Libya and Egypt launch air strikes against Isis after militants post beheadings video  —  President Sisi had vowed to ‘avenge the criminal killings’ after release of video purporting to show killing of 21 Christians, believed to be kidnapped Egyptians  —  Egypt reported that its war planes …

What ISIS Really Wants  —  The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths.  It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse.  Here's what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it.  —  Graeme Wood

Alday says he's not racist; GOP leaders decry statements  —  State Rep. Gene Alday, R-Walls, who came under fire after his racist comments appeared in a Clarion-Ledger article Sunday about public education, said today his remarks were out of context and that he's a nice guy.

A perfect storm brews in the Middle East  —  TEL AVIV — Mistrust between the Obama administration and Benjamin Netanyahu has widened even further in recent days because of U.S. suspicion that the Israeli prime minister has authorized leaks of details about the U.S. nuclear talks with Iran.

Greek Financing Talks Break Down  —  Wide gulf between Athens and its official creditors triggers a period of high uncertainty  —  BRUSSELS—Talks among euro-zone finance ministers over a new financing arrangement for Greece broke down abruptly Monday, demonstrating a wide gulf between Athens …

Walker and Bush: Meet Your Republican Presidential Frontrunners  —  There are two big takeaways from our new NBC/Marist polls of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina that we released yesterday.  First, with less than a year...

Republican majorities struggle to get Congress working  —  After six weeks in session and 139 roll call votes in a House and Senate that feature some of the largest Republican majorities in generations, one of the most telling statistics from the new Congress is this: President Obama's veto threats outnumber …

Republicans using the courts to push their anti-Obama agenda  —  What do King vs. Burwell, which challenges the Affordable Care Act, and Texas vs Johnson, a challenge to President Obama's immigration executive action, have in common?  —  They cover different issues, but their origins …

Ben Carson Doesn't Want Any Rules For Our Military  —  Potential 2016 presidential contender Ben Carson thinks the only thing that should matter to our military is “winning,” whatever the hell that's supposed to mean these days when we're occupying countries or inserting ourselves …

The Shape of Things to Come  —  How an industrial designer became Apple's greatest product.  —  I. Launch Day … “We can do this the easy way or we can do this the cute way.”  —  BUY THE PRINT » … II. The Studio … “Excuse me—those performance reviews were supposed to be anonymous.”

Police dash cam shows part of contested arrest - until St. Louis officer turns camera off  —  ST. LOUIS  • As video cameras begin to sweep post-Ferguson policing — and policymakers grapple with whether to bar the public from watching the images — one such recording sits at the heart of a new lawsuit.

Get ready for the return of the Global War On Terror  —  Are you ready for a revival of the Global War on Terror?  Not that it ever really went away (even if President Obama retired the term), but the increasingly complex situation with ISIS is moving America toward a return to the days of fear and loathing …

Texas Fireman Responds To Houston Islamic Center Fire: ‘Let It Burn’  —  A man who claimed to be a firefighter in Houston, Texas responded to a massive fire at a Houston Islamic Center with a controversial tweet that read, “Let it burn ... block the fire hydrant.”

GOP cools on Loretta Lynch  —  President Obama's pick to serve as the next attorney general is having a hard time finding Republican supporters.  —  To be confirmed by the Senate, attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch only needs four Republicans to support her nomination.

A Presidential Education  —  One of the issues raised by Scott Walker's quick ascendancy to the top tier of presidential candidacy in the 2016 Invisible Primary is the phony scandal of his lack of a college degree.  I call it a “phony scandal” because while there have been a few liberals …

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: ISIS Represents Islam Like KKK Represents Christianity  —  Former NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stopped by Morning Joe on Monday, presumably to promote his new children's book, Stealing the Game , but the hosts also asked him to discuss a recent column he wrote …

Liberal Militant Atheist Murders Muslims; Conservative Christians Clearly To Blame  —  The only thing more elusive than an attractive liberal feminist is a conservative Christian mass murderer, but that doesn't keep Team Progressive from pressing on with its never-ending snipe hunt to find one.

Let's see her e-mails  —  It's been nearly two years since Lois Lerner planted a question at an American Bar Association gathering to slip in the fact that the IRS had singled out Tea Party groups for special scrutiny.  —  Since then, we've learned the following:

Hillary Campaign Signs at Politico Reporter's Wedding  —  A number of guests at a Politico reporter's wedding this weekend held up campaign signs for Hillary Clinton during one of the party's “wild dances.”  According to Politico's Mike Allen, there were several “Hillary for President” …

Explosions, booze, cockfighting among odd TN bills  —  The ability to legally shoot stuff that explodes.  The inability to buy booze if you've had three or more DUIs.  —  And potential criminal charges for parents who keep bringing their kids to cockfights.