Conservatives cool to Ryan as Speaker  —  Conservatives are not sold on the idea of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as Speaker.  —  While top House Republicans are trying to push a reluctant Ryan into the job, on the grounds that he alone can unify the conference, conservative lawmakers gave …

Benghazi committee, under fire, releases more Clinton emails  —  Hillary Clinton used her private email account to pass along the identity of one of the CIA's top Libyan intelligence sources, raising new questions about her handling of classified information, according to excerpts …

An Incoherent Syria War Strategy  —  The Obama administration's $500 million initiative to train and arm so-called moderate rebels to take on the Islamic State never seemed promising when it was rolled out last year.  Having acknowledged that this plan has failed — largely …

Exxon's Climate Concealment  —  CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — MILLIONS of Americans once wanted to smoke.  Then they came to understand how deadly tobacco products were.  Tragically, that understanding was long delayed because the tobacco industry worked for decades to hide the truth, promoting a message of scientific uncertainty instead.

Obama on Putin's military mission in Syria  —  Russia's move into Syria is a sign of weakness, not strength, President Obama tells 60 Minutes  —  President Vladimir Putin's military mission in Syria is a sign of Russia's weakness, not a show of its leadership, says President Obama.

Biden may ditch ‘Draft Biden’ super PAC  —  <p>If Joe Biden runs, it'll likely be without Draft Biden.</p> <p>Two sources familiar with the planning around Biden's potential presidential campaign say the vice president's team believes the existing super PAC — started in the spring …

Shia LaBeouf Arrested ... Booked for Public Intoxication  —  ARRESTED  —  Booked for Public Intoxication  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Shia LaBeouf was arrested in Austin, Texas Thursday ... and witnesses say the actor was blitzed, out of control and disobeyed police.

Moms and Guns  —  It passed with little notice when an 11-year-old boy shot and killed an 8-year-old girl a few days ago in Tennessee — shot her because she wouldn't show him her puppy.  The boy used his family's 12-gauge shotgun to kill the second-grader.

Police searching for gunman who killed freshman at Texas Southern University  —  One student was killed and another person was injured after someone opened fire outside a Texas Southern University dormitory on Friday morning, prompting a lockdown at the Houston school, officials said.

Twitter Is Planning Company-Wide Layoffs for Next Week  —  Jack Dorsey was named permanent CEO of Twitter on Monday, and a big reason he got the job was that as a co-founder, Dorsey isn't afraid to make the tough, necessary decisions.  He isn't wasting much time.

Massive El Niño is now ‘too big to fail,’ scientist says  —  An El Niño that is among the strongest on record is gaining strength in the Pacific Ocean, and climate scientists say California is likely to face a wet winter.  —  “There's no longer a possibility that El Niño wimps out at this point.

Ben Carson Says Holocaust Would Have Been ‘Greatly Diminished’ if Jews Had Guns  —  Carson has faced scrutiny for multiple statements about guns this week, including a recent story about a robbery in a Baltimore Popeyes  —  Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told CNN's Wolf Blitzer …

From Donald Trump, Hints of a Campaign Exit Strategy  —  In unmistakable ways over the last two weeks, whether he has intended to or not, Donald J. Trump has started to articulate a way out of the presidential race: a verbal parachute that makes clear he has contemplated the factors that would cause him to end his bid.

Judge tosses four of five counts against Rand Paul aide  —  <p>A federal judge on Friday threw out four of five counts stemming from a campaign fraud case against Jesse Benton, a top political adviser to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.</p><p>In August, Benton was indicted on charges of concealing payments …