Obama Hits a New Low for Leadership, With Criticism on ISIS & Immigration Alike  —  Barack Obama's rating for strong leadership has dropped to a new low in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, hammered by criticism of his work on international crises and a stalled domestic agenda alike.

Condi Rice: The one person who could save the NFL  —  Condoleezza Rice made a startling admission to the New York Times in 2002.  The then-national security adviser to President George W. Bush said it was “absolutely right” that she wanted to be commissioner of the National Football League.

In first speech back, Reid blasts Koch brothers  —  It took Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) less than 10 minutes on Monday to mention conservative billionaires David and Charles Koch in his first floor speech after Congress's five-week August recess.

The Twenty-Eight Pages  —  On the bottom floor of the United States Capitol's new underground visitors' center, there is a secure room where the House Intelligence Committee maintains highly classified files.  One of those files is titled “Finding, Discussion and Narrative Regarding Certain Sensitive National Security Matters.”

A President Whose Assurances Have Come Back to Haunt Him  —  WASHINGTON — When President Obama addresses the nation on Wednesday to explain his plan to defeat Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria, it is a fair bet he will not call them the “JV team.”  —  Nor does he seem likely to describe Iraq as …

Hawks GM Ferry responds to smoking gun letter about inappropriate comments  —  ATLANTA —  Atlanta Hawks General Manager Danny Ferry has issued a response to a letter accusing him of making inappropriate racial remarks during a conference call.  —  On Monday, Channel 2's Sports Director …

GOP makes play for the center  —  With primary season over, the GOP is beginning to inch back to the center.  —  Republican Senate and House candidates have begun to loudly embrace more moderate policies such as an increase in the minimum wage and over-the-counter birth control in an effort …

Obama's Untruth, Inc.  —  Let us count the ways: bald lies, lies of omission, mythography, amnesia, redaction . . .  We can usefully view the Obama administration's chronic untruthfulness as a sort of multifaceted corporation of untruth, with all sorts of subsidiaries.  —  THE BALD LIES OF POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY

In D.C., a 13-year-old piano prodigy is treated as a truant instead of a star student  —  Avery Gagliano is a commanding young pianist who attacks Chopin with the focused diligence of a master craftsman and the grace of a ballet dancer.  —  The prodigy, who just turned 13 …

The Perils of Standing While Hispanic in the Bronx  —  Meet Santiago Hernandez, 23.  He lives in the Bronx.  On a Monday evening last month, he was standing in front of an apartment building at around 6 p.m. when two NYPD police officers appeared and demanded permission to frisk him.  He complied.

Monica Wehby backs gay marriage in TV ad  —  A Republican Senate candidate in Oregon will unveil a television commercial Tuesday that highlights her support for gay marriage — a reflection of the rapidly shifting politics of the issue.  —  Monica Wehby, a pediatric neurosurgeon …

Steven Sotloff spokesman blasts White House handling  —  A spokesman for Steven Sotloff's family contends the slain American journalist was sold to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant by Syrian rebels and says the Obama administration “could have done more” to save him.

Rothenberg: Senate GOP Gains At Least 7 Seats  —  While the current Rothenberg Political Report ratings don't show it, I am now expecting a substantial Republican Senate wave in November, with a net gain of at least seven seats.  —  But I wouldn't be shocked by a larger gain.

All Criminal Charges Dropped!  —  Contact: Emily Kirkland, Communications Coordinator for Better Future Project, 646 623 5271, emily@betterfutureproject.org  —  FALL RIVER, MA — In a major — and unexpected — victory for the climate movement, the criminal charges against two men who used …

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 …