The Virus of Cynicism  —  WE have no clue at this point how far Ebola could spread in the United States — and no reason for panic.  —  But one dimension of the disease's toll is clear.  It's ravaging Americans' already tenuous faith in the competence of our government and its bureaucracies.

Black Vote Seen as Last Hope for Democrats to Hold Senate  —  WASHINGTON — The confidential memo from a former pollster for President Obama contained a blunt warning for Democrats.  Written this month with an eye toward Election Day, it predicted “crushing Democratic losses across the country” …

Obama's standing with women hurts Senate Dems  —  Female voters powered President Barack Obama's victory over Mitt Romney in 2012, as Democrats leaned heavily on social issues to rally single women and suburban moms to the polls.  —  But with two weeks until Election Day …

The Court won't interrupt Texas voter ID law  —  In a stinging defeat for the Obama administration and a number of civil rights groups in a major test case on voters' rights, a divided Supreme Court told the state of Texas early Saturday morning that it may enforce its strict voter ID law …

White House: Ron Klain's work handing out stimulus money good experience for Ebola czar  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL WHITE HOUSE BARACK OBAMA HEALTH CARE CDC EBOLA  —  President Obama's choice of veteran Democratic politico Ron Klain to serve as Ebola czar stunned many Republicans.

Mental Health Issues Put 34,500 on New York's No-Guns List  —  A newly created database of New Yorkers deemed too mentally unstable to carry firearms has grown to roughly 34,500 names, a previously undisclosed figure that has raised concerns among some mental health advocates that too many people have been categorized as dangerous.

They May Sound Like a Good Idea, But Travel Bans for Ebola Won't Work  —  Instead of protecting public health, banning travel to and from Ebola-stricken countries will just increase illegal travel and make it harder to fight the disease.  —  America's Ebola outbreak, now contained to two people, began with a flight from Liberia.

Conservative Cardinal Who Clashed With Pope Francis Confirms He Has Been Ousted  —  The head of the Catholic Church's highest court speaks to BuzzFeed News from the Vatican.  —  Cardinal Raymond Burke leaves meeting during Extraordinary Synod on the Family in Vatican City.  —  Franco Origlia / Getty Images

The nasty politicization of Ebola  —  Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, administered a dose of truth to political Washington this week.  —  For this honest service, Collins was pilloried.  —  Dana Milbank writes about political theater in the nation's capital.

Warren in Minnesota: ‘The game is rigged’  —  NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) brought her populist message Saturday to this small college town to rev up the final weeks of Sen. Al Franken's reelection campaign, but also to claim the mantle of the modern liberal movement's political godfather.

There's Only One Way to Beat ISIS: Work with Assad and Iran  —  The Obama administration has pulled together a coalition as ineffectual as it is unwilling.  It's time to join up with the forces, however unsavory, that can do the job.  —  Earlier this week, outside Washington …

Unable to Meet the Deductible or the Doctor  —  Patricia Wanderlich got insurance through the Affordable Care Act this year, and with good reason: She suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2011, spending weeks in a hospital intensive care unit, and has a second, smaller aneurysm that needs monitoring.