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.

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” …

North Carolina's GOP Senate Candidate Won't Commit To Supporting McConnell  —  Thom Tillis says he wants to be an “independent” Senator and won't commit to supporting Mitch McConnell for Republican leader.  —  AP Photo/Gerry Broome, Pool  —  WILSON, N.C. — Thom Tillis …

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.

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 …

Bush gives Clinton grandpa advice  —  Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were complimentary of each other Monday, with the 43rd president even giving his Democratic predecessor some insider advice on the life of a grandfather.  —  “Get ready also to be like the lowest person …

Dick Cheney to meet with House GOP on midterms  —  Former Vice President Dick Cheney will appear before House Republicans at a Tuesday meeting to discuss the midterm elections, according to two sources familiar with his plans.  —  Cheney's appearance comes as Republican leaders launch …

Congressman Says Everyone Should Be Free To Smoke And Fire Gay People  —  CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA—At a recent town hall in Charlotte's suburbs, North Carolina House Republican Robert Pittenger compared the right to fire LGBT workers to the right to smoke cigarettes on private property.

Udall: Beheaded American Journalists Would Have Wanted Cautious Approach to ISIS  —  The president has in recent days taken fire from members of his own party for taking a low-key approach to tackling the problem presented by the Islamic State, particularly as the images of two American journalists kidnapped …

With Medicaid expansion blocked, McAuliffe unveils plan to insure more Virginians  —  RICHMOND — Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) on Monday announced a plan to provide health insurance to as many as 25,000 Virginians, far short of his June vow to defy the Republican-controlled legislature and find a way to expand coverage to 400,000.

Bruce Levenson Isn't a Racist, He's a Businessman … From left: Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Dominique Wilkins  —  Courtesy of Iconomy, LLC

Gerrymandering and the Big Sort Fallacy  —  Every so often, Nate Cohn writes something about how the political impact of gerrymandering is overrated, and I write something about how he's wrong.  The argument has gotten pointlessly heated in the past, and neither one of us has inched toward …

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.