Why Obama Can't Say His Spies Underestimated ISIS  —  On “60 Minutes,” the president faulted his spies for failing to predict the rise of ISIS.  There's one problem with that statement: The intelligence analysts did warn about the group.  —  Nearly eight months ago, some of President Obama's …

Hong Kong “hands up, don't shoot” emulation of Ferguson protests is such a powerful image: pic.twitter.com/1Sk27MO1Y2  —  Hong Kong's protesters have good reason to put their hands up: police are using what many observers describe as an unprecedented level of force against the demonstrations …

Senate Update: When Should Democrats Panic?  —  The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll always makes news and with good reason: The pollster that conducts it, Selzer & Company, is among the best in the country, according to FiveThirtyEight's pollster ratings.  On Saturday evening …

Our Invisible Rich  —  Half a century ago, a classic essay in The New Yorker titled “Our Invisible Poor” took on the then-prevalent myth that America was an affluent society with only a few “pockets of poverty.”  For many, the facts about poverty came as a revelation, and Dwight Macdonald's article arguably …

The Tide of the Culture War Shifts  —  Not long ago, it would have been unusual for a Democratic senatorial candidate in Iowa to run a powerful abortion-rights television ad like the one recently broadcast by Representative Bruce Braley.  —  The ad lists in detail the anti-abortion positions taken …

The Revenge of Rand Paul  —  The Senator has fought to go mainstream with the ideology that he shares with his father.  How far can that strategy take him? … “You don't need to conduct me so hard—I'm right here.”  —  BUY OR LICENSE » … “So how does that eightfold path get us back on the Garden State?”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is an American Hero  —  She's staying put—and has some choice words for young feminists.  An interview.  —  Ruth Bader Ginsburg was considered a judge's judge when she was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993, an incrementalist who thought Roe v. Wade might have gone too far.

Ted Cruz Is Prepping a Foreign Policy-Focused Presidential Campaign  —  The junior senator from Texas thinks he has found a policy “sweet spot” to anchor a 2016 run.  —  LINES TO SHARE  — On 2016, one Ted Cruz aide said, 'At this point it's 90/10 he's in.'

The stars align for baby Charlotte  —  Leading astrologers say that Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky is destined for a future working on social justice and will enjoy a strong relationship with her proud grandparents, Hillary and Bill.  —  After Chelsea Clinton and Mark Mezvinsky's daughter …

Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Likely to Land in Term's Finale  —  WASHINGTON — There are lots of open questions about the road the Supreme Court justices will take to a final decision about whether the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.  But one thing seems clear: the answer will arrive next June.

EXCLUSIVE: JAMES O'KEEFE RELEASES SECOND VIDEO EXPOSÉ ON BATTLEGROUND TEXAS  —  HOUSTON, Texas — Battleground Texas (BGTX) may have failed to take any action regarding the “admission” of an undercover volunteer with BGTX that she had broken multiple election laws …

Senate showdown: GOP frets over Harkin seat  —  Three Koch-linked groups have invested substantially.  Concerned Veterans for America has already spent $2.5 million, Americans for Prosperity put in $1.2 million earlier in the summer and Freedom Partners (through two separate entities) has spent around $835,000.