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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.”

GOP Guv On Lackluster Primary Performance: Blame Obama  —  Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) had a theory for why a chunk of voters were backing Jennifer Winn, his challenger, in the Republican gubernatorial primary: blame President Barack Obama.  —  “I think a big part of it is Barack Obama,” Brownback told Kansas's 41 Action News.

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 …

Rand Paul = Democrats' Enemy #1  —  The senator's broad appeal threatens to weaken Democrats for 2016, and they are going on offense—sending out no less than 10 press releases on his latest trip to Iowa.  —  Democrats fundraise and campaign by exploiting concerns about right-wing extremism.

Rep's ‘shagging’ tweet gets attention  —  Eyebrows were raised after a message on Rep. Stephen Fincher's Twitter account declared the Tennessee Republican's love of “shagging.”  —  But a spokeswoman for the congressman's office says the since-deleted tweet “had nothing to do” with Fincher — nor the British slang term for sex.

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?

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.

2 Sides in Gay Marriage Fight Agree: Justices Must Act  —  WASHINGTON — Lawyers for three couples challenging Utah's ban on same-sex marriage said Thursday that they would join with their opponents to urge the Supreme Court to hear their case, even though they recently won an appeals court ruling striking down the law.

WV GOP cancels event with felonious filmmaker  —  Author who was set to speak will be sentenced for federal crime soon  —  The West Virginia Republican Party has canceled an event where controversial conservative filmmaker, author and felon Dinesh D'Souza was slated to speak days before his sentencing on a federal crime.