What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria  —  MOSCOW — RECENT events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders.  It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies.

Exclusive: The Koch brothers' secret bank  —  An Arlington, Va.-based conservative group, whose existence until now was unknown to almost everyone in politics, raised and spent $250 million in 2012 to shape political and policy debate nationwide.  —  The group, Freedom Partners …

U.S. weapons reaching Syrian rebels  —  The CIA has begun delivering weapons to rebels in Syria, ending months of delay in lethal aid that had been promised by the Obama administration, according to U.S. officials and Syrian figures.  The shipments began streaming into the country over the past two weeks …

Exclusive: U.N. Report Will Point to Assad Regime in Massive Chemical Attack  —  U.N. inspectors have collected a “wealth” of evidence on the use of nerve agents that points to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad using chemical weapons against his own people, according to a senior Western official.

Pastor Terry Jones arrested with thousands of kerosene-soaked Qurans, deputies say  —  Controversial Gainesville Pastor Terry Jones, known for his plans to publicly burn copies of the Muslim holy book, was arrested Wednesday with thousands of kerosene-soaked Qurans, authorities said.

Obama signals shift back to economic focus  —  The White House is signaling it wants to shift back to the economy after two weeks in which the Syrian crisis has dominated President Obama's schedule and workload.  —  Obama will be “focusing” on issues related to the economy in the coming weeks …

Democrats Press Thompson to Forsake a Runoff  —  Mayoral Election: What Happens Next?:  Bill de Blasio has a commanding lead over William C. Thompson Jr. after the Democratic primary in New York City.  The winner will face Joseph J. Lhota, the Republican candidate.

WATCH: College Students Chase David Petraeus and Shout at Him on First Day of Class  —  Recent video shows former CIA director David Petraeus being chased down a New York City street by student activists at the City University of New York.  —  As BusinessInsider reported …

CNN Poll: Who would get blamed for government shutdown?  —  Washington (CNN) - With the clock ticking towards two crucial deadlines, a new national poll indicates congressional Republicans would shoulder more blame than President Barack Obama for a possible government shutdown.

D.C. executive linked to secret 2008 aid to Hillary Clinton  —  The D.C. businessman at the center of an ongoing city corruption investigation secretly spent more than a half-million dollars on get-out-the-vote efforts for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, according to interviews and court documents filed Wednesday.

Obama and Syria: Stumbling Toward Damascus  —  The President's uneven Syria response has damaged his office and weakened the nation.  It's time for one more pivot  —  By Joe Klein @JoeKleinTIMESept.  11, 2013  —  On the eve of the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks …

Lois Lerner's Own Words  —  Emails undercut the official IRS story on political targeting.  —  Congress's investigation into the IRS targeting of conservatives has been continuing out of the Syria headlines, and it's turning up news.  Emails unearthed by the House Ways …

The Gun Control Moment Passes  —  It seems a lot longer ago than just eight months.  Back on January 16 of this year, President Obama sounded what was intended to be the keynote of his second term by saying that he intended to introduce a raft of legislative proposals intended to tighten controls of gun ownership.

War criminal architect of the other September 11 meeting with John Kerry this afternoon  —  As I pointed out Tuesday—in The other September 11 is 40 years old.  Joyce Horman thanks those who sought justice in Chile—one key person responsible for the torture, exile and death of so many Chileans …

Controversial Syria Researcher Fired Over Doctorate Claim  —  Elizabeth O'Bagy's ties to the Syrian opposition had become an issue.  Think Tank founder says she had “no problem” with O'Bagy's affiliation.  —  A young researcher whose opinions on Syria were cited by both Senator McCain …

Companies lay off thousands, then demand immigration reform for new labor  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL CONGRESS IMMIGRATION LABOR JOHN BOEHNER NANCY PELOSI  —  On Tuesday, the chief human resources officers of more than 100 large corporations sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner …

The Laurel and Hardy Presidency  —  After the Syrian slapstick, it's time to sober up U.S. foreign policy.  —  After writing in the London Telegraph that Monday was “the worst day for U.S. and wider Western diplomacy since records began,” former British ambassador Charles Crawford asked simply: “How has this happened?”