A letter from a friend: Jackie's story is not a hoax  —  My name is Emily, and I was Jackie's suitemate first year.  I am writing to you in regards to Rolling Stone's recent statement of “misplaced trust” in Jackie.  I feel this statement is backwards, as it seems it was Jackie who misplaced her trust in Rolling Stone.

G.O.P. Donors Seek to Narrow Field of Presidential Candidates to One  —  Dozens of the Republican Party's leading presidential donors and fund-raisers have begun privately discussing how to clear the field for a single establishment candidate to carry the party's banner in 2016 …

Why Eric Garner is the turning point Ferguson never was  —  Ferguson, Mo., has captured the nation's attention for the better part of the past four months.  But in just a few short days in the national news, Eric Garner has become the political rallying point that Ferguson never has.

Ann Compton on Obama: He Launches ‘Profanity-Laced’ Tirades Against Press  —  Share it Tweet it  —  According to retired ABC News journalist Ann Compton, Barack Obama launches into “profanity-laced” tirades against the press in off-the-record meetings with reporters.

Sexual threats, other CIA methods detailed in Senate report  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Graphic details about sexual threats and other harsh interrogation techniques the CIA meted out to captured militants will be detailed by a Senate Intelligence Committee report on the spy agency's anti-terror tactics …

Dems, It's Time to Dump Dixie  —  With Mary Landrieu's ignominious exit, the Democrats will have lost their last senator in the Deep South.  And that's a good thing.  They should write it off—because they don't need it.  —  I don't remember a much sadder sight in domestic politics …

McConnell ‘almost certainly’ endorsing Rand Paul in 2016  —  Washington (CNN) — Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he plans to endorse his Kentucky colleague, Rand Paul, in his widely expected bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

The Democratic Party's long term problem is worse than you think  —  As I noted this morning, anyone who cares about the future of the Democratic Party needs to ask whether the party's elders and wise men are thinking hard enough about how to regain ground on the state level.

Lena Dunham's Publisher Fires Back at Breitbart With Clarification of ‘Barry One’ Rape Allegations (Exclusive)  —  Random House tells TheWrap: “The name ‘Barry’ referenced in the book is a pseudonym.  Random House, on our own behalf and on behalf of our author, regrets the confusion”

Creedence Clearwater Members Sue John Fogerty Over Use of Band's Name  —  Former band members are now on the offensive against Fogerty  —  A long-festering dispute over who gets to use the name of the popular 1960s rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival has done a 180 with lead singer John Fogerty …

California quake  —  Up-and-comers are already jockeying ahead of Boxer's possible retirement.  —  A parade of ambitious California public figures, who've spent years itching for a shot at the state's top political offices, are anticipating a shake-up of the state's political hierarchy …

Senior Dem withdraws opposition to FOIA update  —  Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) withdrew opposition to an update to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Monday, just hours before the measure would have died for the year.  —  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the author of the FOIA Improvement Act …

No comments.  An experiment in elevating the conversation  —  For the next two months, we are turning off the comment function on all editorials, columns and letters in the opinion section.  —  Why?  —  Ferguson.  —  Last Sunday, we challenged our region to have the serious discussion …