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.

House Republican Anarchy Update  —  The House was scheduled to vote yesterday on a continuing resolution, which is a measure to not shut down the government.  Ultraconservatives have been demanding that the House refuse to continue funding the government unless President Obama agrees to defund Obamacare.

COULD OBAMA'S SYRIA DIPLOMACY LEAD TO WAR?  —  On Wednesday, a diplomatic solution to disarm Syria of its chemical weapons crept forward.  Unlike the preceding days, when policy seemed to be made on the fly, the negotiations Wednesday moved behind closed doors.

The Rise of the New New Left  —  Bill de Blasio's win in New York's Democratic primary isn't a local story.  It's part of a vast shift that could upend three decades of American political thinking.  By Peter Beinart  —  Maybe Bill de Blasio got lucky.  Maybe he only won because he cut a sweet ad featuring his biracial son.

Shale criminal charges stun drilling industry  —  Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane's decision to prosecute a major Marcellus Shale natural-gas driller for a 2010 wastewater spill has sent shock waves through the industry.  —  But environmentalists Wednesday hailed the prosecution …

In a Breathtaking First, NASA Craft Exits the Solar System  —  Since the launch of the Voyager satellites in 1977, Voyager 1 has traveled over 11.7 billion miles from the launchpad pictured here.  That is equivalent to traveling to the moon and back almost 25,000 times.

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.

Why do wonks lie about having a Ph.D.?  —  Until yesterday, Elizabeth O'Bagy was a senior analyst at the Institute for the Study of War and an increasingly prominent expert on the Syrian rebel groups.  Then the institute announced the following: … O'Bagy's exact academic status was unclear in the reportage.

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.

Montana Lt. Gov. “Accidentally” Liked Picture Of Breasts On Facebook — Then Quickly Scrubbed His Account  —  “Breasts.Proof men can multitask2” reads the image's caption that was liked by a top-tier Democratic recruit for U.S. Senate.  “This was spam,” a Montana Democrat says.

Fox's Shepard Smith to Lead Breaking News Division With New Show, Managing Editor Role  —  Mediaite has learned this afternoon that Fox News anchor Shepard Smith will expand his role at the network, overseeing a newly-established breaking news division, taking on the role as its managing editor …

Mayor Gray vetoes ‘living wage’ bill aimed at Wal-Mart, setting up decisive council vote  —  District Mayor Vincent C. Gray vetoed legislation Thursday that would force the city's largest retailers to pay a super-minimum wage to their workers, ending two months of uncertainty …

Experts: White House H2O evidence murky  —  First lady Michelle Obama's new drive to get Americans to drink more water may seem unlikely to make waves, but it spills into areas that have stirred intense controversy among scientists, public health campaigners and environmentalists.