Showing Concern for the President, Even While Criticizing Him  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama must be touched by all the concern Republicans are showing him these days.  As Congress examines security breaches at the White House, even opposition lawmakers who have spent the last six years fighting …

New York Times Plans Cutbacks in Newsroom Staff  —  The New York Times plans to eliminate about 100 newsroom jobs, as well as a smaller number of positions from its editorial and business operations, offering buyouts and resorting to layoffs if enough people do not leave voluntarily, the newspaper announced on Wednesday.

President Obama is winning on a foreign policy issue — for a change  —  Get ready to pop the champagne, White House.  For the first time since January, President Obama is polling a 50 percent approval rating on an issue: his handling of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

College GOP: Democrats Are Like a Bad Wedding Dress  —  The College Republican National Committee launched on Wednesday a nearly $1 million digital ad campaign across 16 states, aiming to draw young voters to the GOP with what the group's chief calls “culturally relevant” ad campaigns.

Officials: Second person being monitored for Ebola  —  DALLAS — Health officials are closely monitoring a possible second Ebola patient who had close contact with the first person to be diagnosed in the U.S., the director of Dallas County's health department said Wednesday.

BREAKING: Leslie Rutledge's Voter Registration Canceled; Candidacy Now In Question  —  And you thought the DHS rumors were troubling.  —  According to multiple reports — the veracity of which I have no reason to doubt, but the confirmation of which I will have to wait until 8am tomorrow to confirm …

On Hobby Lobby, Ginsburg Was Right  —  The great Oliver Wendell Holmes once observed that important Supreme Court decisions “exercise a kind of hydraulic effect.”  Even if the authors of such decisions assert that their rulings will have limited impact, these cases invariably have a profound influence.

Are Liberals Fund-Raising Hypocrites?  —  Let's imagine that Republicans swept the 2012 elections and were now in control not merely of the House but of the presidency and the Senate, too.  —  Now let's take it one step further and say that by using the filibuster the Democratic minority …

Democrats make risky bet against GOP Leader Mitch McConnell  —  Democrats in Washington are taking a risky bet by quadrupling their investment in Alison Lundergan Grimes, a young and largely unproven challenger, who is running against Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).

35,000 Walrus Converge On Alaska Beach As Sea Ice Retreats  —  In this aerial photo taken on Sept. 27, 2014, and provided by NOAA, some 35,000 walrus gather on shore near Point Lay, Alaska.  Pacific walrus looking for places to rest in the absence of sea ice are coming to shore in record numbers on Alaska's northwest coast.

Pryor says he's working for ‘smaller’ government  —  Vulnerable Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) is running to the right in his new ad, claiming he's pushed to shrink government and touting his opposition to Environmental Protection Agency regulations, while voters tout his fiscal conservatism.

White House to Media: Sit Down and Don't Interview  —  Even though Barack Obama rode into office in 2008 on a wave of media adulation, the Obama administration has exhibited a fiercely hostile attitude towards reporters.  It has vigorously prosecuted low-level national-security leakers …

HICKENLOOPER, BEAUPREZ OFFER CLEAR CONTRAST IN DENVER POST DEBATE  —  Mobile users: Watch Hickenlooper-Beauprez gubernatorial debate  —  Sharply divided, Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper and Republican rival Bob Beauprez on Tuesday offered a clear contrast in substance and style …

GAO says Obama administration can't bail out insurers without Congress  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL OBAMACARE HEALTH CARE JEFF SESSIONS GAO CMS LAW FRED UPTON HHS RISK CORRIDORS  —  The Department of Health and Human Services cannot legally bail out the insurance industry for excessive losses …

Breaking: 4th Circuit, on 2-1 Vote, Partially Blocks NC Voting Changes: Analysis  —  The 4th Circuit on a 2-1 vote (on a panel made up of all Democratic appointees) has issued an opinion requiring North Carolina to restore same day voter registration and the counting of out of precinct ballots in the upcoming election.

Federal Appeals Court to Mull Guns in Post Offices  —  The U.S. Postal Service and a rural Colorado man will argue in court Wednesday over where on postal property people can legally carry guns.  —  A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is set to hear the case involving Tab Bonidy …

Vandalia teen accidentally shoots herself and father  —  VANDALIA —  A 14-year-old girl accidentally shot herself and her father tonight while learning to use a handgun.  —  It happened while the two were on the back deck of their home in the 9200 block of Dog Leg Road.

Mayor of Bell Gardens Fatally Shot in Domestic Dispute; Wife Questioned and Released  —  The mayor of Bell Gardens was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in a dispute with his wife, who was briefly detained, authorities said.  —  A family photograph of Daniel Crespo and his wife, Levette.