taking military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad, and nearly eight-in-10 believe President Barack Obama should receive congressional approval before using any force, according to a new NBC News poll.
Discussion:
Politico, Weasel Zippers, The BRAD BLOG, CNN, Hot Air and New York Times


Facebook Post Said to Be by Assad's Son Dares Americans to Attack — A Facebook post said to be written by the 11-year-old son of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and “liked” or commented on by several people who appear to be the children and grandchildren of other senior members …
Discussion:
Guardian, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Gawker, AL.com and FP Passport

As Obama considers Syria strikes, Bush and Carter weigh in — (CNN) - Two of President Barack Obama's White House predecessors offered their views of his impending decision on Syria Friday as global support for strikes in the country faltered. — Former President George W. Bush …
Discussion:
Politico, Hullabaloo and Washington Monthly


The lonely president — President Barack Obama had hoped for a quick, convincing strike on Syria, but growing opposition and Great Britain's stunning rejection of the attack has thrust him into the uncomfortable position of go-it-alone hawk. — Just how Obama, whose career sprung …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, The New Republic, NPR and Reuters


NBC poll: Nearly 80 percent want congressional approval on Syria
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Moderate Voice, New York Times, NewsMax.com, AL.com, FITSNews, Scared Monkeys, msnbc.com, National Review, Lawfare and Weekly Standard

Aim of U.S. Attack: Restore a ‘Red Line’ That Became Blurred
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and emptywheel

U.S. Prepares for Solo Strike On Syria After Britain Balks
Discussion:
Washington Wire, Business Insider, Hot Air, AEIdeas and The Volokh Conspiracy

Obama's Off-the-Cuff ‘Red Line’ Creates Syria Dilemma
Discussion:
Hot Air, NetRight Daily and Associated Press

British parliament rejects military strike against Syria
Discussion:
Post Politics, Reuters, The Fix, ThinkProgress, The Huffington Post, Outside the Beltway, Wonkblog and Lawfare, more at Mediagazer »

Syria Poll Finds Little American Support For Air Strikes
Discussion:
americanthinker.com and Outside the Beltway


David Miranda was carrying password for secret files on piece of paper — A journalist's partner who was detained carrying thousands of British intelligence documents through Heathrow airport was also holding the password to an encrypted file written on a piece of paper, the government has disclosed.
Discussion:
Politico, BuzzFeed, Joe. My. God., The Verge and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »
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UK took three weeks to act over data at New York Times, says Guardian
Discussion:
The Jawa Report, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Switch, more at Mediagazer »

DNI Clapper Directs Annual Release of Information Related to Orders Issued to Telecom Providers Under National Security Authorities — August 29, 2013 — In June, President Obama directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to declassify and make public as much information as possible …
Discussion:
Hillicon Valley, GigaOM, The Switch, AL.com, The Verge, emptywheel, epic.org and Techdirt
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Federal Judge Strikes Down Law Barring Same-Sex Couples From Receiving Veterans' Benefits — “Title 38 is unconstitutional under rational basis scrutiny.” — Tracey and Maggie Cooper-Harris. — Courtesy Kathleen Perrin — WASHINGTON — A federal judge in California on Thursday found that …
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ThinkProgress, Washington Blade and U.S. Department …
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Federal judge orders VA to obey Supreme Court on same-sex benefits
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, BuzzFeed, Hot Air and SCOTUSblog


Poverty Has Same Effect On The Brain As Constantly Pulling All Nighters — The mental strain of living in poverty and thinking constantly about tight finances can drop a person's IQ by as much as 13 percent, or about the equivalent of losing a night of sleep, according to a new study.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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What ‘The Butler’ gets wrong about Ronald Reagan and race — Steven F. Hayward, Paul Kengor, Craig Shirley and Kiron K. Skinner are Ronald Reagan historians. — One cold evening in Dixon, Ill., in the early 1930s, a young man known as Dutch Reagan brought home two African American teammates from his Eureka College football team.
Discussion:
The Hinterland Gazette, Power Line and Ed Driscoll


How the Senate Exploits Unpaid Interns — Barely a third of U.S. senators pay their interns — and embarrassingly for Democrats, a party focused on workplace welfare, most of them are Republicans. — If you walk into any of the 100 Senate offices spread across Capitol Hill, there is one consistent element.
Discussion:
Althouse

Leaked documents reveal US sees Israel as a spying threat (Video) — The Obama administration views Israel as one of the top spying threats facing its intelligence services, leaked documents reveal. — A secret budget request obtained by The Washington Post from former NSA contractor …
Discussion:
Israel Matzav, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, WJLA-TV and Gawker
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Seamus Heaney, Irish Poet of Soil and Strife, Dies at 74 — Seamus Heaney, the Irish poet whose lyrical beauty and ethical depth won him the Nobel Prize in 1995 and gave him a prominence far beyond literary circles, died in Dublin on Friday after a brief illness, according to a statement issued on behalf of his family.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress


Conservatives ready another try to unseat Lindsey Graham — SOUTH CAROLINA 2014 ELECTIONS LINDSEY GRAHAM — ANDERSON, S.C. — On a Monday night in late August, Sen. Lindsey Graham was traveling with a congressional delegation in Africa when the three Republicans who are challenging …


Leading Democrats, de Blasio Has Broad Support as Primary Nears — Frustration with New York City's unaffordability and its aggressive police tactics is elevating Bill de Blasio, once dismissed as a left-leaning long shot, into the lead of the Democratic mayoral primary field …
Discussion:
Newsday, Politico, Taegan Goddard's … and Capital New York