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.

House Votes to Authorize Aid to Syrian Rebels in ISIS Fight  —  WASHINGTON — A House divided along unusual and unpredictable lines voted Wednesday to authorize the training and arming of Syrian rebels to confront the militant group Islamic State, backing President Obama after he personally pleaded for support.

Joe Biden: I was wrong to say ‘Shylocks’  —  Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that it was a “poor choice of words” for him to use the term “Shylocks” in a recent speech.  —  On Tuesday, Anti-Defamation League's national director Abraham Foxman had said the word “Shylocks” promoted an anti-Semitic stereotype.

Wisc.  GOPer Drops Out Of Race Over ‘F*gs’ And ‘N*ggers’ Tweets  —  A Wisconsin Republican dropped out of the race for a seat on the state assembly on Tuesday after he admitted that he made offensive comments about gay and black people on social media, according to The Gazette.

‘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 …

Democrats turn on Debbie Wasserman Schultz  —  Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is in a behind-the-scenes struggle with the White House, congressional Democrats and Washington insiders who have lost confidence in her as both a unifying leader and reliable party spokesperson at a time when they need her most.

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.

Oregon Republican Senate Candidate Plagiarized Economic Plan From Several Sources  —  On the subject of eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse...  Monica For Oregon Facebook / Via Facebook: monicafororegon  —  Large portions of an economic plan released by Oregon Republican Senate candidate Monica Wehby appear …

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 …

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 …

The Making of a Conservative Superstar  —  Tom Cotton is the ultimate product of today's hard-edged, ideologically driven Republican Party.  Is that what Arkansas voters want?  —  Tom Cotton was born in 1977 in Dardanelle, Arkansas, population less than 4,000, where his family had lived …

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 …

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 …

The People Who Organized Occupy Wall Street Are Now Suing Each Other  —  The movement descends into litigation.  “We can either go and beat him up or we can go to court.”  —  WASHINGTON — Activists who organized the dormant Occupy Wall Street movement are suing another activist for control …

‘Security Moms’ Are Back—and That's Bad News for Democrats  —  Suddenly, it feels like 2002.  Democrats got creamed in midterm elections that year because the women voters they had relied on throughout the Clinton years deserted them.  In 2000, women favored Democratic congressional candidates by nine points.

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 …

Israel's N.S.A. Scandal  —  WASHINGTON — IN Moscow this summer, while reporting a story for Wired magazine, I had the rare opportunity to hang out for three days with Edward J. Snowden.  It gave me a chance to get a deeper understanding of who he is and why, as a National Security Agency contractor …

EXCLUSIVE: Iran's President Blasts U.S.-Led Coalition  —  Asked about the extremists' beheading of American James Foley and Steven Sotloff and Briton David Haines, Rouhani said ISIS' actions are at odds with Islamic tenets.  —  “They want to kill humanity,” he said.

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 …