Halfway House: GOP falling short in midterms  —  Tepid fundraising, underperforming candidates and a lousy party brand are threatening to deprive House Republicans of the sweeping 2014 gains that some top party officials have been predicting this year.  —  POLITICO interviewed …

Eric Cantor to Join Wall Street Bank  —  Eric Cantor plans to join boutique investment bank Moelis & Co., as the recently deposed House majority leader embarks on a new career on Wall Street.

Post names Frederick J. Ryan Jr. as new publisher  —  Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos is replacing Publisher Katharine Weymouth with Frederick J. Ryan Jr., a former Reagan administration official who was part of the founding leadership team of Politico, a primarily digital news organization …

A Call for a Low-Carb Diet  —  People who avoid carbohydrates and eat more fat, even saturated fat, lose more body fat and have fewer cardiovascular risks than people who follow the low-fat diet that health authorities have favored for decades, a major new study shows.

Bloomberg Politics Hires Slate's Dave Weigel As New Venture Prepares For Launch  —  NEW YORK — Bloomberg has hired Dave Weigel, a senior political reporter at Slate, for its new politics venture, which is being helmed by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.  —  The forthcoming Bloomberg Politics brand …

Life in an English Town Where Abuse of Young Girls Flourished  —  ROTHERHAM, England — It started on the bumper cars in the children's arcade of the local shopping mall.  Lucy was 12, and a group of teenage boys, handsome and flirtatious, treated her and her friends to free rides and ice cream after school.

Field Poll: Obama's popularity dives to record low in California  —  President Barack Obama's approval ratings have fallen to a record low in California, with nearly as many voters now disapproving of the job Obama is doing as approving.  —  Only 45 percent of California voters hold …

Republicans, Make Your Case  —  Republicans continue to lack any strategy for winning the November elections beyond avoiding mistakes and hoping that President Obama's unpopularity, especially in key states, delivers control of the Senate to them.  It must be said that the party has executed …

In Maryland, a Soviet-Style Punishment for a Novelist  —  From the Dept. of Insane and Dangerous Overreactions to Fictional Threats:  —  A 23-year-old teacher at a Cambridge, Md. middle school has been placed on leave and—in the words of a local news report—"taken in for an emergency medical evaluation" …

Putin Reportedly Says Russia Could ‘Take Kiev in 2 Weeks’  —  MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia reportedly told a European official that he could “take Kiev in two weeks” if he wanted to, adding a new dimension to the tensions building in Ukraine as Russian forces become more involved in the fighting there.

Lost in America: Visa Program Struggles to Track Missing Foreign Students … The Department of Homeland Security has lost track of more than 6,000 foreign nationals who entered the United States on student visas, overstayed their welcome, and essentially vanished — exploiting a security gap …

ISIS video shows beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff  —  (CNN) — The ISIS terror group has published a video titled “A second message to America,” showing the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff.  —  The video also threatens the life of British captive, David Haines.

The ugly return of anti-Semitism  —  Editor's note: Timothy Stanley is a historian and columnist for Britain's Daily Telegraph.  He is the author of the new book “Citizen Hollywood: How the Collaboration Between L.A. and D.C. Revolutionized American Politics.”

Economy no savior for Dems  —  Democrats are running out of time for an economic savior.  —  They have long predicted that an economic turnaround would be the elixir that helps them retain control of the Senate in November.  —  But with just a handful of big economic reports left before Election Day …

The Summer of Obama's Disconnect  —  Hawkish or weakish?  Americans don't like either in a president.  —  Wow.  That was some summer.  The Islamic State that President Obama dismissed as “JV” proved to be a virulent varsity—gobbling up gobs of the Middle East, beheading an American journalist, and threatening the United States.

Cory Gardner's new ad: “I believe the pill ought to be available over the counter”  —  TOPICS  —  Cory Gardner, Mark Udall, the bill, wind farm  —  UPDATE: Mark Udall's campaign weighs in.  —  Congressman Cory Gardner has borrowed a page from Sen. Mark Udall by unveiling an ad aimed at women …