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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.
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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.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Defense One, Daily Kos, Patterico's Pontifications, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, Hot Air, Power Line, Balkinization, CBS DC and Opinio Juris

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:
JustOneMinute, Lawfare, Taylor Marsh, CNN and New York Times

U.S. Pins Hope on Syrian Rebels With Loyalties All Over the Map
Discussion:
JustOneMinute, CANNONFIRE, RedState, The Colorado Independent and The PJ Tatler


Can Obama Wage War Without Consent of Congress?
Discussion:
Politico

Question for the State Department: Isn't Obama waging preemptive war in Iraq now?
Discussion:
The Atlantic Online, The Intercept, Power Line, Washington Free Beacon and Firedoglake

John Kerry: No need for “war fever” in ISIS operations
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Firedoglake and Truth Revolt


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.
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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

Anchorage PD: Palins Were ‘Present’ At 20-Person Brawl. Fate Of Hos' Weave Unknown
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Mediaite, The Raw Story, The Immoral Minority, Gawker, Amanda Coyne, Liberaland, The Huffington Post and PoliticusUSA

James Clyburn Recommends ‘Sexting’ To C-SPAN Caller [VIDEO] — Rep. James Clyburn, the third-ranking House Democrat, recently told a C-SPAN caller that “sexting” is an important tool for organizing voters. — Clyburn seemed to confuse basic “texting” with “sexting” …
Discussion:
Wonkette, OnPolitics, Business Insider, Truth Revolt and Mediaite
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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 …


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.


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:
Wall Street Journal, Politico and Washington Post

GOP congressman calls Cruz remarks to Christian group ‘outrageous and incendiary’ — Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), a moderate Republican, called remarks made Wednesday by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) at a Christian event “outrageous and incendiary.” — In an interview Thursday …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, The Federalist, The Raw Story and Business Insider


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


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:
Taylor Marsh, Guardian and SBNation.com
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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:
The Huffington Post, Politico, Mashable, Jezebel and Gawker


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:
Mashable, ABC News, The Raw Story, WTVR-TV, Scared Monkeys, Mediaite, myfox8.com, FOX31 Denver and WREG-TV


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

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.
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U.S. threatened massive fine to force Yahoo to release data
Discussion:
BillMoyers.com, Prairie Weather, Gawker, Mediaite and The Daily Caller


Obama's uncertain trumpet — Again, he halfheartedly leads the nation into battle — In his Islamic State speech, President Obama said many of the right things. Most importantly, he finally got the mission right: degrade and destroy the enemy. — This alone will probably get him a bump …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Fox News
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