Grand Illusion in Syria  —  ACROSS years of war and at an extraordinary cost, the United States built an army that was supposed to prevent jihadists from gaining a sanctuary in the heart of the Middle East.  It had American-trained leaders, American-made weaponry and 250,000 men under arms …

Chuck Todd Splits US Into ‘Starbucks Nation’ And ‘Chick-Fil-A Country’ (VIDEO)  —  “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd on Sunday described the 2014 midterm elections as a battle between “Starbucks nation” and “Chick-Fil-A country.”  —  He split the U.S. into the Democratic urban areas …

Vile ad bounces off McSally, sticks to Gabby Giffords  —  Our View: Gabby Giffords never resorted to the squalid campaigning this ad represents.  So, why is her group?  —  CONNECT  —  Do you know what you're doing?  —  That's our question to the Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC …

Goshen County buys grenade launcher  —  OFFICIALS WOULD USE WEAPONS IN RIOTS, HOSTAGE SITUATIONS  —  Three grenade launchers have been moved in and out of the Goshen County Sheriff's Office in the past 65 years.  —  Yet not one of the weapons has been used by the county's deputies.

Obama's October Surprise  —  Get ready for bombs bursting in air and this election's October Surprise - President Obama's air strikes to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS.  —  Last week a Fox News poll identified a phenomenon that my friend, pollster Dana Blanton, dubbed “The ISIS effect.”

Those Lazy Jobless  —  Last week John Boehner, the speaker of the House, explained to an audience at the American Enterprise Institute what's holding back employment in America: laziness.  People, he said, have “this idea” that “I really don't have to work.  I don't really want to do this.

Why is Thomas Piketty's 700-page book a bestseller?  —  Thomas Piketty is a French economist whose Capital in the Twenty-First Century has swept American discourse.  Four experts - Brad DeLong, Tyler Cowen, Stephanie Kelton and Emanuel Derman - take on why that is

Landrieu helps out with keg stand  —  Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) was spotted helping a man do a keg stand at a Louisiana State University tailgating event on Saturday.  —  A photo from the event appears to show Landrieu—one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents this year …

ISIS war rollout resembles launch of Obamacare site  —  Syrian civil war in 2014 … (CNN) — Someone in the Obama White House clearly has a good book to write one day: “How Not to Do Rollouts.”  —  With one hapless episode after another, the rollout of the President's plan to destroy ISIS …

The Fight of Their Lives  —  The White House wants the Kurds to help save Iraq from ISIS.  The Kurds may be more interested in breaking away.

At Lake Mary gun show, Zimmerman details what life is like  —  Become a digitalPlus subscriber.  99¢ for 4 weeks.

Child Pornography Case Spurs Debate on Military's Role in Law Enforcement  —  In a field office near Brunswick, Ga., a federal agent working as an undercover cybersleuth signed on to a large file-sharing network sometimes used by traders in child pornography.

Taking a Call for Climate Change to the Streets  —  Legions of demonstrators frustrated by international inaction on global warming descended on New York City on Sunday, marching through the heart of Manhattan with a message of alarm for world leaders set to gather this week at the United Nations for a summit meeting on climate change.