When Conspiracy Theories Don't Fit the Media Narrative  —  Joni Ernst is an Iowan, born and bred, an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, and the Republican nominee for the Senate in Iowa.  She has also flirted seriously with wacky conspiracy theories, especially Agenda 21, which takes off from an innocuous …

The final sprint  —  In Kentucky, Democrats were crying foul over a last-minute GOP flier they called a dirty trick to suppress turnout.  In Kansas, independent Greg Orman met the full brunt of a Republican machine determined to rescue one of its own.  Louisiana's Democratic …

Political Correctness Is Back  —  The kerfuffle over Bill Maher's invitation to speak at UC Berkeley brings me back to my college days.  And not in a good way.  —  In the late 1980s and early 1990s, campus life featured a depressing sequence of actions and reactions by the right and left on the subject of race.

Democrats fear Iowa slipping away  —  DES MOINES, Iowa —Democrats' hopes of keeping the Senate may well rest on the outcome of the race in this state on Tuesday.  But party faithful here are increasingly anxious that victory is slipping away, with some Democrats openly saying …

Races I'll Be Watching On Election Night  —  Senate polls in individual states have moved around...but the Meta-Margin and the average seat count have stayed stable.  Nonetheless, the crystal ball is cloudy.  Why is that?  The Midterm Polling Curse.  Spoooooky!

Boko Haram Leader: All Kidnapped Girls Now Married Off  —  MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — With a malevolent laugh, the leader of Nigeria's Islamic extremists tells the world that more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls have all been converted to Islam and married off, dashing hopes for their freedom.

McCain speaks about Palin family brawl  —  PHOENIX — Arizona Sen. John McCain is speaking out about a bloody family brawl involving his former vice president pick, Sarah Palin.  —  “I think these are family affairs,” McCain said Friday.  “Things happen in people's families and I'm not excusing it, I'm not condemning it.”

Daylight saving time: Is it worth it?  —  Christian Science Monitor 1 hr ago  —  It's that time of year again.  Time to “fall back” an hour as we go around the house changing the clocks on the features of modern life - appliances and such like.  The really modern stuff - computers …

ME-Gov LePage Says 13% Of Ebola Victims Die Without Showing Any Symptoms  —  Asked to give his response to a district court judge's ruling that nurse Kaci Hickox presented no threat to public health, Maine's ridiculous Governor again resorted to character assassination and gave more false information about the disease.

Alarmed by Ebola, Public Isn't Calmed by ‘Experts Say’  —  When public health leaders and government officials make the case against isolating more people returning from the Ebola hot zones in West Africa, or against imposing more travel restrictions from that region, time and again they cite science and experts.

The Vital Role of the Occasional Voter  —  Low voter turnout is a bad thing.  Let's get that out of the way immediately.  —  The midterm elections take place on Tuesday, but it's highly likely that relatively few Americans will actually go to the polls.  In 2010, in the last midterm election …

The Party of Nonvoters  —  Younger, More Racially Diverse, More Financially Strapped  —  With just four days before the midterm elections, the spotlight understandably is focused on the estimated 40% of voting age adults who are expected to show up at the polls next Tuesday.

There's Only One Thing at Stake in the Senate Race  —  But it's a pretty big thing.  —  Shares  —  There are lots of people telling you what the race for control of the Senate is about.  Maybe it's about Republicans turning the Senate into a temple of bipartisan governance.