Scots, What the Heck?  —  Next week Scotland will hold a referendum on whether to leave the United Kingdom.  And polling suggests that support for independence has surged over the past few months, largely because pro-independence campaigners have managed to reduce the “fear factor” …

Ray Rice — ELEVATOR KNOCKOUT ... Fiancee Takes Crushing Punch (Video)  —  ELEVATOR KNOCKOUT  —  Fiancee Takes Crushing Punch (Video)  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  This is what a two game suspension looks like — Ray Rice delivering a vicious punch to his fiancee's face, knocking her out cold ... and TMZ Sports has the shocking video.

Destroying ISIS May Take Years, U.S. Officials Say  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is preparing to carry out a phased campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria that may take three years to eventually destroy the terrorist army — requiring a sustained effort that could last until …

The threat to American democracy  —  We are at a pivotal moment in American history.  —  Building the United States of America has been long, arduous and rife with setbacks.  But throughout the years, we have undoubtedly moved toward a more inclusive democracy.  We expanded the right to vote.

Harry Reid Rewrites the First Amendment  —  When politicians seek to restrict speech, they are invariably trying to protect their own incumbency.

As Two Men Go Free, a Dogged Ex-Prosecutor Digs In  —  LUMBERTON, N.C. — The most memorable moment of the trial that put Henry McCollum and Leon Brown behind bars for three decades for a hideous 1983 rape and murder was a display of brilliant courtroom theatrics.

Why Are Republicans Suddenly Leaning Left?  —  Several Republican candidates in the year's most competitive Senate races have begun their fall sprint to Election Day, not by embracing Tea Party-fueled conservatism but by defensively tacking leftward.  —  Let's start in Colorado, site of a strategic GOP retreat in the “War on Women.”

World-Weary  —  Even the most forgiving judge of Barack Obama, one willing to overlook his preference for chipping onto the sunlit greens of Martha's Vineyard rather than brooding in the fluorescent glare of the Situation Room, must admit that the President has sometimes been a thick-tongued steward of his own foreign policy.

Tillis dismisses ‘mansplaining’ charges  —  WILSON, N.C. — Thom Tillis, the Republican running for a North Carolina Senate seat that could well decide the majority in the Senate, has been pilloried since last week's debate by Democrats who see him as a condescending “man-splainer” who played into gender stereotypes.

WOW: NASTYGRAM FROM THE BROWN CAMPAIGN  —  I received this nastygram (PDF) by email today from Scott Brown's campaign manager — cc-ing my boss, the provost and president.  —  I take it Mr. Reed's outrage is triggered by the Senate's regulations of what constitutes being a “lobbyist” for purposes of the Senate rules.

Chuck Todd Begins as Host of NBC's ‘Meet the Press’  —  Chuck Todd was an imperfect host of “Meet the Press” on Sunday.  And that's perfect.  —  Sunday talk shows, and most particularly NBC's “Meet the Press,” defy the normal rules of television news: spit-shine good looks and slick urbanity are unwelcome.