Brutality of Syrian Rebels Posing Dilemma in West  —  The Syrian rebels posed casually, standing over their prisoners with firearms pointed down at the shirtless and terrified men.  —  The prisoners, seven in all, were captured Syrian soldiers.  Five were trussed, their backs marked with red welts.

US and UK spy agencies defeat privacy and security on the internet  —  • NSA and GCHQ unlock encryption used to protect emails, banking and medical records  —  • $250m-a-year US program works covertly with tech companies to insert weaknesses into products

Obama cancels LA trip as ‘no’ votes on Syria resolution pile up (Video)  —  President Obama has scrapped a planned two-day trip to Los Angeles early next week ahead of a congressional vote on a military strike against Syria.  —  The cancellation of the trip suggests the urgency …

Kerry Blows Up At GOP Rep For Harping On Benghazi At Syria Hearing (VIDEO)  —  Secretary of State John Kerry erupted at Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) after the congressman charged that the Obama administration cannot be trusted to carry out an attack on Syria due to mistakes made in Benghazi …

Major New Study On Obamacare Premiums Should End The ‘Rate Shock’ Hysteria Once And For All  —  The most comprehensive study on Obamacare to date finds that Americans' insurance premiums under the health law will be “lower than expected.”  Many Americans will pay even less than the top-line rates …

So far, President Obama's political arm sits out Syria push  —  Barack Obama's supporters built a political organization to pressure Congress to build public support for him.  Yet on one of his biggest efforts since Organizing for Action re-launched early this year — the push to convince Congress …

Can We Pay a Minimum Wage That Makes Everyone Rich?  —  Last week, fast-food workers staged a one-day strike in 60 U.S. cities to demand a minimum wage of $15 an hour, more than double the current federal minimum of $7.25.  The nationwide effort, “Fight for 15,” was organized by the Service Employees International Union.

It's Official: Alec Baldwin to Host Talk Show on MSNBC  —  The actor and will anchor a 10 p.m. program on Fridays beginning in October.  —  Alec Baldwin  —  Alec Baldwin has finalized a deal to host a weekly night-time talk show on MSNBC.  The program - Up Late with Alec Baldwin will bow …

The “no's” keep piling up on Syria resolution in the House  —  By Aaron Blake and Sean Sullivan, Published: September 5 at 6:30 am  —  Congress took the first formal step toward approving military action in Syria on Wednesday, with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's 10-7 vote to send its resolution to the full chamber.

The Right Questions on Syria  —  Critics of American military action in Syria are right to point out all the risks and uncertainties of missile strikes, and they have American public opinion on their side.  —  But for those of you who oppose cruise missile strikes, what alternative do you favor?

Was Mitt Romney Right About Everything?  —  From Russia to Mali to Detroit, Romney's biggest fans say they've been vindicated.  “Obviously, it would have been nice if any of these incidents would have occurred during the campaign.”  —  Romney pauses as he addresses supporters during his election night rally.

Top House Republican Rewrites History, Claims Reagan Stood Up To Chemical Weapons Use  —  A top Republican lawmaker on Thursday invoked Ronald Reagan to say that Obama was weak for not acting more directly in response to Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons, ignoring the fact …

SUSPENDED: Michigan State removes prof who went on anti-Republican tirade  —  Michigan State administrators have suspended Prof. William Penn for the remainder of the semester, after he was caught on video going on an anti-Republican tirade on the very first day of his literature class.

The Era of Disbelief  —  This is a particularly bad time to sell the American people a war, and make no mistake: we are being sold, and this “military action,” in another time and place — and in some quarters, here and now — would be called an act of war.  —  Americans are not only weary of war …

John Boehner May Save America After All  —  Cops Not Into Video of Daredevil Driving Really Fast Around Manhattan  —  John Boehner has sworn up and down that he is going to stay in his job as Speaker of the House past the 2014 elections.  Jonathan Ward thinks John Boehner is lying.

Saving Obama From Himself  —  The next couple of weeks will be full of surprises, twists and turns, as this country debates in its Congress and media and living rooms whether to launch another war in the Middle East.  But I think it's fair to offer a preliminary assessment of where the wind is blowing.