Aides knew of possible White House link to Cartagena, Colombia, prostitution scandal  —  As nearly two dozen Secret Service agents and members of the military were punished or fired following a 2012 prostitution scandal in Colombia, Obama administration officials repeatedly denied that anyone from the White House was involved.

Police officer fatally shoots teenager in south St. Louis  —  • By Margaret Gillerman mgillerman@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8126 and Valerie Schremp Hahn vhahn@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8246  —  Update, from 1 a.m. media briefing:  —  St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said the officer …

Court allows North Carolina voting limits  —  The Supreme Court, with two Justices noting dissents, on Wednesday afternoon allowed North Carolina to bar voters from registering and casting their ballots on the same day, and to refuse to count votes that were cast in the wrong polling places.

Foxhall police encounter caught on video and the interaction is fascinating  —  If the police were on your front lawn, questioning someone you know about a call they received, what would you do?  If you're Jody Westby, you defend your people.  And you do it sternly, with an air of authority …

The Diversity of Islam  —  A few days ago, I was on a panel on Bill Maher's television show on HBO that became a religious war.  —  Whether or not Islam itself inspires conflict, debates about it certainly do.  Our conversation degenerated into something close to a shouting match and went viral on the web.

U.S. frustration rises as Turkey withholds military help from besieged Kobane  —  Islamic State fighters were battling outgunned Kurdish fighters in the heart of Kobane on Thursday, a day after the Pentagon warned that U.S. airstrikes alone will not save the Syrian border town from being overrun by the militants.

Joe Biden Devours Ice Cream In Most Joe Biden Photos Ever  —  Double-fold vanilla.  —  During an appearance in Portland on Wednesday to campaign with Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley in his race against Republican opponent Monica Wehby, the vice president made an appearance at Salt and Straw ice cream shop to devour an ice cream cone.

Sayreville football parent reveals sexual nature of alleged locker room hazing ritual (Exclusive)  —  It came without warning.  —  It would start with a howling noise from a senior football player at Sayreville War Memorial High School, and then the locker room lights were abruptly shut off.

JW Confirms: 4 ISIS Terrorists Arrested in Texas in Last 36 Hours  —  Islamic terrorists have entered the United States through the Mexican border and Homeland Security sources tell Judicial Watch that four have been apprehended in the last 36 hours by federal authorities and the Texas Department of Public Safety in McAllen and Pharr.

Obama's Dismal Performance Is His Personal Failure  —  The Fiscal Times  —  Presidents in political trouble tend to resist change, mainly because they convince themselves of their wisdom.  Ronald Reagan once declared that he would “stay the course” on his economic policies when short-term pain caused …

Behind-the-scenes moments from the College Democrats' trip to Kentucky  —  Three days of traveling with the College Democrats on their canvassing trip to Kentucky couldn't all fit in one story.  Here are some behind-the-scenes moments from the weekend.  —  1. Sleeping on the ground wasn't what kept them up at night

Obama's 2008 Backers: We're Ready for Warren  —  The Massachusetts Senator says she'll sit out 2016.  But some Democratic diehards won't take no for an answer, and are already building a campaign for her.  —  She is, she insists, not interested, telling The Boston Globe, “There is no wiggle room.

EPA tells court it may have lost text messages  —  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told a federal court that it may have lost the text messages at the center of a lawsuit by a libertarian think tank.  —  The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) sued the EPA last year in federal court …

More than a dozen states plan to cancel health care policies not in compliance with ObamaCare in the coming weeks, affecting thousands of people just before the midterm elections.  —  “It looks like several hundred thousand people across the country will receive notices in the coming days and weeks …

Americans Want Flights Banned From Ebola Countries  —  The survey found that 51 percent of respondents said they were worried there would be an Ebola outbreak in the United States, and 30 percent worried they or someone in their family would be exposed to the virus.

Peter Thiel Is Wrong About the Future  —  As a kindergarten student a half century ago, I read the same book over and over again, nearly every day.  My favorite in our classroom's little library, it had a title imbued with confidence and promise: “You Will Go to the Moon.”  —  Needless to say, I have not done so.

Arkansas: How Bill Clinton will save the Senate  —  As I was having my morning coffee and chicory, I couldn't help but smile reading Jonathan Martin's piece on former President Clinton's recent appearance in Arkansas on behalf of incumbent Sen. Mark Pryor, who is facing a tough race for reelection.