WH chief of staff: ‘This is not Iraq or Afghanistan’  —  (CNN) - White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough argued Sunday that a military strike in Syria would not be a repeat of previous U.S. involvements in the Middle East or North Africa.  —  On CNN's “State of the Union,” McDonough said it's …

Mayor Bloomberg: Bill de Blasio's campaign is ‘racist’  —  But de Blasio, himself, is not one, says Mike Bloomberg, who also thinks the campaign is wrong in other ways.  'Tearing people apart with this ‘two cities’ thing doesn't make any sense to me.  It's a destructive strategy for those you want to help the most,' says Hizzoner.

The Hands-Tied Presidency  —  AS the debate on the Syria intervention began in Congress last week, some wondered why President Obama, who has been frustrated repeatedly by Republican legislators, would risk being thwarted yet again and possibly jeopardize the ability of future presidents to pursue ambitious foreign policy objectives.

NSA Can Spy on Smart Phone Data  —  SPIEGEL has learned from internal NSA documents that the US intelligence agency has the capability of tapping user data from the iPhone, devices using Android as well as BlackBerry, a system previously believed to be highly secure.

Amid presidential murmurs, Warren to address AFL-CIO  —  LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) will address a key faction of the liberal base Monday as speculation intensifies that she will someday seek the presidency.  —  Helping to open the quadrennial AFL-CIO convention …

Collapse of American Influence Recalls Dis-Integration of Soviet Union, Fall of France  —  Not since the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, and prior to that the fall of France in 1940, has there been so swift an erosion of the world influence of a Great Power as we are witnessing with the United States.

Michael E. Mann, Top Climate Scientist, Can Proceed WIth Libel Suit Against Right Wing Blogs, Judge Rules  —  Follow us and never miss a story!  —  A climate scientist widely known for his “hockey stick” graph showing a steep climb in global temperature over the last century …

NYPD: Man Brain-Dead Following Random Rampage In Union Square  —  NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — It came out of nowhere.  —  A man allegedly went on a rampage in Union Square on Wednesday afternoon and left a complete stranger brain-dead in the process.  —  Police said that the attack may have been a hate crime.

McConnell's Anti-Obamacare Juggernaut Turns Against Him  —  Perhaps nobody was more responsible for making Obamacare a partisan bill than Mitch McConnell.  During the grueling debate that began in 2009, the Senate minority leader worked diligently to ensure no Republican voted for health care reform.

And now it's global COOLING!  Record return of Arctic ice cap as it grows by 60% in a year  — Publication of UN climate change report suggesting global warming caused by humans pushed back to later this month  —  A chilly Arctic summer has left nearly a million more square miles …

Obama's Battle for Syria Votes, Taut and Uphill  —  WASHINGTON — Each morning for the last week, at 7:45, more than a dozen White House aides have mustered in the corner office of President Obama's chief of staff, Denis R. McDonough, to get their marching orders for what has become the most intense …