Southern Democrats Competitive Despite Rough Midterm Climate - NBC News  —  Democratic candidates are holding their own in three key Senate races despite a daunting political environment for their party in the upcoming midterm electi...

Voter Enthusiasm Down Sharply From 2010  —  Republicans, Democrats less enthusiastic about voting  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A majority of U.S. registered voters, 53%, say they are less enthusiastic about voting than in previous elections, while 35% are more enthusiastic.

Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans as Antarctic Ice Melts  —  The collapse of large parts of the ice sheet in West Antarctica appears to have begun and is almost certainly unstoppable, with global warming accelerating the pace of the disintegration, two groups of scientists reported Monday.

The Unbearable Whiteness of Liberal Media  —  This article has been corrected.  —  On the staff of The American Prospect, I'm the only member of an ethnic minority.  That's not because I bring all the variety the magazine needs, or because the editors don't think diversity is valuable.

GOP goes quiet on ObamaCare  —  House Republicans have no scheduled votes or hearings on ObamaCare, signaling a shift in the party's strategy as the White House rides a wave of good news on the law.  —  Not a single House committee has announced plans to attack the healthcare law in the coming weeks …

Hillary Clinton Already Answered The Benghazi Question Trey Gowdy Has For Her  —  Video Benghazi Investigation Benghazi Attack Trey Gowdy Investigation Trey Gowdy Benghazi Trey Gowdy Benghazi Questions Trey Gowdy Hillary Clinton Trey Gowdy Benghazi Committee Benghazi Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton Benghazi

Here Are The Drunkest Countries In The World [MAP]  —  Alcohol consumption varies widely across the globe, and the U.S. stacks up pretty well compared to some other countries.  —  As the map below from the World Health Organization shows, Russians and their neighbors drink more than almost everyone else in the world.

Rubio's Resurgence  —  Marco Rubio is flashing across a lot of television sets in Colorado right now.  On Wednesday, the Chamber of Commerce began airing ads in the state in both English and Spanish in which Rubio makes the case for Republican representative Cory Gardner …

Iowa Republican Senate Candidate Still Thinks Iraq Had WMDs  —  Rising Iowa senate candidate Joni Ernst told the Des Moines Register board in a meeting last Friday she still believes Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.  —  “I do have reason to believe there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,” Ernst said.

Focus on Boko Haram right now seems fishy to me  —  I find it interesting that everyone (including the First Lady) is now all up in arms about Boko Haram and their jihadist actions.  After all, we reported on the kidnappings of the girls quite some time ago - this isn't breaking news.

Jay Z PHYSICALLY ATTACKED by Beyonce's Sister Solange [VIDEO]  —  PHYSICALLY ATTACKED BY BEYONCE'S SISTER [VIDEO]  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  11:33 AM PT — TMZ has obtained an EXTENDED VERSION of the elevator footage ... showing Solange continuing her attack on Jay Z for 2 more minutes.

Crazy Climate Economics  —  Everywhere you look these days, you see Marxism on the rise.  Well, O.K., maybe you don't — but conservatives do.  If you so much as mention income inequality, you'll be denounced as the second coming of Joseph Stalin; Rick Santorum has declared that any use of the word “class” is “Marxism talk.”

Glenn Greenwald Doesn't Share Washington's Love Of Tim Russert  —  Tim Russert was revered inside the Beltway.  When the former “Meet the Press” host died suddenly in 2008, there was no shortage of tributes from his fellow Washingtonians.  —  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) hailed Russert as the …

Clift: Ambassador killed in Benghazi attack wasn't murdered-murdered, or something  —  One has to hop that this represents the nadir of suck-up spin from the media on behalf of the Obama administration regarding the Benghazi probe, but we're just at the beginning of the select-committee process …

Chamber Prez: GOP Has No Chance In 2016 If It Blocks Immigration Reform  —  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has strongly supported Republican candidates and priorities in recent years.  So it was notable when its leader on Monday said the GOP shouldn't even bother to field a presidential nominee …

Ann Coulter's Hashtag Hijacking Of #BringBackOurGirls Backfires Big Time  —  Conservative pundit Ann Coulter on Sunday night joined the band of conservatives mocking the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign, which began as a way to call attention to the 300 Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram.

Our newly efficient IRS  —  That's quite some efficiency.  Back in March, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told a House committee investigating the targeting of conservative organizations that it “would take years to produce” all the data Congress demanded.  —  Now, just a day after the full House voted …