And what's right with Obama?  —  The British have a saying about the twin rules of journalism: first simplify, then exaggerate.  —  Perhaps Barack Obama can comfort himself with the reality that his current travails are both more complicated in their causes and less dire in their consequences …

House Republicans up ante in showdown over federal shutdown  —  House Republican leaders bowed to conservative demands and announced plans Wednesday to strip out money for President Obama's healthcare law in a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Sept. 30.

Chuck Todd: It's Not Media's Job To Correct GOP's Obamacare Falsehoods (VIDEO)  —  MSNBC host Chuck Todd said Wednesday that when it comes to misinformation about the new federal health care law, don't expect members of the media to correct the record.  —  During a segment on “Morning Joe …

An Open Letter from Howard Schultz, ceo of Starbucks Coffee Company  —  Posted by Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer  —  Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns.  In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners …

Navy Yard: Swat team ‘stood down’ at mass shooting scene  —  On Wednesday, investigators continued to process the scene  —  One of the first teams of heavily armed police to respond to Monday's shooting in Washington DC was ordered to stand down by superiors, the BBC can reveal.

Obama distress signal: President seeks help from first-term A-Team  —  A struggling President Obama is calling for help from members of his first-term A-Team, who have left the White House for other jobs.  —  With his poll numbers falling and his second-term floundering so far …

Give Back?  Yes, It's Time For The 99% To Give Back To The 1%  —  It's time to gore another collectivist sacred cow.  This time it's the popular idea that the successful are obliged to “give back to the community.”  That oft-heard claim assumes that the wealth of high-earners is taken away from “the community.”

Obama Got Ranted At By Ed Schultz, Was Enraged By Bad NYT Coverage: New Book  —  President Obama had to listen to a rant from Ed Schultz about his leadership and was constantly complaining about the New York Times' critical editorials about him, a new book says.

For First Time, Americans' Views of Russia Turn Negative  —  Despite approval of Russian plan for Syria, Americans sour on Putin  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — More Americans view Russia as unfriendly or an enemy of the United States than as an ally or friendly nation for the first time in 15 years …

Wrongnado - CNN  —  Reporting on a mass shooting in Washington, CNN doesn't let a lack of facts get in the way of drawing speculative conclusions.  (06:53)

Google vs. Death  —  How CEO Larry Page has transformed the search giant into a factory for moonshots.  Our exclusive look at his boldest bet yet—to extend human life.  —  In person, it can be a little hard to hear Larry Page.  That's because he has vocal-cord nerve damage …

New Hampshire Senate Candidate: More Women In The Workplace Led To More Mass Shootings  —  Former Republican state Sen. Jim Rubens is expected to announce his U.S. Senate campaign today.  The rise of an economy with added opportunities for women has created “stress” for men, he says.

What Maryland does better than Texas  —  Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, is governor of Maryland.  —  With gridlock and partisanship having all but paralyzed Washington, governors are at the forefront of our country's policy divide.  On the No. 1 issue facing our nation …

Could Republican Senator Rand Paul Win the White House?  —  Tough talk and fearless politics have made Senator Rand Paul a leader in the Republican Party.  Could he—and his charming, secret-weapon wife, Kelley—win the White House?  —  On a sunny Saturday in July, Rand Paul and his wife …

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in July suggests that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace.  Some indicators of labor market conditions have shown further improvement in recent months, but the unemployment rate remains elevated.

Fed delays bond tapering, wants to see more data  —  Fed holds off slowing bond purchases, says it wants to see more data before reducing support  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve has decided against reducing its stimulus for the U.S. economy, saying it will continue to buy $85 billion …

Cops: Man Hit Girl To Beat Of “Blurred Lines”  —  Floridian facing child abuse rap for striking victim with metal rod  —  A Florida man arrested for child abuse struck his underage female victim with a metal rod to the beat of “Blurred Lines,” the hit song by Robin Thicke, according to a police report.

Graham readying use of force authorization against Iranian regime  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday he's working on legislation that would give the president the green light to attack Iran if negotiations over the country's alleged nuclear weapons program stall.