Obama denounces killing of journalist James Foley and pledges ‘justice’  —  On Wednesday, President Obama spoke at a news conference in Martha's Vineyard about American journalist James Foley, who Islamic State militants beheaded in a video.  The president said groups like IS have “no place in the 21st century.”

Missouri cop was badly beaten before shooting Michael Brown, says source  —  Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo., police officer whose fatal shooting of Michael Brown touched off more than a week of demonstrations, suffered severe facial injuries, including an orbital (eye socket) fracture …

‘SNL’ Political Secrets Revealed: Hillary's “Entitlement,” the Sketch Obama Killed and the Show's “Karl Rove”  —  In an exclusive book excerpt, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and even Sarah Palin recount the inner battle between the left and right … Lorne Michaels, executive producer …

Councilman under fire for posting what some call ‘racist photos’ on Facebook … POPLAR BLUFF, MO (KFVS) -  —  A Poplar Bluff city councilman is under fire for posting what some are calling racist photos of President Obama on his Facebook page.  —  The issue was brought up at Monday night's city council meeting.

McConnell's plan to shut down Obama  —  HENDERSON, Ky. — Mitch McConnell has a game plan to confront President Barack Obama with a stark choice next year: Accept bills reining in the administration's policies or veto them and risk a government shutdown.  —  In an extensive interview here …

“No One Treats African-Americans Worse Than We Treat Each Other”  —  The troubling self-flagellation in Ferguson's black community  —  Last Thursday, the rapper Nelly went on the air of his hometown hip-hop radio station, St. Louis's Hot 104.1, to announce a college scholarship fund …

Why the Fires in Ferguson Won't End Soon  —  The tensions have been building for a long time, and even justice for Michael Brown won't change that.  —  FERGUSON, Missouri—Talk to anyone in Ferguson and you'll hear a story about the police.  “One of my friends had a son killed …

From a vulnerable red state Democrat, a strong pro-Obamacare ad  —  One of the key questions of this cycle has been: As the potency of anti-Obamacare attacks fading as enrollment mounts and roll-out problems are forgotten, will we reach a point where vulnerable Democrats in red state territory …

In first, Hamas official takes credit for kidnap and murder of Israeli teens  —  Salah al-Aruri praises “heroic action” of Kassam Brigades; Hamas had previously denied kidnapping Fraenkel, Shaer and Yifrah.  —  A senior Hamas official admitted for the first time on Wednesday …

Holder tells Ferguson students he was a victim of racial profiling  —  FERUGUSON, Mo. — Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday told a group of black college students here that he had been a victim of racial profiling.  —  Holder, who is in Ferguson as part of the Justice Department's investigation …

Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson is not a gang member.  He's just a Kappa.  —  Today in Ferguson, Mo., news, The Washington Post takes on the assertion that Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson has been photographed flashing gang signs with members of the community.  —  He has not.

Joe The Plumber: Hold A Job Fair In Ferguson, Protestors Will ‘Scatter Like Cockroaches’  —  Samuel Wurzelbacher, better known as “Joe the Plumber,” took to Facebook on Wednesday to post his thoughts about the ongoing conflict in Ferguson, Mo. and compared the protestors to “cockroaches.”

Supreme Court blocks Virginia same-sex marriages  —  The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked same-sex marriage from taking place this week in Virginia.  (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)  —  The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to a stay Wednesday on a federal appeals court's ruling …

St. Louis Police Release Video, Calls From City Shooting  —  On Tuesday, two officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department shot and killed Kajieme Powell, who was 25 years old.  —  Powell was suspected of shoplifting energy drinks and donuts from a convenience store.

Statement from Pentagon Press Secretary RADM John Kirby on Attempted Rescue Operation  —  Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. Kirby provided the following statement:  —  The United States attempted a rescue operation recently to free a number of American hostages held in Syria by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Is Alaska's Senate Race Slipping Away From the GOP?  —  Thanks to a tougher-than-expected primary and a politically smart incumbent, Republicans are playing catch up in a key Senate battleground.  But will the state's GOP lean ultimately lift them to victory?

Ferguson: Social media more spark than solution  —  Social media was the kerosene that turned fire in Ferguson into a national blaze.  —  What it's less likely to be: the extinguisher.  —  Unrest in Ferguson, Mo., continues to dominate America's attention more than 10 days after Michael Brown …