The Obama Brief  —  The President considers his judicial legacy. … “Of course I drink during the day—I'm way too tired to drink at night.”  —  BUY OR LICENSE »

Clyburn challenger: Gay couples are ‘gremlins’  —  Rep. James Clyburn's (D-S.C.) Republican challenger referred to same-sex couples as “gremlins” and “bullies” in a Facebook post urging supporters to oppose gay marriage at the polls this fall.  —  Anthony Culler, the GOP nominee for Clyburn's seat …

Ebola patient Amber Vinson's family disputes CDC story, gets a lawyer  —  Health officials gave Texas nurse Amber Vinson permission to fly to Ohio and back even though she voiced concern about Ebola, her relatives said Sunday, adding that they have retained a high-profile attorney.

Stop Hillary!  —  Vote no to a Clinton dynasty  —  ow's that hopey, changey stuff working out for you?  " Sarah Palin asked American voters in a taunting 2010 speech.  The answer: Not so well.  We avoided a full-blown depression, but the job market remains deeply sick …

POLITICO poll: Alarm, anxiety as election looms  —  An overwhelming majority of voters in the most competitive 2014 elections say it feels as if events in the United States are “out of control” and expressed mounting alarm about terrorism, anxiety about Ebola and harsh skepticism …

Joni Ernst Is the GOP's Breakout Star.  The Democratic Machine Could Still Beat Her.  —  Bruce Braley is a flawed candidate, but his team's superior ground game might push him over the top.  —  DES MOINES, Iowa—Marilynn Wadden, a retired elementary school teacher, was smiling as she settled …

U.S. Humanitarian Aid Going to ISIS  —  Not only are foodstuffs, medical supplies—even clinics—going to ISIS, the distribution networks are paying ISIS ‘taxes’ and putting ISIS people on their payrolls.  —  GAZIANTEP, Turkey — While U.S. warplanes strike at the militants …

Two Americas  —  In the course of pondering Ezra Klein's odd views on due process with respect to “Yes Means Yes” and rape allegations, I have come across the following notion, written by Tara Culp-Ressler of Think Progress and endorsed by Michelle Goldberg of The Nation.  Their gist - women don't lie about rape.

The Worst Campaign Ad That Human Beings Actually Paid for This Year  —  A breathtakingly bad GOP ad in the one Senate race that's going great for Democrats.  —  Michigan's race for U.S. Senate is the sick man of the GOP's electoral map.  Halfway through the cycle, Republicans …

The Trouble with Early Voting  —  Early and absentee voting have their place, but they are becoming the rule not the exception.  —  The headline in the Florida's Sun-Sentinel newspaper this weekend says it all: “People Who Vote Before Election Could Decide Outcome of Governor's Race.”

Obama makes rare campaign trail appearance, people leave early  —  (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made a rare appearance on the campaign trail on Sunday with a rally to support the Democratic candidate for governor in Maryland, but early departures of crowd members while he spoke underscored his continuing unpopularity.

Amazon's Monopsony Is Not O.K.  —  Amazon.com, the giant online retailer, has too much power, and it uses that power in ways that hurt America.  —  O.K., I know that was kind of abrupt.  But I wanted to get the central point out there right away, because discussions of Amazon tend, all too often, to get lost in side issues.

Obama: One very successful president?  —  Obama team resignations and firings … (CNN) — President Obama's poll numbers have hit a new low and he's under fire for everything from the rise of ISIS to the response to the Ebola threat.  So it may seem surprising to many readers …

Monica Lewinsky Speaks: 'It's My Mission To End Cyberbullying'  —  Monica Lewinsky has broken a decade-long silence to announce her campaign to end cyberbullying and today's toxic culture of internet shaming.  —  In her first ever public address, the former mistress of President Bill Clinton revealed …

GOP Senator Campaign's Sunflower Fields Are In Ukraine  —  Pat Roberts represents the Sunflower State (Kansas).  —  The image Republican Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts on every page of his website and on his press releases of a sunset on a sunflower field is of a field in Ukraine.  —  Kansas is the Sunflower State.

Nigeria Is Ebola-Free: Here's What They Did Right  —  It's been 42 days since the last new case  —  The World Health Organization declared Nigeria free of Ebola on Monday, a containment victory in an outbreak that has stymied other countries' response efforts.

Gay GOP House candidate: Harassment allegations driven by my sexuality  —  SAN DIEGO — Under fire amid sexual harassment allegations, GOP House candidate Carl DeMaio is saying Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) is behind the “outrageous, despicable, disgraceful, unethical” claims against him.

Flip Benham Crashes Gay Weddings In North Carolina  —  With gay marriage now legal in North Carolina, it was only a matter of time before Flip Benham of Operation Save America started crashing wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples.  —  The North Carolina-based pastor …

George Will says a sneeze or cough could spread Ebola  —  As the national effort ramps up to beat back Ebola, the Obama administration has been taking heat.  Critics say the president and top public health officials painted too rosy a picture of the country's state of readiness.