Rift widens between Obama, U.S. military over strategy to fight Islamic State  —  Flashes of disagreement over how to fight the Islamic State are mounting between President Obama and U.S. military leaders, the latest sign of strain in what often has been an awkward and uneasy relationship.

Supreme Court Blocks Kobach's Power Move In Kansas Senate Race  —  The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Democratic Senate nominee Chad Taylor's name should be removed from the ballot in November, overruling Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R).  —  The ruling shakes up one of the most-watched Senate races in 2014 once again.

Scottish referendum: Scotland votes ‘No’ to independence  —  Scotland has voted to stay in the United Kingdom after voters decisively rejected independence.  —  With 31 out of the country's 32 council areas having declared after Thursday's vote, the ‘No’ side has an unassailable lead of 1,914,187 votes to 1,539,920.

How gender mattered in the rise and fall of Debbie Wasserman Schultz  —  Devastating.  —  That's really the only way to describe Politico's piece on DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  —  Based on interviews with DNC staffers — both former and current — the piece described Wasserman Schultz …

Why I Hope to Die at 75  —  An argument that society and families—and you—will be better off if nature takes its course swiftly and promptly  —  Photos by Jake Chessum  —  Seventy-five.  —  That's how long I want to live: 75 years.  —  This preference drives my daughters crazy.

Wisconsin Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Blames Campaign Consultant For Large Portions Of Copied Jobs Plan  —  From three previous Democratic campaigns.  —  Facebook- Burke for Wisconsin / Via Facebook: burkeforwisconsin  —  Large portions of Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate …

Politician accused of dropping pants, hurling racist slurs dropping out of race  —  SOUTH PLAINFIELD — A borough council candidate is bowing out of his race after revelations that he allegedly shouted racist slurs while mooning patrons of a local diner.  —  Joe Sorrentino …

Congress's Inaction Could Be Legal Basis for Stronger Executive War Powers  —  WASHINGTON — As lawmakers grapple with President Obama's claim that he already has congressional authorization for airstrikes against the Islamic State, legal specialists are saying that even legislative inaction …

NFL Running Back Allegedly Headbutted Wife After She Refused To Have Sex With Him  —  On Wednesday, Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested in connection with two alleged domestic violence incidents involving his wife and 17-month old son.

YouGov referendum prediction: YES 46%, NO 54%  —  YouGov predicts that No has won Scotland's referendum with 54% of the vote  —  YouGov bases its prediction on the responses of 1,828 people after they voted today, together with those of 800 people who had already voted by post.

Exclusive: NSA Won't Say If Official's Spouse Does Business With The Agency  —  A powerful National Security Agency official involved in the controversial domestic surveillance program is married to an executive at a company that appears to be doing or seeking business with the agency.

Thank God my country is still intact  —  Thank God.  Just thank God.  I don't much care at the moment whether God is Scottish, and is glowering approvingly at Great Britain from over His bands and Geneva gown, or whether He is English and is raising a glass of sherry with an absent-minded smile.

Spanking Is Great for Sex  —  Which is why it's grotesque for parenting.  —  Once again, I've been accused of pedophilia.  Well, to be technical, my sexual identity was called “somewhat pedophilic.”  But we're talking about one of the most loathsome things a person can be accused of, so why split hairs?

Why a GOP Senate Majority Is Still in Doubt  —  Since Sept. 1, Democrats have run or placed $109 million in TV ads to the Republicans' $80 million.

GOP congressional candidate endorses going to war with Mexico over undocumented immigrants  —  Where do Republicans find these people, and why won't they stop?  —  The latest candidate to sign up for the hard-fought America's Dumbest Congressman competition is Republican Mark Walker …