Confirmation battles are back  —  Prepare for the return of the confirmation fight.  —  If Republicans capture the Senate majority in November, their sway over prominent judgeships and Cabinet vacancies — potentially including a new attorney general — will become one of the GOP's primary leverage points …

Fired Oklahoma City nursing home worker threatened beheading, police say  —  Jacob Mugambi Muriithi, a native of Kenya, was arrested Friday in Oklahoma City on a terrorism complaint.  —  In a bizarre coincidence, a fired Oklahoma City nursing home employee was arrested Friday …

Crackdown on Protests by Hong Kong Police Draws More to the Streets  —  HONG KONG — Downtown Hong Kong turned into a battlefield of tear gas and seething crowds on Sunday after the police moved against a student democracy protest, inciting public fury that brought tens of thousands of people onto …

The Cult Deficit  —  LIKE most children of the Reagan era, I grew up with a steady diet of media warnings about the perils of religious cults — the gurus who lurked in wait for the unwary and confused, offering absolute certainty with the aftertaste of poisoned Kool-Aid.

U.S. Troops Battling Ebola Get Off to Slow Start in Africa  —  Rare Military Effort Comes as Concerns Mount Over Epidemic's Expansion  —  The number of people infected with Ebola could hit 1.4 million by mid-January.  What is the world doing about it?  WSJ's Jason Bellini has #TheShortAnswer.

We need a new constitution: Here's how we save American democracy from charlatans, loudmouths and the 1 percent  —  The most recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll says that a clear-cut majority is disgusted with the present political scene and retains little hope that future generations will fare as well as we have.

Obama expands 'My Brother's Keeper'  —  The White House is partnering with mayors and community leaders to develop a “cradle to college and career strategy” for young men of color, President Obama is set to announce at Saturday's Congressional Black Caucus Foundation awards dinner.

Court to Weigh Political-Contribution Ban for Government Contractors  —  Challengers Say Restriction Is Too Broad, Preventing Donations to Independent Political Committees  —  A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday will consider a fresh challenge to campaign-finance rules, this time a 74-year-old …

Woman is heard screaming from her coffin after being ‘buried alive’  —  Screaming could be heard coming from the coffin (not pictured) after it was buried (Picture: Getty)  —  A cemetery worker got the fright of his life when he heard a woman screaming from inside her buried coffin.

Mostly Black Cities, Mostly White City Halls  —  CONYERS, Ga. — Since moving to this small city on the eastern flank of Atlanta's suburban sprawl, Lorna Francis, a hairdresser and a single mother, has found a handsome brick house to rent on a well-groomed cul-de-sac.

From Pen and Phone to Bombs and Drones  —  WASHINGTON — THE president was at the United Nations on Wednesday urging young people across the Muslim world to reject benighted values, even as America clambers into bed with a bunch of Middle East potentates who espouse benighted values.

Ferguson police officer shot in arm after chasing suspect  —  (KMOV.com) - Authorities responded to a call for an officer shot in north St. Louis County late Saturday night.  —  St. Louis County Police reported a male police officer from Ferguson was doing routine patrol around 9:10 p.m …