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.

The Buck Stops Here  —  Obama goes Galt.  —  “First of all, I didn't set a red line,” Barack Obama said today at a press conference in Stockholm.  “The world set a red line.  The world set a red line when governments representing 98% of the world's population said the use of chemical weapons are …

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.

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 …

Obama, Putin chat — for 15 seconds  —  President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin shared a brief, 15-second greeting Thursday at the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg.  It was the first face-to-face interaction between the leaders after a summer of high-profile spats over Syria, Edward Snowden, and gay rights.

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.

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.

Why Do We Even Care About Syria's Chemical Weapons?  —  The United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 Syrians have died since the country's civil war began in March 2011.  More die every day.  But the U.S. is not considering military action to save them.

Russia says it's compiled 100-page report blaming Syrian rebels for a chemical weapons attack  —  BERLIN — Russia says it has compiled a 100-page report detailing what it says is evidence that Syrian rebels, not forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, were behind a deadly sarin gas attack in an Aleppo suburb earlier this year.

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?

Q&A: Nancy Pelosi Talks About Syria With TIME  —  By Michael Scherer and Alex Altman @michaelschererSept.  05, 2013  —  Leading the minority party in Congress can be a marginal, thankless role.  But as Barack Obama tries to thread a resolution through Congress to authorize the use …

Bill Maher Dismisses ‘Insufferable Racist’ Donald Trump on Leno  —  When Bill Maher wasn't humiliating Jay Leno to his face on last night's Tonight Show he was taking on his other favorite target: Donald Trump.  Leno asked Maher about their long standing feud and the Real Time host explained …

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey votes ‘present’ on key Syria resolution  —  U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey punted as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a compromise resolution designed to win support for President Obama's proposed strike on Syria by limiting the scope of any military action …

How disability benefits are creating a nation of dependent Julias (and Julians)  —  Roughly 11 million Americans — including workers and their family — now receive Social Security disability benefits, three times the number 30 years ago.  Total economic costs, including both payments and loss of output …

Former senior EPA adviser Beale expected to plead guilty in $900,000 pay fraud  —  Over the past 12 years, John C. Beale was often away from his job as a high-level staffer at the Environmental Protection Agency.  He cultivated an air of mystery and explained his lengthy absences by telling …