Top Items:
New York Times:
Legal Authority for Fighting ISIS — As the Pentagon gears up to expand its fight against ISIS, a fundamentalist Sunni militant group that controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, Congress appears perfectly willing to abdicate one of its most consequential powers: the authority to declare war.
RELATED:
Bruce Ackerman / New York Times:
Obama's Betrayal of the Constitution — BERLIN — PRESIDENT OBAMA's declaration of war against the terrorist group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria marks a decisive break in the American constitutional tradition. Nothing attempted by his predecessor, George W. Bush, remotely compares in imperial hubris.
Discussion:
Just Security, Grim's Hall, Betsy's Page, Lawfare, Balkinization, Vox Popoli, Reuters and TIME
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Kerry: ISIS not a ‘war’ — The United States is not at war with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL), Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday. — Kerry said the administration's plan to combat ISIS includes “many different things that one doesn't think of normally in context of war” during an interview with CNN.
Discussion:
Taylor Marsh, CNN and Lawfare
Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Question for the State Department: Isn't Obama waging preemptive war in Iraq now? — Via the Free Beacon. I would have phrased the question differently, like, say, “When exactly did President Obama decide that the Bush doctrine is awesome?” Because he has, you know. But we needn't quibble over semantics.
Discussion:
Power Line, The Atlantic Online, Washington Free Beacon and Firedoglake
Stephen Braun / Associated Press:
Can Obama Wage War Without Consent of Congress?
Can Obama Wage War Without Consent of Congress?
Discussion:
Politico
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
U.S. Pins Hope on Syrian Rebels With Loyalties All Over the Map
U.S. Pins Hope on Syrian Rebels With Loyalties All Over the Map
Discussion:
RedState and The PJ Tatler
David Frum / The Atlantic Online:
Obama's Speech on ISIS, in Plain English
Obama's Speech on ISIS, in Plain English
Discussion:
Middle East, Slate, Hot Air, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Foreign Policy, The Dish, American Prospect and Washington Post
Rebecca Kaplan / CBS News:
John Kerry: No need for “war fever” in ISIS operations
John Kerry: No need for “war fever” in ISIS operations
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Firedoglake and Truth Revolt
CNN:
Kerry: U.S. not at war with ISIS
Kerry: U.S. not at war with ISIS
Discussion:
Firedoglake, Weekly Standard, No More Mister Nice Blog, Scared Monkeys, Hot Air and Opinio Juris
Carolyn Kaster / ABC News:
Sarah Palin's Family Allegedly in Alaska House Party Brawl — Sarah Palin and her family were at the center of a lively party last weekend that erupted into a fight, with daughter Bristol Palin allegedly throwing a right hook, a man who says he was a guest at the party told ABC News.
Discussion:
Amanda Coyne and The Immoral Minority
RELATED:
Anchorage Daily News:
Witnesses, APD confirm Palin family was present at Anchorage party that turned violent — Police are investigating a brawl that took place in South Anchorage over the weekend involving around 20 people. A witness said it happened during a joint birthday party thrown in part for Todd Palin.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Daily Mail, 7online.com, Amanda Coyne and The Immoral Minority
Rebecca Schoenkopf / Wonkette:
Anchorage PD: Palins Were ‘Present’ At 20-Person Brawl. Fate Of Hos' Weave Unknown
Anchorage PD: Palins Were ‘Present’ At 20-Person Brawl. Fate Of Hos' Weave Unknown
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, The Raw Story, Gawker, The Immoral Minority, Liberaland and PoliticusUSA
Politico:
Democrats' whopper of a strategy flop — President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies hoped to capitalize on the recent wave of companies ditching the U.S. to slice their tax bill as a populist issue to fire up the progressive base and bash Republicans as slaves to corporate interests.
Dan Merica / CNN:
Clinton tops Democrats in Iowa while Huckabee leads Republicans — Washington (CNN) — Hillary Clinton is heading to Iowa as the politician that most Democrats would choose as their 2016 presidential nominee. — According to a new CNN/ORC poll, 53% of all registered Democrats contacted …
Discussion:
Politico and Washington Post
Ron Bell / Yahoo Global Public Policy:
Shedding Light on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC): Court Findings from Our 2007-2008 Case — Today we are pleased to announce the release of more than 1,500 pages of once-secret papers from Yahoo's 2007-2008 challenge to the expansion of U.S. surveillance laws.
RELATED:
Craig Timberg / Washington Post:
U.S. threatened massive fine to force Yahoo to release data
U.S. threatened massive fine to force Yahoo to release data
Discussion:
BillMoyers.com, Prairie Weather, Gawker, Mediaite and The Daily Caller
Mike Ward / Houston Chronicle:
Abbott: Davis book tour violates state law — AUSTIN — A dispute over Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis' book tour intensified Thursday as her Republican opponent, Greg Abbott, accused her in a formal complaint of violating state election laws.
Discussion:
CNN, Trail Blazers Blog and Off the Kuff
Robyn Dixon / Los Angeles Times:
Oscar Pistorius convicted of negligent killing, could face jail time — South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius, who was cleared of murder in the killing of his girlfriend, was convicted Friday on the lesser charge of culpable homicide. — Judge Thokozile Masipa accepted the athlete's defense …
Discussion:
SBNation.com
RELATED:
Bill Carter / New York Times:
New Comic to Anchor ‘Update’ on ‘S.N.L.’ — The new season of “Saturday Night Live” will have a significant change in its cast and its most prominent segment, “Weekend Update.” — Michael Che, a comic perhaps best known for his role as a correspondent on Comedy Central's “The Daily Show …
Discussion:
Politico, The Huffington Post, Mashable, Jezebel and Gawker
Weekly Standard:
Getting There — How to transition from Obamacare to real health care reform — Obamacare—or at least the version of it that the president and his advisers currently think they can get away with putting into place—has been upending arrangements and reshuffling the deck in the health system since the beginning of the year.
Discussion:
National Review
Ed Payne / CNN:
Convicted high school shooter TJ Lane back in custody after prison escape — (CNN) — T.J. Lane, a remorseless killer who escaped from an Ohio prison where he was serving three life sentences for a school shooting, has been recaptured, a law enforcement official said.
Discussion:
The Raw Story, WTVR-TV, Scared Monkeys, Mediaite, myfox8.com, FOX31 Denver and WREG-TV
Michael T. Osterholm / New York Times:
What We're Afraid to Say About Ebola — MINNEAPOLIS — THE Ebola epidemic in West Africa has the potential to alter history as much as any plague has ever done. — There have been more than 4,300 cases and 2,300 deaths over the past six months. Last week, the World Health Organization warned that …
Susan Vass / Weekly Standard:
Westlake Lives! — Tasty morsels from the late master's larder — Imagine that a beloved family member has died unexpectedly, leaving a huge void in your life. Logic dictates that you will never hear another word from the deceased again. But then, the departed contacts you in an hours-long séance!
Discussion:
Power Line