Jeffrey Bezos, Washington Post's next owner, aims for a new ‘golden era’ at the newspaper  —  Jeffrey P. Bezos, the next owner of The Washington Post, says he doesn't have all the answers for what's ailing the newspaper industry or for the financially challenged news organization he is preparing to buy.

Top-secret U.S. intelligence files show new levels of distrust of Pakistan  —  The $52.6 billion U.S. intelligence arsenal is aimed mainly at unambiguous adversaries, including al-Qaeda, North Korea and Iran.  But top-secret budget documents reveal an equally intense focus on one purported ally: Pakistan.

Kerry's cosy dinner with Syria's ‘Hitler’: Secretary of State and the man he likened to German dictator are pictured dining with their wives at Damascus restaurant before civil war broke out  —  An astonishing photograph of John Kerry having a cozy and intimate dinner with Bashar al-Assad …

Obama Must Address Skeptics, Lawmakers About Syria  —  Congress is holding its first public hearing about U.S. plans for military intervention in Syria as President Barack Obama seeks to convince skeptical Americans and their lawmakers about the need to respond to last month's alleged sarin gas attack outside Damascus.

Obama To Meet With LGBT Activists While In Russia  —  After canceling a bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin while there for the G20 summit, Obama may anger the Kremlin further by meeting with Russian activists — including from LGBT groups.  —  Jason Reed / Reuters

Last resort: When all else failed, Obama went to Congress  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL WHITE HOUSE CONGRESS BARACK OBAMA SYRIA  —  One factor that could complicate President Obama's effort to win congressional authorization for his plan to attack the Syrian regime is that …

Syrian Electronic Army Hacks Marines Website  —  A collection of pro-Syrian government hackers apparently defaced a Marine Corps recruitment website Monday.  —  The Syrian Electronic Army, which has hacked a series of websites, posted a letter on the Marines.com website arguing the Syrian government is “fighting a vile common enemy.”

Your Labor Day Syria Reader, Part 2: William Polk  —  Many times I've mentioned the foreign-policy assessments of William R. Polk, at right, who first wrote for the Atlantic (about Iraq) during Dwight Eisenhower's administration, back in 1958, and served on the State Department's Policy Planning staff during the Kennedy years.

Rand Paul to campaign for Steve Lonegan  —  Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will visit his sometime rival Chris Christie's home state of New Jersey next week to campaign for Republican Senate candidate Steve Lonegan, POLITICO has learned.  —  Paul, who sparred sharply with Christie this summer …

Sweet Cakes closing shop amid same-sex rift  —  GRESHAM, Ore. (KOIN) — A bakery embroiled in controversy after an owner refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple is closing up its Gresham storefront.  —  According to the “Sweet Cakes by Melissa” Facebook page …

Father who beat to death man he caught raping his five-year-old daughter will NOT face charges because of Texas state laws on deadly force  — A young father who beat his daughter's rapist to death after walking in on the assault will not face charges according to the states grand jury

Ronald Coase, 1910-2013  —  Ronald Coase, Clifton R. Musser Professor Emeritus of Economics, passed away on September 2, 2013, at the age of 102.  A full obituary will be available here shortly.  For more on Ronald Coase's work and legacy, please visit the Law School's other home page features and the Coase-Sandor Institute.

RIP Frederik Pohl, the man who transformed science fiction  —  One of the leading lights of the science fiction world, editor and author Frederik Pohl, passed away this weekend after a career that defined the genre for decades.  —  His granddaughter Emily Pohl Weary confirmed the news:

In Syria debate, little mention of rebels  —  An image grab taken from a video shows an opposition fighter firing an rocket propelled grenade (RPG) on August 26, 2013 during clashes with regime forces over the strategic area of Khanasser, situated on the only road linking Aleppo to central Syria.

Assad: If The West Attacks, ‘Risk Of A Regional War Exists’  —  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad dismissed evidence the United States and France said shows his regime used chemical weapons on Syrian civilians, warning that any planned military response could result in a “regional war.”