Attorney: New audio reveals pause in gunfire when Michael Brown was shot  —  (CNN) — Could a newly released audio provide more clues on what led up to Michael Brown's shooting death?  —  The FBI has questioned a man who says he recorded audio of gunfire at the time Brown was shot …

White House won't commit to asking Congress for Syria strike  —  The White House on Monday refused to commit to asking for congressional authority for airstrikes in Syria.  —  White House spokesman Josh Earnest emphasized that President Obama has made no decision on launching airstrikes …

Sofia Vergara blasts critics of ‘sexist’ Emmy pedestal  —  Backstage at the Primetime Emmys, Sofia Vergara blasted critics who called her pedestal gag sexist.  —  During the 66th annual awards, the Modern Family actress stepped onto on a slowly rotating pedestal, showing off her curves …

Paul Ryan's List of 6 Favorite Books Has One Huge Omission  —  World's Most Honest Man suffers strange memory loss.  —  Shares  —  Paul Ryan was asked by the Week to list his six favorite books about economics and democracy.  The request was a bit mischievous, as Ryan has tried …

One in six French people say they support ISIS  —  TWEET SHARE +1 LINKEDIN EMAIL PRINT  —  Two polls released this week both ask a question that you would hope wouldn't need asking: how many people support the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)?  Unfortunately, in all four countries surveyed …

IRS Shocker: Filing Reveals Lerner Blackberry Destroyed  —  The device was wiped AFTER Congressional inquiry began  —  The IRS filing in federal Judge Emmet Sullivan's court reveals shocking new information.  The IRS destroyed Lerner's Blackberry AFTER it knew her computer had crashed …

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown calls for Burger King boycott over planned Tim Hortons deal  —  U.S. Senate Banking Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, listens to a testimony during a hearing on banks and the financial crisis on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 15, 2011.  (File/Reuters)

Will there be a GOP wave or wipeout in the Senate?  —  Will there be a GOP wave in the Senate—or a wipeout?  —  So where's the wave?  This is President Obama's sixth-year-itch election.  The map of states with contested Senate seats could hardly be better from the Republicans' vantage point.

Lost in America  —  More and more I'm convinced that America right now isn't a country dealing with a mere dip in its mood and might.  It's a country surrendering to a new identity and era, in which optimism is quaint and the frontier anything but endless.  —  There's a feeling of helplessness …

The Monkey in the Room  —  As shown in the pictures below, the monkey is the second most photographed subject in H-232, aside from Speaker Boehner himself.  It all started in the fall of 2011, when Speaker Boehner joked in an interview that some days he felt like a windup toy because his jam-packed scheduled kept him so busy.

Scott Walker's Race for Governor Could Shape U.S. Politics for Years to Come  —  Everyone knows the most important political race in the country this fall is the race that determines control of the U.S. Senate, which is very much up in the air.  According to The New York Times prediction model …

550 Buyouts, Layoffs Imminent at Turner; HLN, CNN Among Cuts (Exclusive)  —  An individual with knowledge of the network's plans tell TheWrap a large portion are expected at the two cable channels  —  Some 550 buyouts are to be offered at Time Warner's Turner network this week …

Republicans Open Up Wider ‘Expectations Gap’ Ahead of Midterms  —  With just over two months before the midterm elections, Republican voters are widening the “expectations gap” with the Democrats.  About six-in-ten (61%) Republican and GOP-leaning registered voters think their party …

Steve Schmidt joins Rick Perry's legal team  —  Republican strategist and former John McCain consultant Steve Schmidt has joined the team helping Texas Gov. Rick Perry with the strategy around his indictment, POLITICO has learned.  —  Schmidt is the latest addition to a team that Perry has been expanding with legal hands.

Social Media and the ‘Spiral of Silence’  —  Summary of Findings  —  A major insight into human behavior from pre-internet era studies of communication is the tendency of people not to speak up about policy issues in public—or among their family, friends, and work colleagues …

At Michael Brown funeral, Al Sharpton's double-edged eulogy evokes anger  —  MISSOURI AL SHARPTON RACE AND DIVERSITY FERGUSON  —  The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., has been so heavily politicized that it would have been unreasonable to expect Brown's funeral to be free of politics …

Photographer Captures Scientists' Frightened Responses To Climate Change Discussions  —  We've read the daunting headlines.  We've seen the bleak predictions.  We know in our minds that climate change is putting our Earth's future in danger.  And yet there's something uniquely frightening …

Sanders weighs Clinton challenge  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) is gearing up for a presidential primary challenge against Hillary Clinton and hopes to capitalize on Democratic concerns over Clinton's coziness with Wall Street banks.  —  Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Senate Democrats …

McDonnell Living With Priest Who Pleaded Guilty To Sex Crime  —  Virginia ex-Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) revealed during testimony last week that he moved out of his family home and in with his parish priest the week before his federal corruption trial began.  —  McDonnell explained on the stand …