Obama Ready to Authorize Airstrikes on ISIS in Syria  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama is prepared to authorize airstrikes in Syria, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, taking the military campaign against the Sunni militant group, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, into new and unpredictable terrain.

US Rep. Tierney Concedes Defeat in Dem Primary  —  In a stunning defeat, nine-term incumbent U.S. Rep. John Tierney on Tuesday lost a bitter Democratic primary contest to political newcomer Seth Moulton in the state's 6th Congressional District.  —  Tierney is the first sitting Massachusetts congressman …

Behind Closed Doors, Cheney Tells Republicans That Obama Supported Muslim Brotherhood  —  The former vice president tries to sell reluctant House Republicans on “comprehensive” action against ISIS by blaming the president, of course.  —  Dick Cheney spoke to House Republicans on Tuesday about the need for military action in Iraq.

LETTER: HOLDER AIDE ACCIDENTALLY CALLS ISSA STAFF FOR HELP SPINNING IRS SCANDAL  —  A senior communications aide to Attorney General Eric Holder seemingly called House oversight committee chairman Darrell Issa's staff by accident and asked for their help spinning new revelations about the IRS scandal …

Judge denies request for Michael Brown's juvenile records  —  • By Jeremy Kohler jkohler@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8337  —  A circuit court judge in St. Louis County denied a request by the Post-Dispatch to release Michael Brown's juvenile criminal records.

Obama's Most Important Achievement in the Middle East  —  The president is a superior terrorist hunter.  He has also neutralized a profound existential threat to U.S. allies in the Middle East, and denied ISIS access to vast storehouses of deadly chemical weapons.  So why does he get no credit?

America on Edge: Fear of Terror Attack at 9/11 High, Poll Finds  —  “A very war-weary country ... seems to have woken up to the real threat that ISIS may present,” says Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted this survey with Democratic pollster Peter Hart and his colleagues at Hart Research.

Breitbart News says IRS targeted company for audit  —  May 14, 2013: A general view of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Building in Washington.REUTERS  —  The company that runs the conservative Breitbart.com news site says the IRS has selected the network for an audit, in a move company executives suggest is politically motivated.

Clinton allies distance ‘decisive’ Hillary from ‘passive’ Obama  —  Allies to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are casting a stark distinction between a decisive, assertive Clinton and a pragmatic, deliberative President Obama on foreign policy.  —  As Obama seeks to make the case …

Ted Cruz's Obamacare Nightmare Comes to Life  —  It's like a bad dream, if your bad dreams involve sick people getting to see a doctor.  —  Shares  —  In the summer of 2013, with the Affordable Care Act about to begin enrolling its first customers in the new health-care exchanges …

Georgia GOPer Complains About Early Voting, Excessive Black Voting  —  A Republican state senator in Georgia has vowed to end Sunday balloting in DeKalb County due to the fact that the area is “dominated by African American shoppers and it is near several large African American mega churches.”

Karl Rove, the Koch Brothers and the End of Political Transparency  —  Tax-exempt “social welfare” organizations, the new political weapons of choice, are widening the gap between the rich people who control campaign financing and the economically anxious voters targeted by their ads.

Federal judges question why John Doe issue is before them  —  By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Chicago — A panel of three federal appeals judges on Tuesday questioned why they had been brought into a stalled criminal investigation into campaign activity by Gov. Scott Walker …

Cuomo Defeats Teachout, Liberal Rival, in the Democratic Primary  —  Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York claimed the Democratic nomination for a second term on Tuesday, but at a considerable price: A liberal challenger with little money or name recognition, Zephyr Teachout …

Almost Two-Thirds Back Attacking Militants  —  Almost two-thirds of participants in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll believe it is in the nation's interest to confront the group, known as ISIS and as ISIL, which has swept through Syria and northern Iraq and recently beheaded two U.S. journalists.

Jobs data signal GOP victory  —  Amid the media focus on the basic data in the August jobs report — that the economy “added” 143,000 jobs — is the figure that will underscore the Republican efforts to take the Senate.  —  During the month of August, the economy added about 659,000 jobs …