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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Your Princess Is in Another Castle: Misogyny, Entitlement, and Nerds  —  Nerdy guys aren't guaranteed to get laid by the hot chick as long as we work hard.  There isn't a team of writers or a studio audience pulling for us to triumph by getting the girl.  —  I was going to write …

Ralph Hall loses Texas GOP runoff  —  Seventeen-term Rep. Ralph Hall on Tuesday became the first incumbent to lose renomination this cycle, after the Texas Republican was ousted by former U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe in a primary runoff.  —  With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Ratcliffe led Hall, 53 percent to 47 percent.

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 …

Americans overwhelmingly side with Hillary Clinton over Karl Rove in brain flap  —  Republican strategist Karl Rove may need a different strategy to slow Hillary Clinton's 2016 candidacy.  —  Two-thirds of Americans in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll disapprove of the Republican strategist …