Ebola Policies Made in Panic Cause More Damage  —  With good reason, Americans are deeply confused about the risks of Ebola.  It is a frightening disease, made more so by dueling theories about how best to deal with people arriving from West Africa and by wildly different messages …

Poll: Midterm momentum belongs to GOP  —  Republicans enter the final week of the midterm campaign holding higher ground than the Democrats, aided by public dissatisfaction with President Obama's leadership, with the overall direction of the country and with the federal government's ability …

Why The Senate Polling In Alaska Is Making Us Sweat  —  If there's a race that keeps us awake at night, it's Alaska.  The state is home to one of the most important Senate races in the country, but it also has a history of quirky and often inaccurate polling.  —  Until late last week, the main challenge had been a lack of polling.

What Will the GOP Senate Be Like?  —  Republicans promise that if they seize the majority, they'll stop Obama—and stop the Washington gridlock.  Can they really do both?  —  In Kansas recently, Republican Senator Pat Roberts, who's in a tough race for reelection, made a statement that left me puzzled.

Ann Romney blasts Democrat for sexist slur  —  Washington (CNN) — Ann Romney, the wife of former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, condemned South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's Democratic challenger after he mistakenly called her a “whore” — and then chuckled.

House Dems fret debilitating losses  —  The political environment continues to deteriorate for House Democrats ahead of a midterm election that's certain to diminish their ranks.  —  With President Barack Obama's unpopularity hindering their candidates and Republican cash flooding …

The Bumpkinification of the Midterm Elections  —  Joni Ernst, the Iowa state senator and Iraq War veteran, was standing in a barn in a purple flannel shirt and an unzipped vest.  Beside her, various swine burrowed in the hog lot; two small pigs spooned; there was copious squealing.

GOP Senate Candidate Called ‘Uncle Tom’ at Hillary/Hagan Rally in N.C.  —  Republican Senate candidate Thom Tillis was called “Uncle Tom” at a recent Senator Kay Hagan rally in North Carolina.  Hillary Clinton was also on hand to help rally Democrats in support of Hagan …

Sarah Palin: Climate Change Is The New Eugenics  —  Sarah Palin has declared that climate change is the eugenics movement of the 21st century.  —  Piggybacking on a Weather Channel co-founder John Coleman's denial of man-made climate change, Palin posted a video from her online channel to her Facebook page Monday.

FBI created fake Seattle Times Web page to nab bomb-threat suspect  —  The FBI created a fake news story on a bogus Seattle Times Web page to plant software in the computer of a suspect in a series of bomb threats to Timberline High School in 2007, documents reveal.

Michele Bachmann, queen of the tea party, searches for what's next  —  The “Queen of the Tea Party,” Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is leaving Congress at the end of the year.  Here is a round-up of some of her most memorable moments in politics and on the campaign trail.  (Jackie Kucinich/The Washington Post)

Drug case dropped when Officer Darren Wilson fails to show  —  • By Robert Patrick rpatrick@post-dispatch.com 314-621-5154  —  CLAYTON  • A judge dismissed a pending felony drug case in court Monday after Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson — the central figure …

Why Partyism Is Wrong  —  A college student came to me recently with a quandary.  He'd spent the summer interning at a conservative think tank.  Now he was applying to schools and companies where most people were liberal.  Should he remove the internship from his résumé?

The GOP's Giddiness Over Hillary Clinton's Jobs “Gaffe” Will Backfire  —  High on the long list of things Republicans decided not to change after the 2012 election—below opposition to immigration reform, but above the belief that Democrats only win elections by showering the poor …

Dems Desperately Seeking the Gender Gap  —  Even Mitch McConnell—running against a woman—is running even among women.  What's going on?  Simple.  The Democratic women aren't motivated.  —  With the finish line approaching and key races stalemated, two new polls—in Colorado showing Democrat Mark Udall …

Report Reveals Wider Tracking of Mail in U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — In a rare public accounting of its mass surveillance program, the United States Postal Service reported that it approved nearly 50,000 requests last year from law enforcement agencies and its own internal inspection unit …

Students spring into opposition after Bill Maher announced as keynote speaker  —  In response to an announcement last week that comedian Bill Maher would speak at UC Berkeley's fall commencement, an online petition started circulating Thursday that demanded that the campus rescind its invitation.

Freedom Summer, 2015  —  The Supreme Court's year usually follows a predictable pattern.  The term, as the Justices call it, begins on the first Monday in October, and through the fall they usually hear a series of low-profile cases.  The more controversial cases tend to come up in the first days …