memeorandum: A Risky Bet on Syrian Rebels (New York Times)

9:25 AM ET, September 14, 2014

Top Items:

Greg Botelho / CNN:

ISIS executes British aid worker David Haines; Cameron vows justice — (CNN) — British aid worker David Haines has been executed by ISIS militants, according to a video posted Saturday to a website associated with the group, making him the third Western captive to be killed by the Islamist extremist group in recent weeks.

Discussion: BBC, Telegraph, Scared Monkeys, Hinterland Gazette, The Daily Banter, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and NBC News

Thomas Tracy / NY Daily News:

Alan Henning, shown in alleged ISIS video as next victim, is British aid worker who was helping Syrian refugees — Henning is seen at the end of the video that reportedly shows the execution of fellow Brit David Haines. He's a humanitarian worker from the Manchester area who was abducted …

David Cameron / Mirror.co.uk:

Chilling: ISIS militants threatened to kill David Haines if their demands were not met — Islamic State militants have released footage claiming to show the beheading of British hostage David Haines. — The aid worker, 44, was captured by ISIS in Syria in March 2013.

Discussion: Telegraph, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, The PJ Tatler and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Bill Maher announced he's targeting Rep. John Kline. He picked the wrong guy. — Comedian Bill Maher announced Friday night that he will personally target Republican Rep. John Kline (Minn.) for defeat in the November election — the culmination of his longstanding “Flip a District” …

Discussion: his vorpal sword, Mediaite, ABC News, Power Line, Washington Monthly and Booman Tribune

Alexandra Jaffe / The Hill:

GOP congressman's campaign slams opponent for ‘promoting’ Bill Maher — Rep. John Kline's (R-Minn.) campaign slammed his Democratic opponent for welcoming support from liberal comedian Bill Maher, who named Kline the target of his “Flip a District” campaign Friday night.

Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite

Rachel Huggins / The Hill: Bill Maher targets House chairman for midterms: He's a ‘silent threat’

New York Times:

A Risky Bet on Syrian Rebels — President Obama's new strategy for routing ISIS, the extremist Sunni group that controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, rests substantially and precariously on having rebels in Syria fight ISIS, even as they battle the forces of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

Discussion: Daily Kos, emptywheel, Sic Semper Tyrannis and Lawfare

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Paths to War, Then and Now, Haunt Obama — WASHINGTON — Just hours before announcing an escalated campaign against Islamic extremists last week, President Obama privately reflected on another time when a president weighed military action in the Middle East — the frenzied weeks leading up to the American invasion of Iraq a decade ago.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, more at Mediagazer »

Drew Karedes / KHOU-TV:

Chemistry teacher allegedly brought “date rape recipes” to school — An Oak Ridge teacher and her husband were arrested on drug charges — An Oak Ridge High chemistry teacher is in big trouble, and her students know it because she was arrested at school. — CONNECT

Discussion: Raw Story, abc13.com and Liberaland

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

Building Legacy, Obama Reshapes Appellate Bench — WASHINGTON — Democrats have reversed the partisan imbalance on the federal appeals courts that long favored conservatives, a little-noticed shift with far-reaching consequences for the law and President Obama's legacy.

Amanda Marcotte / Salon:

7 women working tirelessly to attack equal rights for women — Sadly, these women find it personally advantageous to reject feminism and continue perpetuating sexist social norms — A lot of people assume the term “female misogynist” is an oxymoron. How can a woman be opposed to the fight to help women achieve equality?

Discussion: American Power and protein wisdom

Ken Belson / New York Times:

Brain Trauma to Affect One in Three Players, N.F.L. Agrees — The National Football League, which for years disputed evidence that its players had a high rate of severe brain damage, has stated in federal court documents that it expects nearly a third of retired players to develop long-term cognitive problems …

Discussion: ProFootballTalk, Tech Times, naked capitalism, Talking Points Memo and Balloon Juice

Jim Miller / Sacramento Bee:

Six Californias initiative fails to make 2016 ballot — A proposed ballot measure to carve California into six states failed to qualify for the November 2016 ballot Friday after election officials determined that backers did not collect enough valid signatures.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Joe. My. God. and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion