Has the ‘Libertarian Moment’ Finally Arrived?  —  “Let's say Ron Paul is Nirvana,” said Kennedy, the television personality and former MTV host, by way of explaining the sort of politician who excites libertarians like herself.  “Like, the coolest, most amazing thing to come along in years …

The woman who could beat Scott Walker  —  Part of an occasional series on the hottest races of the 2014 midterm election.  —  VIROQUA, Wis. — Mary Burke might be the last candidate you'd expect to potentially topple one of the Republican Party's leading governors and upend the 2016 presidential field.

Obama Weighs Airstrikes or Aid to Help Trapped Iraqis, Officials Say  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama is considering airstrikes or airdrops of food and medicine to address a humanitarian crisis among as many as 40,000 religious minorities in Iraq who have been dying of heat and thirst …

Americans' views of Obama, Congress, political parties: Gloomy  —  Shares -  —  Americans' views of both political parties are negative and nearly match historic lows, a new CBS News poll reveals.  —  Just 29 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the Republican Party …

Local Kansas GOP official: ‘Offending Muslims is the duty of any civilized person.  Especially with a .45.’  —  Gavin Ellzey, the vice chairman of the Kansas Republican 3rd Congressional District Committee, advised on Twitter in early July that “offending Muslims is the duty of any civilized person.”

EBOLA DOC'S CONDITION DOWNGRADED TO ‘IDIOTIC’  —  I wonder how the Ebola doctor feels now that his humanitarian trip has cost a Christian charity much more than any services he rendered.  —  What was the point?  —  Whatever good Dr. Kent Brantly did in Liberia has now been overwhelmed …

Tea Party Candidate Mocks Rand Paul For Running Away From DREAMer (VIDEO)  —  When you're a long-shot independent candidate for public office, you've got to exploit each news cycle.  —  Case in point: Gordon Howie, the tea party activist and former South Dakota legislator who's running in the state's open U.S. Senate race.

John Kerry pedals new Nantucket photo op  —  Photo by:  —  THINK PINK: John Kerry rides a pink girl's bicycle with his dog in tow in the parking lot at Jetties Beach on Nantucket.  Photo courtesy of Nantucket native Lando from his Instagram, Landogramms  —  Has Vladimir Putin seen this photo of John Kerry yet?

In Reprisal, Russia Imposes Trade Sanctions on the West  —  MOSCOW — Russia announced on Thursday that it was banning the import of a wide range of food and agricultural products from Europe and the United States, among others, responding to Western-imposed sanctions and raising the level …

Why is Tenn. primary on Thursday?  —  Tennesseans will go to the polls to vote in party primaries on Thursday — including Sen. Lamar Alexander's bid for a third term — but nobody really knows why.  —  All other states — except Hawaii, which votes this Saturday — hold their primaries on a Tuesday.

Stillwater cafe faces heat for adding ‘minimum wage fee’ to tab  —  Each tab at Stillwater's Oasis Cafe now includes 35 cents to offset minimum wage increase.  —  A small cafe in Stillwater has thrown itself into the big battle over Minnesota's minimum wage increases, inundating the cafe …

Watergate and the Abuse of Power: A Lesson Unlearned  —  The Fiscal Times  —  This week, America wraps up the fortieth anniversary of its most dangerous constitutional crises since the Civil War, with little celebration - and arguably no real insight into its lessons.

The Callow President  —  “'Stop just hatin' all the time.”  If you haven't been following the news, you might not know whether this bon mot was uttered by a character on the ABC Family show “Pretty Little Liars” or by the president of the United States.  —  Of course, it was the leader …

Bloomberg to cancel ‘Political Capital with Al Hunt,’ lay off TV and print staff  —  Bloomberg Media has decided to cancel its weekly political talk show, “Political Capital with Al Hunt,” and will lay off 15 television and print employees in its Washington, D.C., bureau, POLITICO has learned.

The irony of Barack Obama's presidency in one sentence  —  TWEET SHARE +1 LINKEDIN EMAIL PRINT  —  Reid Cherlin nails the central irony of Barack Obama's presidency in one sentence: … The 2008 Democratic primary was, as Mark Schmitt wrote, a “theory of change” primary.

Cop: We don't follow Constitution because Obama doesn't  —  “Obama has decimated the friggin' constitution, so I don't give a damn,” the Helmetta cop says on camera.  “Because if he doesn't follow the Constitution we don't have to.”  —  CONNECT  —  EDITOR'S NOTE: This article contains language that some readers may find offensive.

Tennessee Drug Tests Welfare Applicants, Discovers Less Than One Percent Use Drugs  —  In July, Tennessee began a drug testing program for applicants to the state's welfare program.  Since then, just one person has tested positive out of more than 800.  —  Applicants have to answer three questions …

Snowden granted 3-yr residence permit - lawyer  —  Edward Snowden has received a residence permit in Russia, which is valid for three years, starting on August 1, the former NSA contractor's lawyer announced.  —  “On the first of August he received a three-year residence permit,” lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told reporters.

Obama defends executive action  —  President Obama defended his use of executive action on Wednesday, signaling he's willing to take steps on immigration and tax policy if Congress fails to act.  —  Obama vowed to “scour our authorities” seeking opportunities to act “wherever I have the legal authorities to make progress.”