Crazy Talk at the Republican Debate  —  Eleven presidential candidates had three prime-time hours on the national stage on Wednesday to tell the American people why they should lead the country.  —  Nobody forced them to be there.  They were there freely, armed with the best arguments …

Summer was the hottest on record  —  June through August of this year was the hottest summer in recorded weather history, federal scientists said Thursday.  —  Surface temperatures around the globe were 1.53 degrees Fahrenheit above their average for those months throughout the 20th century …

House GOP leaders to members: We'll be blamed for shutdown  —  House GOP leaders are trying to convince their rank and file it would be a bad move to risk a government shutdown over blocking funding for Planned Parenthood.  —  At a closed-door conference meeting on Thursday morning …

Bristol Palin Rages: Obama ‘Needs To STAY Out Of’ Ahmed Mohamed's Case  —  Bristol Palin wrote on her blog Thursday that President Obama “needs to STAY out of” the case of a 14-year-old Muslim student in Texas who was wrongly arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school.

Amid dropping poll numbers, Scott Walker will retreat to focus on Iowa  —  GOP presidential candidate Scott Walker — who has tumbled from top-tier status amid tepid debate performances and other missteps — will pull back from other early-voting states in favor of a heavy focus on Iowa …

Keystone and crude oil surprisingly similar fights  —  With help from Darius Dixon, Darren Goode, and Alex Guillén  —  CRUDE EXPORTS FIGHT AND KEYSTONE BATTLE: SEPARATED AT BIRTH?  While these two policy disputes have obvious differences in content, they bear marked similarities.

Trump Lets Comment About Muslims Being ‘Problem’ in US Slide  — Shares-

Asthmatic sea otter learns to use inhaler  —  The Seattle Aquarium believes it has diagnosed the first case of sea otter asthma.  —  “Mishka” knows nothing about wildfires, but the 1-year-old did learn what it's like to have trouble breathing when smoke got thick and hovered over Seattle skies.

BREAKING: Friend of Dylann Roof arrested by the FBI  —  Joey Meek was picked up by FBI agents just before 4 p.m. Thursday, girlfriend tells The State newspaper  —  Meek said Tuesday he doesn't think he committed any crime  —  Accused Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof stayed with the Meeks on and off before the June 17 shootings

New White House Campaign Will Encourage Legal Immigrants to Become Citizens  —  White House officials announced the start of a nationwide campaign on Thursday to encourage legal immigrants to become American citizens, which could add millions of voters to the electorate in time for the presidential election next year.

EXCLUSIVE: Race relations in America are ‘getting worse,’ says James Blake's mother Betty, a white Briton who raised 2 black sons in New York  —  Betty Blake, 80, is the mother of retired tennis star James Blake.  Betty, who is white and grew up in England, talks about raising two sons who are black.

Fed Leaves Interest Rates Unchanged  —  WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve announced on Thursday that it would keep interest rates near zero as officials assessed the impact of tighter financial conditions and slower global growth on the domestic economy.  —  The Fed's decision …