EXCLUSIVE: Edward Snowden Tells Brian Williams the U.S. Stranded Him in Russia  —  In the sit-down, Snowden also fought back against critics who dismissed him as a low-level hacker — saying he was “trained as a spy” and offered technical expertise to high levels of government.

Obama wants to turn page on foreign policy  —  Ahead of President Obama's foreign policy remarks at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday morning defended U.S. policy for Syria, including the deal struck to get chemical weapons out of the country.

Climate Change Doomed the Ancients  —  THIS month, a report issued by a prominent military advisory board concluded that climate change posed a serious threat to America's national security.  —  The authors, 16 retired high-ranking officers, warned that droughts, rising seas and extreme weather events …

Conservative Lead on Social and Economic Ideology Shrinking  —  On social issues, 34% identify as conservative and 30% as liberal  —  PRINCETON, NJ — More Americans continue to identify themselves as conservatives than as liberals on economic and social matters.

The Real Origins of the Religious Right  —  They'll tell you it was abortion.  Sorry, the historical record's clear: It was segregation.  —  One of the most durable myths in recent history is that the religious right, the coalition of conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists …

Beverly Young: I'm running against David Jolly in '16  —  Democrats failed to find a candidate to challenge Republican David Jolly for the congressional seat long held by the late C.W. Bill Young, but they may have one lined up for 2016: Beverly Young, the congressman's widow who campaigned for Jolly earlier this year.

Maya Angelou, Lyrical Witness of the Jim Crow South, Dies at 86  —  Maya Angelou, the memoirist and poet whose landmark book of 1969, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” — which describes in lyrical, unsparing prose her childhood in the Jim Crow South — was among the first autobiographies …

Vietnam veterans call Richard Burr ‘insulting’  —  The Vietnam Veterans for America is slamming Sen. Richard Burr in a new letter, saying his comments about veterans service organizations were “insulting” and “ugly.”  —  “On behalf of the membership of Vietnam Veterans of America …

Bosworth attacks misogyny, media in chaotic news conference  —  Standing in front of a profane backdrop created by her own campaign, an emotional Annette Bosworth condemned criticism of her, blasted the media, addressed her alleged scandals and even issued a book recommendation in a free-wheeling news conference Tuesday.

Exclusive: Defiant Michael Grimm lashes out at media  —  NEW YORK — A defiant Rep. Michael Grimm, in his most extensive interview since federal prosecutors accused him of rampant fraud, accused the media on Tuesday of trying to destroy him and vowed to campaign hard for reelection …

Holder Hints Reporter May Be Spared Jail in Leak  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. hinted Tuesday that the Justice Department might choose not to jail a New York Times reporter for defying a subpoena forcing him to discuss his confidential sources — even as the Obama …

Mitch McConnell doubles down on lie that Kynect is unconnected to Obamacare  —  When Mitch McConnell dropped jaws last Friday by saying that the fate of Kynect — and the health insurance coverage of over 400,000 Kentuckians — is “unconnected” to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act …

First on CNN: First major TV ad on VA scandal  —  Washington (CNN) — The Veterans Affairs scandal's been a major issue on the campaign trail the past couple of weeks.  Now it's front and center in the campaign ad wars.  —  Crossroads GPS, the non-profit sister organization to American Crossroads …

Should Atheists Pay for a Prayer Day?  A Nebraskan Town's Crisis of Faith  —  In La Vista, Nebraska, a day of ‘faith and freedom’ hasn't exactly brought everyone together.  Atheists asked why the town was holding a state-sponsored day of faith.  La Vista's mayor railed that ‘minorities’ weren't running his city.

Did Woodrow Wilson Destroy the American Presidency?  —  You make the call.  —  Robert W. Merry's recent post, “The Six Best U.S. Presidents of All Time,” posed some provocative questions as to how one should define “greatness in the presidency.”  Unfortunately, in scholarly circles …

How the Gun Nuts Try to Excuse Away the Santa Barbara Slaughter—and Why They're All Wrong  —  The firearms fanboys have been more creative than usual, scrambling to defend their precious weapons in the wake of the massacre in Santa Barbara.  It's only made their excuses lamer.