G.O.P. Gains Strength and Obama Gets Low Marks, Poll Finds  —  A New York Times/CBS News poll shows that President Obama's approval ratings are similar to those of President George W. Bush in 2006 when Democrats swept both houses of Congress in the midterm elections.

Robert Gates: Barack Obama ‘traps himself’ on ISIL  —  Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday said the U.S. will need troops on the ground to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and spoke out against President Barack Obama's contention that the U.S. aims to degrade and destroy the group.

Jewish group brands Biden's Shylock comment ‘offensive’  —  Yahoo News 16 hrs ago  —  Vice President Joe Biden drew fire from a prominent Jewish group on Tuesday after he described unscrupulous bankers who prey on servicemen and servicewomen deployed overseas as “Shylocks” — a term frequently condemned as an anti-Semitic caricature.

‘Django Unchained’ Actress — We Got the Pictures ... And It Looks Like Sex  —  The “Django Unchained” actress who cried racism against the LAPD ... claiming they harassed and hurt her because she was just making out with making out with her white boyfriend in a car — has some explaining to do …

Too bad it's almost certainly unconstitutional.  —  You are no doubt as excited as I am about the advent of Constitution Day, which explodes into being again Wednesday, Sept. 17, with its customary flurry of greeting cards, traffic-stopping parades, fraught and complicated holiday dinners with the family …

Troubled Law School Defaults On Its Bonds, May Be Forced To Cease Operations  —  While it's true that things have been spiraling downwards for law schools since the Great Recession, it wasn't until 2011 that things really got out of hand.  That was when the very first class action lawsuit …

ISIS and the Arab World  —  LONDON — An existential struggle is taking place in the Arab world today.  But is it ours or is it theirs?  Before we step up military action in Iraq and Syria, that's the question that needs answering.  —  What concerns me most about President Obama's decision …

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in July suggests that economic activity is expanding at a moderate pace.  On balance, labor market conditions improved somewhat further; however, the unemployment rate is little changed and a range …

How The FiveThirtyEight Senate Forecast Model Works  —  The FiveThirtyEight Senate forecast model launched earlier this month.  Right now, it shows Republicans with about a 53 percent chance of picking up the Senate next year.  We owe you a lot more detail about how that forecast is calculated …

Cruz: Dempsey, Hagel sound like social workers  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on Tuesday that the U.S. military should not play the role of “social workers” in Iraq.  —  Speaking on Fox News's “Hannity,” Cruz voiced his frustration with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey's responses …

Congress Really Isn't Begging To Vote On Authorizing Obama's Military Operation  —  “It's time to grow up.  You're in Congress.  This is what Congress is for.  It's to vote on things like this,” Rep. Justin Amash says of colleagues' reluctance to vote on authorization of war against ISIS.

Mark Begich frosty over snow machine ad  —  Alaska Sen. Mark Begich says GOP opponent Dan Sullivan's latest ad accusing him of pretending to ride a snow machine is a “lie,” and he has the frostbite to prove it.  —  In Sullivan's latest ad, X Games medalist Cory Davis accuses the freshman Democrat of …

Let's Reject the ‘Inevitable’  —  This Sunday's “People's Climate March” in New York City could be the biggest demonstration yet for action on climate change.  The march is scheduled to coincide with the United Nations Climate Summit, which begins two days later.

How many young women can a school legally punish for dress code violations?  —  Singling out female students for humiliation and discipline because of their sex is a blatant violation of federal law  —  Do school administrators think they're more stubborn than teenage girls who are told what they can't wear to school?

Boehner: ‘I have a few knuckleheads in my conference’  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday said he has “a few knuckleheads” in his conference.  As a result, Boehner described his House majority as being a “paper majority.”  —  “On any given day, 16 of my members decide they're going to go this way …

Why President Obama Should Ask Permission to Wage War  —  One informed observer of the national-security state, Marc Ambinder, is doing his best to puzzle out President Obama's approach to fighting the radical militia ISIS.  He is sympathetic to the difficult decisions Obama faces, as am I …