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.

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.

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 …

Ted Cruz: “We Need 100 More Like Jesse Helms”  —  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz started off his Wednesday speech on foreign policy at the conservative Heritage Foundation with a confession: His first political contribution was a $10 contribution to the late Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), when he was 10.

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.

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.

So, you want a job in policy?  —  I haven't worked a “real job” since being an undergrad.  However, I often get asked by undergrads for advice about preparations for real world policy jobs.  I recently asked my former PhD student, Kate Kidder, a research associate at the Center for a New American Security …

Most States Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession  —  States' new budgets are providing less per-pupil funding for kindergarten through 12th grade than they did six years ago — often far less.  The reduced levels reflect not only the lingering effects of the 2007-09 recession …

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 …

Feds Fight To Prevent NSA Disclosures In Criminal Cases  —  Solicitor General Donald Verrilli and Sen. Diane Feinstein have put federal prosecutors in quite a bind after they made public comments about the use of secret NSA surveillance in terrorism investigations.

Norquist Has Leadership's Back Against Heritage, Club for Growth  —  A House GOP leadership team whose best-laid plans have been continually torpedoed by Heritage Action for America and the Club for Growth has a familiar ally as it tries to avert a government shutdown: Grover Norquist.

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 …

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 …

House GOP: United against Obama on Syria, divided on everything else  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL WHITE HOUSE CONGRESS BARACK OBAMA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SYRIA  —  Here's what a leading House Republican said recently about the state of relations among GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill …

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.

Benghazi Conspiracy Rally On Capitol Hill Attracts Dozens Of People  —  Tens of people rally on Capitol Hill for the truth about Benghazi  —  WASHINGTON, DC — The first anniversary of the Benghazi tragedy was supposed to be the time for conservatives around the country to descend on the Capitol …

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 …