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 …

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?”

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 …

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.

Americans Remain Divided on Preference for Gov't Activity  —  Thirty-five percent prefer a less active role, 32% a more active one  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans continue to divide almost evenly when asked to rate their preference for government activity on a 1-to-5 scale.

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 …

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.

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.