CBS ANNOUNCES STEPHEN COLBERT AS THE NEXT HOST OF “THE LATE SHOW”  —  The CBS Television Network today announced that Stephen Colbert, the host, writer and executive producer of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “The Colbert Report,” will succeed David Letterman as the host of THE LATE SHOW …

King may switch sides and join the Republicans after midterms  —  Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with the Democrats, will decide after the midterm elections whether to switch sides and join the Republicans.  —  He is leaving open the possibility of aligning himself with the GOP if control of the upper chamber changes hands.

More Republicans See Health Care Stance as ‘Very Important’ to Midterm Vote  —  Views of ACA Little Changed Following Enrollment Surge  —  In looking ahead to this fall's elections, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to view a candidate's position on the Affordable Care Act as very important to their vote.

Eric Holder strays from planned remarks  —  Attorney General Eric Holder strayed from prepared remarks to slam the way he was “treated” by a House committee the day before, calling it evidence of “ugly and divisive” civil rights challenges facing him and President Barack Obama

House Conservatives Plot to Oust Boehner, Put Scare Into Cantor  —  One plan: Force the speaker to step aside before the new year.  —  Several dozen frustrated House conservatives are scheming to infiltrate the GOP leadership next year—possibly by forcing Speaker John Boehner …

Glenn Greenwald Is Coming To America  —  For the first time since his reporting on the National Security Agency's global surveillance programs made Edward Snowden a household name, Glenn Greenwald plans to return to the United States.  —  Greenwald, who lives in Rio de Janeiro …

House panel holds ex-IRS official Lerner in contempt  —  A House panel voted along party lines to hold ex-IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress on Thursday, paving the way for a full House vote as Republicans turn up the heat on the woman at the center of the controversy over tax-exempt tea party groups.

The Fortune interview: Rupert Murdoch  —  Defending a newspaper empire amid scandal, splitting a global media conglomerate into two public companies, enduring a high-profile divorce, and struggling to repair frayed relationships with grown children — it's been a trying few years for Rupert Murdoch.

DNC blames MSNBC for ‘double standard’ over Scarborough keynote  —  The Democratic National Committee's top spokesperson has sent a letter to MSNBC President Phil Griffin accusing the network of a “double standard” after its decision to allow host Joe Scarborough, a Republican …

Could America Become Mississippi?  —  The country's demographic trends could lead to racially polarized electorates akin to the Deep South.  —  Does a dramatic change in your social environment make you more conservative, and if so, what kind of change would it take?  —  JAMELLE BOUIE

Pence talks of his 2016 options  —  INDIANAPOLIS - The swirl of 2016 national ticket talk surrounding Gov. Mike Pence has intensified over the past few weeks.  We know it's a scenario the first-term Republican hasn't spent so much as a minute pondering, though he is now acknowleding …

Russia Didn't Share All Details on Boston Bombing Suspect, Report Says  —  WASHINGTON — The Russian government declined to provide the F.B.I. with information about one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects that would most likely have led to more extensive scrutiny of him at least two years …

When the French clock off at 6pm, they really mean it  —  A new labour agreement in France means that employees must ignore their bosses' work emails once they are out of the office and relaxing at home - even on their smartphones  —  Just in case you weren't jealous enough of the French already …