State GOP leaders plot to tie Donald Trump's hands  —  Amid mounting concerns about Donald Trump's candidacy from the GOP establishment, Republican leaders in at least two states have found a way to make life a lot harder for him.  —  The Virginia and North Carolina parties are in discussions …

Vice President Joe Biden is said to be seriously mulling a 2016 bid  —  Washington (CNN)Vice President Joe Biden received President Barack Obama's “blessing” to make a 2016 bid for the White House, according to a senior Democrat.  —  But that's if Biden chooses to run — the decision is his.

Email from a Married, Female Ashley Madison User  —  Ever since I wrote on Thursday about the Ashley Madison hack and resulting reactions and consequences, I've heard from dozens of people who used the site.  They offer a remarkably wide range of reasons for having done so.

Hispanics Frown on Trump, but Not Rest of GOP Field  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — U.S. Hispanics are still getting to know most of the Republican contenders for president.  At this point in the campaign, less than half have formed an opinion of any Republican candidate except Donald Trump and Jeb Bush.

Banners hung at home near ODU prompt response from University President: “I am outraged about the offensive message...”  —  Norfolk, Va. - Old Dominion University officials took time from their weekend to respond to some banners hung up at an off-campus home that are upsetting many.

BlackLivesMatter misfire  —  Our righteous anger misdirected at politically convenient targets, not real culprits.  —  The idea that disrupting and protesting Bernie Sanders speeches will change what is wrong in America is lunacy.  The “BlackLivesMatter” movement is focused on the wrong targets …

Belmar diners leave waitress taunting note and no tip  —  BELMAR — A 20-year-old Rutgers University student who is waiting tables at D'Jais Bar & Grill this summer to help put herself through school, got an unwelcome lesson in the humanities this past week.

Boy stumbles, leaves hole in valuable painting at da Vinci exhibit  —  Taipei, Aug. 24 (CNA) A Taiwanese boy on Sunday punched a hole in an extremely valuable Paolo Porpora painting at a Taipei exhibition after apparently tripping and trying to catch his balance on the artwork …

American Airlines workers say they face racial taunts, discrimination  —  Black American Airlines employees at Reagan National and Philadelphia International airports say they have been subjected to racial taunts and are routinely assigned unsafe equipment and the most difficult tasks.

Opponent of same-sex marriage reveals donors to 2009 Maine campaign  —  Monday's disclosure marks the end of the National Organization for Marriage bid to conceal donors to its successful campaign to overturn Maine's first marriage equality law.  —  A national group that successfully campaigned …

Donald Trump Is Not a Populist.  He's the Voice of Aggrieved Privilege.  —  Baffled by Donald Trump's popularity, some observers have sought to make sense of it with a familiar—and often misused—political label.  “Trump is not really a Republican, he's a populist,” historian Geoffrey Kabaservice told the Guardian.

Bogus carbon offsets increased emissions  —  Russian and Ukrainian companies abused a carbon trading scheme to undercut climate pacts.  —  A flawed scheme that allowed companies to earn tradable carbon credits for projects supposed to abate industrial gases actually created a “perverse” …

Hollande, Merkel urge ceasefire in Ukraine  —  The two leaders call for new talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as tensions rise in eastern Ukraine.  —  BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande called Monday for an immediate ceasefire …

Bush embraces same state-based tuition-free plan as Obama  —  Jeb Bush threw his support behind a Tennessee plan to give two years of community college to students tuition free on Monday, the same plan that helped inspire President Obama's similar proposal earlier this year.

Fast-train rescuers accept France's top honor  —  Hollande says passengers' helped avoid ‘carnage.’  —  France awarded three Americans and a Briton who tackled a suspected jihadist on a crowded train between Amsterdam and Paris the Legion of Honor — the nation's highest award — on Monday.

Class Notes  —  What's really at stake when a school closes? … The author (top right), with classmates in the library of Jamaica High School, during his senior year. … “This one's just like being at a real theatre.”  —  BUY THE PRINT »

Islamic State group using toy cars to launch bomb attacks: Report  —  The small vehicles are reportedly being imported by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from Turkey.  —  Islamic State terrorists are using computer game inspired remote-controlled toy cars for launching bomb attacks …

EXCLUSIVE: Victoria's Secret lingerie model Adriana Lima sparks outrage after she is duped into terror group video salute  —  A Victoria's Secret lingerie model has sparked outrage after she was filmed seemingly endorsing a terrorist group which plotted to murder Pope John Paul II.

Conservative lawmaker may seek vote to oust Boehner  —  Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said he or another conservative lawmaker may seek a privileged vote next month to oust Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) from his leadership position.  —  Meadows told The Daily Signal that he or another conservative lawmaker …

Israel says Iran is sponsoring rocket attacks  —  As Congress nears a vote on the Iranian nuclear deal, Israel says Tehran is responsible for a “indiscriminate and premeditated terrorist attack” from Syrian territory.  —  Israel says Iran was behind rocket attacks into its territory from Syria last week …

Judge overhauls troubled Ferguson, Missouri, court  —  A new municipal judge in Ferguson, Missouri, on Monday ordered sweeping changes to court practices in response to a scathing Justice Department report following the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown a year ago.

Scott Walker: Obama should show ‘some backbone’ by canceling Chinese state visit  —  Angry anti-China rhetoric from U.S. politicians escalated Monday as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) called on President Obama to cancel Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the White House next month.