The plan for saving Iraq begins by ousting Maliki  —  What would an effective quick response to the catastrophic civil wars in Iraq and Syria look like?  Sometimes in foreign policy, as in sports, it can be useful to visualize the right technique — and then hit the ball.

John Doe prosecutors allege Scott Walker at center of ‘criminal scheme’  —  By Patrick Marley and Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison — Prosecutors allege that Gov. Scott Walker was at the center of an effort to illegally coordinate fundraising among conservative groups to help …

Megyn Kelly to Dick Cheney: Wrong, sir  —  FOX News' Megyn Kelly had some tough questions for former Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday night, after he and his daughter, Liz, offered a scathing review of the Obama administration's foreign policy.  —  “In your op-ed [in the Wall Street Journal] …

Brian Schweitzer says his ‘gaydar’ goes off when he sees Eric Cantor  —  (CNN) - Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer chose an interesting path and offered puzzling critiques since he tossed his name in the hat for a potential presidential run in 2016.  —  But comments the Democrat …

Editor's note: Michael Gerson replaces George Will  —  Dear Post-Dispatch readers,  —  Starting today, Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson replaces George Will on Thursdays and Sundays.  —  Mr. Gerson, who grew up in St. Louis and still has family here, is a former speechwriter and top aide to President George W. Bush.

Public Faith in Congress Falls Again, Hits Historic Low  —  Of major U.S. institutions, Americans most confident in the military  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' confidence in Congress has sunk to a new low.  Seven percent of Americans say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” …

United States to Send Military Advisers to Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama said Thursday that the United States will deploy up to 300 military advisers to Iraq to help its beleaguered security forces fend off Sunni militants, edging the United States back into a conflict that Mr. Obama thought he had left behind.

Mozilla to Develop Comments Platform for New York Times and Washington Post  —  The New York Times and The Washington Post announced on Thursday that they had teamed up with Mozilla to develop a new platform that will allow them to better manage their readers' online comments and contributions.

Why we're banning Redskins in The Seattle Times  —  The most controversial name in sports won't appear again in The Seattle Times' print edition or on the seattletimes.com home pages as long as I am sports editor.  —  It's time to ban the use of “Redskins,” the absurd, offensive and outdated name of the NFL team in Washington, D.C.

Bill O'Reilly Uncensored: On Hillary Clinton, the 2016 GOP, and His Fox News Colleagues  —  Highlights from the <em>Factor</em> host's Upper East Side sit-down with Geraldo Rivera.  —  Even on New York City's Upper East Side, Bill O'Reilly can draw a packed house of true believers.

Sources: Lois Lerner's emails likely gone forever  —  Ex-IRS official Lois Lerner's crashed hard drive has been recycled, making it likely the lost emails of the lightning rod in the tea party targeting controversy will never be found, according to multiple sources.

CIA hatched plan to make demon toy to counter Osama bin Laden's influence  —  For more than a decade, the CIA has deployed drones, satellites, spies, informants and tracking devices to thwart al-Qaeda in Pakistan.  —  The spy agency also considered a plan to wage war with toys.

Republican Congressman Tells Men: Wives “Desperately” Need Their Husbands To Step Up  —  “Your children need you.  Your woman, your wife, she needs you.  It's time that you become a real man.”  —  Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp Thursday talked Thursday about the need for husbands to step up …

Survey of Non-Group Health Insurance Enrollees  —  Liz Hamel, Mira Rao, Larry Levitt, Gary Claxton, Cynthia Cox, Karen Pollitz and Mollyann Brodie  —  Executive Summary  —  January 1, 2014 marked the beginning of several provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) making significant changes …

NPR Poll: In Senate Battleground States, Obama Ratings Lag … In the key battleground states that will decide control of the Senate this November, President Obama's approval numbers are lower than they are nationally - but not much lower.  —  That's the key finding in a new poll …

If She Had Drinks, You May Be a Rapist  —  The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has been waging a war on campus due process, ordering colleges to change their disciplinary processes to make it more likely that students accused of sexual assault will be found culpable.

High School In Woodbury Blocks Students From Accessing Conservative Sites  —  A Woodbury High Schooler claims he uncovered political bias in the implementation of a firewall blocking some political Web sites at his school.  —  18-year-old Andrew Lampart, a senior at Nonnewaug High School …

Rick Perry: I ‘stepped in it’ on gays, alcohol  —  Rick Perry says he “stepped right in it” when he recently likened alcoholism to homosexuality.  —  The Republican governor of Texas made the controversial comparison at an event in San Francisco last week.