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American Forces Said to Bomb ISIS Targets in Iraq — DOHUK, Iraq — American military forces bombed at least two targets in northern Iraq on Thursday night to rout Islamist insurgents who have trapped tens of thousands of religious minorities in Kurdish areas, Kurdish officials said.
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Obama authorizes targeted airstrikes in Iraq — Shares - — President Obama authorized airstrikes “if necessary” against Islamic militants if they move toward Erbil in northern Iraq where American military, diplomats and civilians are stationed. — He announced Thursday night …
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CBS New York, Washington Free Beacon and Washington Post


Jets, explosions reported near Islamic State lines as Kurds beg for U.S. help — IRBIL, IRAQ — Jet aircraft attacked Islamic State positions outside the town of Kalak, 25 miles northwest of Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, a resident of Kalak told McClatchy early Friday.
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Washington Post, Reuters, The White House, Prairie Weather, Taylor Marsh, Global Guerrillas, Yahoo! News, Booman Tribune and Hot Air


U.S. considers air strikes in Iraq — Washington (CNN) — U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that he's authorized “targeted airstrikes” in Iraq to protect American personnel and help Iraqi forces. — “We do whatever is necessary to protect our people,” Obama said.
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Fox17, Washington Post, WBBH-TV, Balloon Juice, Mediaite and National Review


US Begins Humanitarian Airdrops in Iraq — The United States is sending cargo planes to drop pallets of humanitarian aid and supplies to stranded Iraqi citizens threatened by the militant Islamic group ISIS, according to U.S. officials. — The air drops have begun, officials told ABC News.
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Guardian, Business Insider and Hot Air

Chaos in Iraq's north as Yazidi refugees starve and Islamic State presses Kurds
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The Hugh Hewitt Show, Washington Free Beacon and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Islamic State militants seize major Christian town in Iraq; thousands flee
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blogs.telegraph.co.uk, USA Today, National Review, ABC News, justoneminute.typepad.com, NewsBusters and Samizdata

Jihadists Rout Kurds in North and Seize Strategic Iraqi Dam
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blogs.telegraph.co.uk, National Review, Bloomberg, ThinkProgress, Daily Surge and The PJ Tatler


Walsh drops out of U.S. Senate race — HELENA — Sen. John Walsh said Thursday he is pulling out of the Senate race because his campaign was distracted by the controversy over allegations that he plagiarized a U.S. Army War College research paper. — Walsh, a Democrat, said he decided to drop out of the race.
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Sen. John Walsh quits Montana Senate race
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RedState and The Gateway Pundit

Senator Quits Montana Race After Charge Of Plagiarism
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American Spectator, Washington Post, Real Clear Politics, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Ricochet

The Executive Editor on the Word ‘Torture’ — Dean Baquet is the executive editor of The Times. — Over the past few months, reporters and editors of The Times have debated a subject that has come up regularly ever since the world learned of the C.I.A.'s brutal questioning of terrorism suspects …
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Techdirt, emptywheel, Mediaite, Hit & Run and The Dish, more at Mediagazer »

For release at 12:00 p.m. EDT — In its new Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households, the Federal Reserve Board provides a snapshot of the self-perceived financial and economic well-being of U.S. households and the issues they face, based on responses to the Board's 2013 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Daily Kos and Washington Post


Scott DesJarlais, Jim Tracy in nail-biter — U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais was clinging to what appeared to be a narrow victory over challenger Jim Tracy, defeating the state senator by 35 votes. — With all precincts reported, the secretary of state's office reported that DesJarlais …
Discussion:
Nashville Public Radio and Washington Post


Murkowski sends ‘cease and desist’ letter to Begich over ad — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) isn't happy about Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) using her in his latest campaign ad — and has called in her lawyers to try to force Begich to stop airing it. — Murkowski's campaign lawyers sent a …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
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Lisa Murkowski to Mark Begich: Knock it off
Discussion:
New York Times and Wall Street Journal

CNN Poll: Trust in government at all-time low — Washington (CNN) - Four decades after President Richard Nixon resigned, a slight majority of Americans still consider Watergate a very serious matter, a new national survey shows. But how serious depends on when you were born.
Discussion:
Politico


Ask Andrew W.K.: My Dad Is a Right-Wing A**hole — [Editor's note: Every Wednesday New York City's own Andrew W.K. takes your life questions, and sets you safely down the right path to a solution, a purpose or — no surprise here — a party. Need his help? Just ask: AskAWK@villagevoice.com]
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Hot Air, The Daily Caller and Ricochet


‘Porch Shooter’ Theodore Wafer Found Guilty of Murder … A Detroit jury ruled today that Theodore Wafer was guilty of murder in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Renisha McBride on his porch. — The jury, which consisted of seven men and five women, began its deliberations on Wednesday after nine days of testimony.
Discussion:
Detroit Free Press, Global Grind, ThinkProgress, Hinterland Gazette and Lawyers, Guns & Money


Republicans Have More Reason Than Ever To Worry About Primary Challenges — One of the most universal lessons of sports prediction is that margins matter. An NFL team that wins a number of games by less than a touchdown might get banner headlines for its clutch performance.
Discussion:
Bloomberg View and PoliPundit.com


Sean Hannity: 'Where's CBS? Where is all this so-called reporting on NBC and CNN?' — For his first trip to Israel, Sean Hannity had a mission: put the emphasis on what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has on the average Israeli. As he returns home today from a 4-day reporting trip …
Discussion:
NewsBusters, Mediaite and Talking Points Memo


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 …
Discussion:
Power Line, The Daily Caller, The Raw Story, National Review and Talking Points Memo