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 …

U.N. Leader Admits Failure to Halt Syrian Atrocities  —  Ban Ki-moon, the secretary general of the United Nations, said Wednesday that the organization was responsible for a “collective failure” to halt more than two years of atrocious violence in Syria, and he expressed hope that the crisis …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Sen. Corker: Obama ‘uncomfortable’ as Commander in Chief  —  Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said President Obama is a “diminished” leader on Capitol Hill and “uncomfortable” being commander in chief.  —  Corker —the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who helped write …

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 …

Reflecting on the Colorado recalls  —  We did a poll last weekend in Colorado Senate District 3 and found that voters intended to recall Angela Giron by a 12 point margin, 54/42.  In a district that Barack Obama won by almost 20 points I figured there was no way that could be right and made a rare decision not to release the poll.

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.

National Review to get Wazn Miller docs  —  James Allen, a spokesperson for Newark Mayor Cory Booker, says in an email that the National Review will receive the records related to the Wazn Miller case, the young man Booker claims to have held in his arms as he was dying from gunshot wounds in 2004.

Christie releases first ad, spends $1.5 million  —  (CNN) - Gov. Chris Christie's re-election team released its first television ad of the general campaign Thursday, highlighting the New Jersey Republican's record as a bipartisan leader.  —  “They said it couldn't be done.  New Jersey was too broken, too partisan.

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 …

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.